by Diane Gutman
(via The Daily Hey Now!)
When Disney Pixar first announced the plot for it’s new feature Brave it drew a lot of attention from media and fans alike. You see, there’s a general rule of thumb when you hear the words Disney and Princess used in the same sentence, you just know that somewhere in that sentence the word “prince” also appears, but this film breaks that rule. Brave is the story of young, tough, Scottish princess by the name of Merida who defies her mother, breaks all of the rules, and embarks on a journey that forces her to face her own reality.
**MILD PLOT SPOILERS AFTER THE CUT. **
Disney does something with Brave that they’ve never done before. They tell the story about a Princess who learns the true meaning love, but there’s a catch: There is no love interest involved, no glass slippers, no true loves kiss, nothing like that at all. Instead Brave uses another dynamic to tell the story of love; the love between a mother and her daughter. Merida is very enigmatic, she sets a great example for young women, that you should do your own thing and be independent but at the same time, she sets the standard that girls shouldn’t have to live their lives trying to please their love interests but to do what makes them feel right. So what makes Merida feel right? Riding horses, archery, having fun with her little brothers, everything a young princess should not be doing, according to her mother.
Upset by her mother trying to marry her off Merida runs off in a hurry and gets herself into big trouble. This where the story gets interesting, she tries to change her fate by changing her mother, which happens to her quite literally. She spends the rest of the movie trying to figure out a way to break the spell put on her mother but along the way the two of them have the most fun they’ve had since she was a little girl. In typical Disney fashion Merida begins to learn the error of her ways and becomes a better person for it, all the mean while strengthening her relationship with her mother.
Brave is a smart story that all young women should see no matter what. It takes the conventions of the average fairy tale and throws them out the window and starts from scratch. The usual aspects of the Disney Pixar trademark are obviously prevalent, the beautiful art, the wonderful cinematography and stellar soundtrack, but it’s not what makes Brave stand out; It’s Merida herself. Merida is fiercely independent, brave and charming, a princess that the tough girl on the play ground can finally identify with.
10/10
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