A few days ago Chris, Charlotte, and I sat down to watch BRAVE. Charlotte had actually already seen it at the theater this past summer with church so we hadn’t had a chance yet. I had no idea what to expect outside the merchandising and the commercials, so it was kinda exciting to sit down and watch this family flick together! Of course Charlotte kept trying to tell us every scene before it happened and we had to threaten her with her life over it (But I cant heellllllppppppp it!) but we did get through without her ruining the end.

What is BRAVE about?

Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

My thoughts

Because I saw this blindly I was totally expecting some sort of Princess movie, which falls in line with a lot of Disney’s past that sets up the stage with a traditional female character of theirs. Boy, was I wrong! What I found was that the movie was more of a coming of age struggle with what we want to do and what we know is right and the battle from parent to child. The movie was decidedly more mature than past movies I have watched from this genre. My husband thought it was a tad slow in story developing, but the daughter/mother relationship is a bond that is constantly changing and I think they managed to showcase the reality of both sides pretty well at a pace that was fair. As a parent we want our kids to follow the path, the order, to be happy but to be safe and as a kid we want freedom, to run, to decide on our own, and to make our way.

Without ruining the end, I found it to be a “swallowing your pride” message that both sides could take a bit from.

And I may have teared up at least once.

The Scenes

Taking place in Scotland the movie really nailed the beauty of the land and the colors throughout the film were so vibrant and realistic at times I forgot I was watching a PG rated film. Brilliant in Blu-Ray, it made my television look good and while the 3d bumps it from fun to awesome, there is no wrong way to watch. Meridia’s hair was astounding in detail and I often found myself watching it bounce throughout the film.

We have come a long way from The Rescuers, if you know what I mean.

How to Buy BRAVE

Disney’s BRAVE releases on 3D Bluray, Bluray, DVD and Digital Download on November 13th at your local retailer!

Other reviews:

~Trisha

Screener provided.

Check out other Disney Movie reviews like The Odd Life of Timothy Green Review

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