Brave
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Director: Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman
Rating: 5/5
Now I don't know about you but no movie summer is ever complete for me without a Pixar movie... and with Brave they have not disappointed.
Yes it has all bee about the sequel in the last couple of years with the likes of Cars 2 and Toy Story 3 but with Brave the animation giants have brought us a gem of an original story.
The impetuous, tangle-haired Merida, though a daughter of royalty, would prefer to make her mark as a great archer.
A clash of wills with her mother compels Merida to make a reckless choice, which unleashes unintended peril on her father’s kingdom and her mother’s life.
Merida struggles with the unpredictable forces of nature, magic and a dark, ancient curse to set things right.
It may be 2012 but this is the first time that Pixar have lead a movie with a female character - and Merida is a character that you won't forget in a hurry.
Voiced by Kelly Macdonald the character of Merida is spirited, tough and yet incredibly charming character who is desperate to find her own way in the world.
The beginning of the movie really is a battle of wills between Merida and her mother, who is desperate for her daughter to follow tradition and be more like a princess.
Brave looks at a very simple thing... the relationship between mother and daughter and how often that relationships if put to the test.
There has been some criticism that the central character isn't funny enough but she doesn't need to be cracking the jokes as you get enough laughs from the supporting characters.
King Fergus and the clam heads provide more that enough entertainment as they chase and imaginary bear before fighting between themselves.
However I would say that the clan heads and their sons, who have come to battle it out for Merida's hand, are a little under-used, which is a real shame.
As we have come to expect from a Pixar movie it just looks stunning as they have well and truly brought 10th century Scotland to life.
They have depicted Scotland as a magical and enchanting land and they really have brought it to life through animation.
Brave is perhaps a simpler tale that we have seen in recent years but it does not suffer for it - it really is the best animation movie that has graced the big screen so far this year.
And it really does pack and emotional punch towards the end - only a heart of stone could not be moved when Merida realises that she may never see her mother again.
But what is really interesting about this movie is there is no real villain - and while that may be quite irritating for some I actually thought it worked really well.
Brave is a movie about coming of age, mending a broken relationship and being ready to see things from another person's perspective and to have thrown a baddie in there while all this was going on just wouldn't have been right.
Once again Pixar have waved their magic and created a truly delightful movie that is fun as well as incredibly moving.
It may not quite reach the dizzy heights of the likes of Up but it is a movie that is not to be missed.
Brave it out now
Tagged in Billy Connolly Kelly Macdonald