Movie Review: Brave

My dad took me to see Brave yesterday, just like he took me to see The Little Mermaid in 1989, only this time he didn't fall asleep. I was a  little reluctant to share my true feelings about the movie, but then I remembered that I'm usually not one to go along with the crowd to avoid scrutiny (leg shaving exception), so bombs away!

In a nutshell, I enjoyed Brave well enough, but it wasn't all fantastic. It breaks my heart a little too, because I love Pixar and the level of quality they strive for.

Merida, voiced by Kelly MacDonaldImage via filmofilia.com.

On the surface Brave is about Merida, a highland princess who wants to control her own fate. Basically that means she doesn't want to be a bride who is given to the winner of some highland games, she wants to marry who she chooses and only when she's ready. (It certainly doesn't mean that she wants to travel or learn a trade or become a warrior or be an independent woman.) But really the movie is about a mother and daughter who don't understand each other and communicate poorly. It's pretty much the Freaky Friday plot. Even though they don't switch places, they find themselves in a magical situation that forces them to respect and understand each other's skill sets and viewpoints in order to break the spell.

The actual script held a few problems for me. There were some pacing problems, there were a couple of characters and plot points that felt as though they were added hastily in order to make it all work, and there was at least one major theme that was too loosely connected to truly make the impact that was desired or deserved. Additionally the humor was obvious, meaning it was at a much lower cleverness level than I'm accustomed to in a Pixar film. It was a real missed opportunity.

Merida's mum and dad, voiced by Billy Connelly and Emma Thompson. Image via filmofilia.com.

On the positive side, when all is said and done, I'm ecstatic that Merida and her mother are strong, clever female characters. There are no dewey eyes or fluttering abouts or talk of beauty, it's all about strength of character and solving problems and taking action.

The animation is completely fantastic, especially the hair, as I'm sure you are well aware from the preview, but there were also great things happening with the fabrics. Animated films are gaining more and more textures and depth, much to my delight.

The voice casting was fantastic. I love Billy Connelly's scratchy and somehow irreverent voice. (I just feel like he's going to say something naughty at any given moment.) Of course I was in hog heaven listening to all that Scottish dialect, but that doesn't really recommend the movie to anyone but me.

The final word is go and see it. You'll likely enjoy it enough, especially with checked expectations, and you can't really not see a Pixar film at this point anyway, right?

P.S. La Luna, the short that played before the movie, was adorably delightful.

The Secret World of Arrietty, Hayao Miyazaki, and Ghibli Studios

Have you ever heard of Hayao Miyazaki or Ghibli Studios? Well, let me give you the dirt, because believe me, you'll want to know. Ghibli Studios was co-founded by an adorable and hugely imaginative Japanese man named Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki and Ghibli create traditionally animated movies that are beautiful in visuals and in content. Most people I talk to have at least heard about his Academy Award winning movie, Spirited Away, but they are unaware of the rest of his delightful filmography.

Hayao Miyazaki, adorable animator.

My first Miyazaki was My Neighbor Totoro, and I was immediately hooked. It's about a little girl who is dealing with a new house and the emotional strain of a mother who is in the hospital, but she finds distraction and comfort with Totoro, a big creature that lives in the forrest.

My Neighbor Totoro

Luckily my sister had already started collecting Miyazaki films, so in quick succession I watched Castle in the Sky, The Cat Returns, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Over the years Miyazaki films have become more popular in America, which led to celebrities lending their voices to the American releases (Billy Crystal, Christian Bale, Tina Fey, Kirsten Dunst, Anna Paquin, Cary Elwes, to name a few), and a partnership with Disney for distribution.

All of the Miyazaki movies I have seen are full of whimsey and charm. They are not typically action-packed, but the animation is a detailed visual feast, and Miyazaki often deals with complex emotions and situations as seen from the viewpoint of a child. Basically they are the "art films" of animation.

Tonight I saw The Secret World of Arrietty, Studio Ghibli's newest release, and it stayed true to Miyazaki's general filmography. (Miyazaki usually writes and directs his movies, but he only wrote the script for Arrietty.) Arrietty is based on The Borrowers books by British author Mary Norton. The Borrowers are tiny people that live in the nooks and crannies of the houses of regular-sized people, or "human beans." They "borrow" things the Beans won't miss, like lumps of sugar or a piece of tissue. But if Borrowers are seen by a Bean, they must pack up and move, because the Beans become too curious and always end up destroying the Borrowers. The movie was whimsical, adventurous, and thoughtful, with great character arcs. It also includes the voices of Carol Burnett, Amy Poehler, and Will Arnett. (And yes, Poehler and Arnett voice a married couple!) I highly recommend this movie, and I hope you will enjoy Miyazaki as much as I have.

P.S. If you like the movie Dune, watch Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I coincidentally watched those two movies in the same week, and the plot and style of each film is funnily similar.