Hair. Lots and lots of hair.
Brave, the first Pixar comedy to star a female character, hits theaters tomorrow, and critics could not seem to like it more. Though there are a few complaints, it seems most are super excited to hang with Princess Merida. See what they had to say below.
“The generic title and mythic-female-empowerment posters for Brave don’t prepare you for the rollicking Pixar comedy to come, a slapstick mother-daughter-rivalry farce that’s at its most moving in mid-mayhem. Has Pixar’s association with Disney softened its spine?” – NY Mag
“On a sensory level, however, Brave is almost entirely a delight. The wild beauty of Scotland, of the verdant forests and the craggy peaks, is lovingly rendered with a gorgeous palette of painterly colors and in very agreeable 3D. Even better, the voicings here are among the most exceptional and pleasurable of any animated film you might care to name. Working in pronounced Scottish accents that, to be sure, don’t approach the often undecipherable ones heard in Ken Loach films, Scottish actors Macdonald and Connolly are a joy to listen to, as is Thompson, even if too many of the conversations are argumentative in a repetitive vein.” – Hollywood Reporter
“Despite some distracting, convoluted plot points—there’s too much tomfoolery among the king, the lords from the other clans, and their scions, perhaps to broaden the film’s appeal to boys—Brave is, well, brave enough to suggest that the “pride” that wreaked such havoc wasn’t only Merida’s defining trait. Elinor, equally obstinate, is too changed and enlightened. If her daughter’s fiery tresses are inseparable from her indomitable spirit, Elinor’s brunet locks, unloosened and freed from her crown by film’s end, reveal a telling white streak in front: A 10th-century traditionalist finds her inner Susan Sontag.” – Village Voice
“Walt Disney began his feature career with a princess story. Now Pixar gives princesses a go after making a dozen other toons, and though the studio brings its usual level of perfectionism and heart to the assignment, Brave seems a wee bit conventional by comparison with, say, how radically The Incredibles reinvented the superhero genre — not that Pixar’s eager international following will object. Adding a female director to its creative boys’ club, the studio has fashioned a resonant tribute to mother-daughter relationships that packs a level of poignancy on par with such beloved male-bonding classics as Finding Nemo.” – Variety
“This is a great-looking movie, much enlivened by the inspiration of giving Merida three small brothers, little redheaded triplets. The Scottish Highlands are thrillingly painted in astonishing detail, and some action shows Merida’s archery more than equal in assorted emergencies.” – Chicago Sun-Times
