So on a blistering Saturday my daughter, Lauren, and I went to beat the heat and see Pixar's latest movie, Brave. I generally love Pixar's movies and have been wanting to take Lauren to see Brave, but after reading and watching some reviews, I made sure to clear time from the craziness of life to take Lauren.
La Luna
One of the fun things about Pixar movies are the shorts before the main feature. It reminds me of going to the drive-in when I was a kid, watching the cartoons before the movies.
La Luna was the short before Brave and, like most of their shorts, told a wonderful story in a few minutes. With only mutterings and no words, the story of a young boy unfolds. Pulled between his Papa and Grandpa, the boy needs to decide who's example he will follow, or if he will go his own way. It's a nice precursor for the main feature.
Sweet, whimsical, and fun, La Luna takes it's place with Day and Night, Presto, One Man Band, and the others, keeping the standards of excellence high.
Brave
From watching the commercials, the story seems pretty cut and dried. A young princess bucks the system with her tomboy ways racing around on horses shooting arrows. But the beauty of the movie is that it is much more than that, digging deeper and delivering a delightful story with a powerful message.
The young princess, Merida, is a tomboy and does enjoy trampling around on her horse, Angus, and she is a crack shot with a bow. She also bucks the system. But instead of being rewarded for her bullheaded actions, she suffers the consequences, as do others, riling up her mama bear.
Merida learns that it is wise to follow the advice and teaching of her parents. She learns that her selfish actions can have devastating consequences that she didn't foresee. She also learns to talk with her parents rather than fight with them. Parents can also learn that we need to listen to our kids and at least hear them out, as long as it is presented with respect.
This is such a refreshing turn from many movies that depict parents as bumbling idiots and kids as the bright ones with all of the answers. Brave doesn't shove it down our throats, but uses the story to drive the point home.
While I enjoyed the movie, there is one scene that I could've lived without. The men had to use their kilts to climb down from a tower resulting in some bare bottoms being shown. I didn't need to see that, and neither did Lauren. Hopefully she's not scarred for life. I did cover her eyes so I think she's fine.
The other part of Brave that was amazing was the scenery. It is as if you were sitting in a lush forest from the first scene. Pixar has mastered creating CGI landscapes and making them more than realistic. It was a beautiful picture whether set in the forest or the castle.
Disney now has a new princess with Merida, and a wonderful new addition to their film catalog. It was a fun way to spend time with my Lauren, giving us another avenue for conversation.
Did you see Brave or do you plan too? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!
My wife and I saw it and liked it. I think it is a good flick for mother/daughter viewing. Which is very unusual, most flicks show conflict with the dad. If my daughters were young, I would tell my wife to go again and take them! Thanks Shane.
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