A lot of people think Pixar made their first, big, misstep with
Cars 2 this year. The first of their films to get a negative critical response
(38% / 5.5 on Rotten Tomatoes) Cars 2 was seen as a largely commercial affair
designed to make Disney billions of dollars in merchandising revenue by making
the brand more popular overseas. John Lasseter refutes that suggestion and the
fact remains that the film made an impressive $551.7m worldwide (including a jump
from $217.9m to $360.4m from international markets.) and kids loved it.
Synopsis...
“Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical
legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and
mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In "Brave," a new tale joins the
lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition,
destiny and the fiercest of beasts. 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 Wise Woman (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.”
Brave features is the first Pixar film with a female lead
character and it will be hoped that the film represents a return to form for
Pixar, for those who didn’t like Cars 2 that is, and it is certainly looking beautiful.
As ever there is an impressive voice cast with Kelly MacDonald, Emma Thompson,
Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane
all helping to remind us, just a tad, of Dreamworks Animation’s How to Train
Your Dragon.
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