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It may be clearer than ever that Pixar’s golden era went out with “Toy Story 3,” the jewel in the crown of an animation studio that ruled over its medium for 15 glorious years. But does “Brave,” Pixar’s new badass-Scottish-lass adventure, deserve to be flogged simply because it’s not “WALL·E”-level transcendent? Yes and no. Solid yet innocuous, moving yet minimally ambitious, this old-fashioned fantasy is an oxymoronic specimen, aiming for progressiveness while clinging to safe traditions. But it nevertheless offers something rarely seen in the world of toons: A mother-daughter tale that leaves the boys on the side.
Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) is your typical oppressed tomboy princess, a nervy athlete who’d rather fire arrows than follow the rules of her mother (voiced by Emma Thompson), a stern queen trying to marry Merida off. Before you can say “Mulan,” our free-thinking heroine is pulling an Ariel, consulting a shady witch to “change her fate.” What results is as zanily random as it is intentionally gender-subverting, and when not inducing yawns with lazy plot offshoots (the male characters simply holler and spar), the combo yields tender common ground for its feuding kinswomen.
Directed by Pixar’s Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, “Brave” follows Disney’s “Tangled” as a film in which hair proves a benchmark in animation’s evolution (Merida’s springy, scarlet locks are wondrous to behold). But, more importantly, the movie boasts Pixar’s first female lead, a separate benchmark many will view as a blown opportunity.
Andrews and Chapman may pilot their film to an affecting resolution, but their introductory scene of Merida triumphantly scaling a mountain (one of many moments with misty vistas), is hardly a promise that’s kept. “Brave” is an atmospheric jaunt with quirky flourishes, but its bound to leave the gals in the audience feeling a bit shortchanged. Whereas, say, “Up” presented a man with startling human complexity, Pixar’s unwittingly regressive 13th feature keeps things light and unchallenging, all while quietly waving a flag of feminism. Instead of passing women the ball, it merely throws them a bone.
Brave
PG
Two reels out of four
Now playing in area theaters
Recommended Rental
The Hunter
R
Available Tuesday
Willem Dafoe fans shouldn’t miss the eco-drama “The Hunter,” which sees the chameleonic actor take the lead as a sharp-shooting mercenary, tasked to hunt down an endangered animal in Tasmania. Shot on location, the film is predominantly picturesque, and it ably blends environmental themes with taut conflict. Its scattered missteps are overshadowed by Dafoe, who gives a soulful performance as the noirish antihero.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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