For those wanting to go in cold, there are some spoilers ahead.
There are a lot of firsts associated with "Brave," Disney/Pixar's new feature, set in the misty Scottish highlands. It's the studio's first period piece ("The Incredibles'" captivating retro-futurism doesn't count, it seems), their first fairy tale, and their first film led by a female character (in this case Princess Merida, voiced with strength and conviction by Kelly Macdonald). It was, at one point, also the studio's first movie directed by a woman (Brenda Chapman). And it's these firsts, combined with a charming atmosphere and layers of genuine heart, that make you want to love "Brave" more than you actually do. Because for all these breakthroughs, "Brave" feels hopelessly safe, less a Pixar trailblazer than yet another entry in the Disney princess line of films and products. Brave it is not.
Over the years Pixar has gotten...
There are a lot of firsts associated with "Brave," Disney/Pixar's new feature, set in the misty Scottish highlands. It's the studio's first period piece ("The Incredibles'" captivating retro-futurism doesn't count, it seems), their first fairy tale, and their first film led by a female character (in this case Princess Merida, voiced with strength and conviction by Kelly Macdonald). It was, at one point, also the studio's first movie directed by a woman (Brenda Chapman). And it's these firsts, combined with a charming atmosphere and layers of genuine heart, that make you want to love "Brave" more than you actually do. Because for all these breakthroughs, "Brave" feels hopelessly safe, less a Pixar trailblazer than yet another entry in the Disney princess line of films and products. Brave it is not.
Over the years Pixar has gotten...
- 6/11/2012
- by Drew Taylor
- The Playlist
Disney has released the full theatrical trailer this week for Pixar's 2012 entry, Brave, which is being directed by Mark Andrews (Violet) and Brenda Chapman (The Prince of Egypt). I liked the initial teaser trailer quite a bit, but somehow this ones seems like a step backward to me. If I didn't know ahead of time that it was a Pixar film, I'd probably assume it was from DreamWorks just because of the Shrek-esque Scottish brogue and character designs reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon. Personally I'm a lot more excited about the other Disney CG film coming out in 2012, Wreck-It Ralph, but maybe you will disagree. Brave features the voices of Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, and Kevin McKidd, and it hits theatres on June 22, 2012. Check out the new trailer after the jump and see what you think.
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For More Daily Movie Goodness, Visit Filmjunk.Com!
- 11/16/2011
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Empire Online has several stills from the next Pixar Animation project “Brave.” These same stills were seen at the D23 Convention in Anaheim last August. The still shows the protagonist Merida and the three Scottish fathers of the Merida’s suitors. The film will be voiced by Kelly Macdonald (“No Country for Old Men,” “Boardwalk Empire”), Emma Thompson (“Sense and Sensibility,” “Love Actually”), Kevin McKidd (“Trainspotting,” “Dog Soldiers”), Julie Walters (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Gnomeo & Juliet”), Bill Connelly (“The Boondock Saints,” “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”), Craig Ferguson (“Saving Grace,” “Doc Martin”) and Robbie Coltrane (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “The World Is Not Enough”). Here is the synopsis: “Brave” is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida...
- 11/15/2011
- LRMonline.com
After the critical drubbing that Cars 2 received over the past week, it seems clear that Pixar is eager to quickly push the film from our minds and get back on our good side. They've just released the very first teaser trailer for their upcoming 2012 release Brave, and believe me when I say it just might do the trick. Although fairly short, the trailer is both gorgeous and thrilling and, surprisingly, appears to be targeted at a slightly older audience. I certainly didn't expect this from a story that revolves around a Scottish princess. Directed by Mark Andrews (Violet, One Man Band), it is a fairy tale of sorts, but more serious and darker in tone than, say, Shrek. Merida is the daughter of a king who defies a sacred custom of her people, and in doing so, unleashes "chaos and fury" into the world. After seeking help from a Witch,...
- 6/27/2011
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
New poster from Disney•Pixar's Brave, starring Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly! Also in the cast of the unique-looking animated adventure are Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. Mark Andrews makes his feature-length directorial debut on Brave after work on two shorts, including the impressive One Man Band. The other being Violet, which I unfortunately, never got to watch. Brenda Chapman and Irene Mecchi wrote the script and the film opens June 22nd, 2012. Thanks to IMPAwards for posting this great looking first poster. Brave features Kelly Macdonald as the voice of Merida, a skilled archer and the daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life...
- 6/22/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
New poster from Disney•Pixar's Brave, starring Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly! Also in the cast of the unique-looking animated adventure are Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. Mark Andrews makes his feature-length directorial debut on Brave after work on two shorts, including the impressive One Man Band. The other being Violet, which I unfortunately, never got to watch. Brenda Chapman and Irene Mecchi wrote the script and the film opens June 22nd, 2012. Thanks to IMPAwards for posting this great looking first poster. Brave features Kelly Macdonald as the voice of Merida, a skilled archer and the daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life...
- 6/22/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
New poster from Disney•Pixar's Brave, starring Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly! Also in the cast of the unique-looking animated adventure are Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. Mark Andrews makes his feature-length directorial debut on Brave after work on two shorts, including the impressive One Man Band. The other being Violet, which I unfortunately, never got to watch. Brenda Chapman and Irene Mecchi wrote the script and the film opens June 22nd, 2012. Thanks to IMPAwards for posting this great looking first poster. Brave features Kelly Macdonald as the voice of Merida, a skilled archer and the daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life...
- 6/22/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
With all of the attention being heaped on the upcoming release of Cars 2 very little attention has been given to Pixar's 2012 release Brave. But that changes now with the arrival of the first image from the film. A shot of the Scottish princess Merida has arrived and while it doesn't say much it does say that the look and feel of this one is quite unlike anything Pixar has done before. Director Mark Andrews makes his feature debut with Brave but his resume is already quite impressive. He directed the short films Violet and One Man Band and his other credits include work on The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille so he's obviously a favorite of Brad Bird. Andrews is also...
- 5/27/2011
- Screen Anarchy
The Incredibles (Blu-Ray)Walt Disney Home Entertainment2004/Rated PG/Running Time 115 minsList Price: $45.99 – Available April 12, 2011With amazing strength and popularity amongst superheroes, Bob Parr is Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) a hero with a heart of gold who battles criminals one moment and saves kittens in a tree the next. While rescuing a suicide jumper who didn't want to be saved, Bob ignites a public fury against superheroes, soon finding themselves facing one lawsuit after another, causing the government to develop a "Superhero Relocation Program". Fifteen years later, Bob has settled down and married the beautiful Helen a.k.a. Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), whose powers rival those of Mr. Fantastic and Plastic Man and has given him three wonderful children. Missing the fast and furious life as an adventurer, Bob is now stuck in a dead end job at an insurance company whose sole purpose appears to be robbing its customers blind.
- 4/22/2011
- LRMonline.com
Genre:
Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi
Director:
Brad Bird
Writer:
Brad Bird
Cast:
Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter and Jason Lee
MPAA Rating: PG (for action violence)
Runtime:
115 min
Summary:
Known to the world as superheroes, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, Bob Parr and his wife Helen were among the world’s greatest crime fighters, saving lives and battling evil on a daily basis. Fifteen years later, they have been forced to adopt civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs to live “normal” lives with their three kids, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. He soon discovers that it will take a super family effort to rescue the world from total destruction.
“No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again.
Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi
Director:
Brad Bird
Writer:
Brad Bird
Cast:
Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter and Jason Lee
MPAA Rating: PG (for action violence)
Runtime:
115 min
Summary:
Known to the world as superheroes, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, Bob Parr and his wife Helen were among the world’s greatest crime fighters, saving lives and battling evil on a daily basis. Fifteen years later, they have been forced to adopt civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs to live “normal” lives with their three kids, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. He soon discovers that it will take a super family effort to rescue the world from total destruction.
“No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again.
- 4/18/2011
- by Jason Moore
- ScifiMafia
Given how much fun is present in animating super-heroics, it’s interesting to note that feature film makers eschewed delving into the genre. Maybe they were scared off by the iconic Fleischer Studio Superman shorts from the 1940s or were disdainful of the subject matter. We got the first taste of what could be with the wonderful and underrated Iron Giant. It’s little surprise, then, that its director, Brad Bird would produce the first feature animated film to focus on super-heroics with the marvelous Pixar production The Incredibles.
In 115 glorious minutes, Bird and company wonderfully honored the tropes of herodom while telling a strong story about good versus evil and more importantly, about family. Much has been written about the Parr family resembling the Fantastic Four, but the number is about all they have in common. Instead, we’re looking a far better version of No Ordinary Family that...
In 115 glorious minutes, Bird and company wonderfully honored the tropes of herodom while telling a strong story about good versus evil and more importantly, about family. Much has been written about the Parr family resembling the Fantastic Four, but the number is about all they have in common. Instead, we’re looking a far better version of No Ordinary Family that...
- 4/13/2011
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Since the year 2004 when it was released The Incredibles has been my favorite Pixar film. Now that it is finally hitting blu-ray on April 12th in a high definition 1080p/Avc-encoded presentation and a DTS-hd Master Audio 5.1 Es surround track, the film is even more, well… incredible!
Review:
I just love everything about this film, and like Pixar itself, their blu-ray releases are bar-none the best & chock full of awesomeness. One of the things that stands out to me in this film is the family dynamic, even though they have superpowers they still deal with the same problems all families deal with. The film uses the superhero genre to explore not only the tensions of family life but the male mid-life crisis as well. Each character has their own very well done story arc with powers attributed to how they are personality wise. Intermixed into all this great storytelling are...
Review:
I just love everything about this film, and like Pixar itself, their blu-ray releases are bar-none the best & chock full of awesomeness. One of the things that stands out to me in this film is the family dynamic, even though they have superpowers they still deal with the same problems all families deal with. The film uses the superhero genre to explore not only the tensions of family life but the male mid-life crisis as well. Each character has their own very well done story arc with powers attributed to how they are personality wise. Intermixed into all this great storytelling are...
- 4/11/2011
- by Marc Vibbert
- FusedFilm
Pixar revealed a few concept art for “Brave” to Entertainment Weekly. “Brave” will be Pixar’s first animation for the company with a female protagonist and a first film co-directed by a woman. Entertainment Weekly also reported actress Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line,” “Legally Blonde”) will no longer voice the main heroine, Scottish princess Merida, due to scheduling conflicts. The character will now be voiced by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald (“No Country for Old Men,” “Boardwalk Empire”). “Brave” was supposed to be credited as the first female director for a Pixar film when it was originally titled “The Bear and the Bow.” However, director Brenda Chapman (“Prince of Egypt”) was replaced by animated video shorts director Mark Andrews (“Violet,” “One Man Band”) during the production. Since Chapman initiated the project, Pixar decided to Chapman and Andrews as co-directors of the project. The film will also be voiced by Emma Thompson (“Sense and Sensibility,...
- 3/28/2011
- LRMonline.com
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