By Munir Abedrabbo.
Brave,
the thirteenth feature film produced by Pixar Animation Studios arrived with a
very high level of anticipation, expectation and controversy. First, it was the
first Pixar film to have a female lead character; second, it was the first film
based on an original idea after two sequels; and third, it was the film that
was meant to be a “return to form” for Pixar, whose previous film Cars 2, released a year ago, received a
lot of (somewhat unfair in my opinion) criticism and was labeled as Pixar’s
first “bad” film. On the controversy side, Brave underwent some changes, first
being called “The Bear and the Bow”
and being promoted as the first Pixar film directed by a woman (Brenda
Chapman). Chapman was fired in the middle of production and replaced by Mark
Andrews (though she retained a director’s credit) resulting in many angry
responses from women working in Hollywood and animation. With all this level of
anxiety, Brave was poised to be either
a great achievement or a great disaster. Which one it was? Keep reading to find
out.
In ancient Scotland, under the reign of good King
Fergus and his wife Queen Elinor, people live happily and prosper in a land
that’s rich on culture, tradition and magic. The kings have three sons and one
daughter, who is the eldest, her name is Merida. Merida, a very feisty
teenager, is the complete opposite of
what a traditional princess is, preferring scouting through the forest, firing
her bow and discovering new things instead of more traditional “lady chores”.
This is a source of great conflict with her mother, who expects Merida to
behave as a princess and to follow the rules of their society. When the time
comes that she must choose a husband from the sons of the other clans, she
refuses and a fight with her mother leads Merida to ask a witch for a potion to
change her destiny. This potion brings unexpected results and Merida must race
against time to try and put everything back to normal and to mend her
relationship with her mother before it’s too late.
Brave
is the most traditional story Pixar has ever produced and many have seen this as
a bad thing, but I think it serves the purpose right. Disney has long been the
king of princess fairy tales, but Pixar has produced one that, while
maintaining some traditional ground, offers a unique perspective that makes the
movie something fresh and exciting. Merida is a great lead character with a
unique personality that represents teen angst and her desire for freedom in a
way that anyone who’s ever been a teenager can relate to. The Pixar wizards
have created another memorable character that is sure to enthrall young and
old. Moreover, the relationship between Merida and Elinor feels real and speaks
to many people; you don’t have to be a mother, a daughter or woman to identify
with the ups and downs of the film’s parent-child relationship.
The cast is excellent all round too, with Kelly
Macdonald giving a tour-de force performance in the title role. Emma Thompson
and the rest are also perfectly suitable for their characters.
If I have one gripe with the film, it’s that many of
the supporting characters fail to make a lasting impression. Whereas in the Toy Story films you easily remember
characters like Ham, Rex, Slinky and Mr. Potato Head, in Brave the Lords and the witch can be easily forgotten. With so many
unforgettable supporting characters in the Pixar stable, it’s a pity that here
many of them fail to make a lasting impression.
On the other hand, as usual, the animation is
absolutely breathtaking. You may not like the story but you can’t possibly
criticize the looks of it. Pixar, again, has produced a gorgeously animated film
with amazing scenery and great characters. Just watch the beauty of Scotland’s
landscapes or the beauty of Merida’s hair and you´ll realize that Pixar is
still the best in terms of CGI animation. Patrick Doyle’s score is mesmerizing
and adds an epic mood that makes the film flow with authenticity.
Controversies and all, Brave may not be Pixar’s best film but is certainly a worthy
addition to their growing canon of masterpieces. It provides top-notch
entertainment through and through and the whole family will be satisfied with
the final product.
Video
& Audio
As expected, Brave
looks absolutely spectacular on BD. This is another demo quality transfer from
the folks at Pixar and everything looks perfect. Detail is strong, colors are
lush and vibrant and there are no signs of banding, aliasing or other
artifacts. Simply stunning.
Likewise, the audio presentation (presented in both
5.1 and 7.1 incarnations) is a winner with perfect directionality, clear
dialogue and no annoying artifacts such as noise or hiss. Just excellent.
Bonus
Material
Brave comes with two BDs, one with the movie and some
bonus material and other just filled with bonus features. While most of them are
great and informative, I felt that the overall package fell a little short of
Pixar’s usual standards. For example, I’d have loved to see the Cine-explore
option that had graced previous Pixar releases. Anyway, here’s what’s included:
Disc 1:
“Audio Commentary”: An excellent audio commentary by director
Mark Andrews, co-director Steve Purcell, story supervisor Brian Larsen and
editor Nick Smith that delves into the production of the film in great detail.
While it’s too bad that Chapman wasn’t included, this piece shouldn’t be missed
by anyone.
“La Luna”:
This wonderful, Oscar-nominated short that preceded Brave in theaters is one of Pixar’s best short productions. A
must-see!
“The Legend of
Mor’du”: An exclusive short film created exclusively for this BD, it delves
the legend of the big, dark bear. I thought it was really underwhelming, as it
used mostly what looked like painted storyboards and didn’t add anything that
we didn’t already know by watching the film. Anyway, still warrants a view but
it’s not one of Pixar’s best home video shorts.
“Brave Old World”: An excellent featurette that
follows the Pixar team (Chapman included) on a field trip to Scotland and shows
how they got inspiration for the looks of the film.
“Merida & Elinor”: This featurette deals with the
creation of both characters and how their relationship was crafted.
“Bears”: A featurette that deals with the creation of,
surprise, surprise, Bears.
“Brawl in the Hall”: A featurette that explains the
creation of the many battles between the clans and how they incorporated
violence and humor in equal measure.
“Wonder Moss”: explains how they created the various
types of moss in the film by using mathematical formulas.
“Magic”: Delves into Brave’s fairy tale roots and inspiration, such as the Brothers
Grimm tales and more.
“Clan Pixar”: introduces many of the talented artists
that worked in the film and what they do in the film’s production.
“Once Upon a Scene”: shows different stages from the
film’s opening.
“Extended Scenes”: shows some additional footage that
was cut in the following scenes: "Meet the Lords," "Triplets'
Distraction," "The Ruins" and "Blockade."
Disc 2:
“Fergus & Mor’du: An alternate opening”: Shows a
different beginning for the film.
“Fallen Warriors”: a fun piece that shows little
pieces that were completed but eventually cut from the final film.
“Dirty Hairy People”: shows Pixar’s commitment to make
the story as authentic as possible by introducing hair, dirt and other subtle
elements into the characters.
“Angus”: a featurette that explains the process of
creating Merida’s horse.
“The Tapestry”: shows the process of creation of the
tapestry and explains its importance in the film.
“It’s in English… Sort of”: A featurette that
discusses the casting choices and the use of some Scottish words instead of
their English counterparts for the sake of authenticity.
“Promotional Pieces”: Trailers and some fun promos.
“Art Galleries”: Divided into five sections: "Characters," "Color Keys,"
"Development Art," "Environments" and "Graphics."
A DVD copy is also included.
Closing Thoughts
Maybe it’s not the masterpiece that
everyone was hoping for but Brave is
a reminder that Pixar is still the best Animation Studio right now and this
film offers plenty of heart, humor and gorgeous animation that will satisfy
most fans. The Blu-ray offers spectacular video and audio and a nice collection
of bonus features. Whether you are a Pixar completist or like good animated
movies, Brave is for you. It’s one of
the best animated films of the year and this Blu-ray set is the best way to own
it. Highly recommended!
Technical
Specs
Theatrical Release Date: June
22, 2012 (US).
Blu-ray Release Date:
November 13, 2012.
Video Codec: MEPG-4
AVC
Video Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio Options: English
Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English
2.0 Near Field Mix, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby
Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital.
Subtitles: English SDH, French and
Spanish.
Content: Two 50 GB BDs and 1 DVD.
Region Free
--
Thanks to Munir for this great review, we look forward to sharing future reviews of his with you. Be sure to follow him on Twitter, and thanks, as always, for visiting A113Animation!
Related posts: Check out our review of Brave on Blu-ray here.
No comments:
Post a Comment