Brave DVD Review: Best Animated Film of 2012

Brave is the latest masterpiece from Pixar, and it’s out on DVD today! The story of a young, fiery red-head named Merida (who is the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor), is just as heartwarming as previous Pixar titles – yet far darker. Merida is a free-spirit and talented archer. She’s not your typical princess, especially not your typical Disney princess. She’s determined to define her own path in life, and when she discovers that her parents plan to hold a tournament for her hand in marriage – she is not going to go down without a fight.

Merida turns to the dark side in order to protect her fate and change her mother’s mind. She comes across an old witch who grants Merida’s wish to change her mother – only there are some serious strings attached. Her mother is changed alright – but into a bear. A bear very similar to the one that kingdom has been hunting for years. When Merida realizes what she has done, she has to find what the true meaning of bravery really is if she wants to save her mother before it’s too late.

At Brave‘s core there a story about a rift between a mother and daughter. Those challenging teenage years where no daughter agrees with their mother – and no mother understands their teenage daughter. Perhaps this is why the film doesn’t appeal to everyone. Mother’s will obviously relate, young girls will want perms and a kit of red hair dye, and teenage girls might have a moment of perspective that they won’t have again until their twenties.

Visually, Brave is stunning. However, the thought that lingers with you after the film ends isn’t that of the story. It’s how amazing Merida’s hair was. Not the typical memory of a Pixar film… usually you’ll remember developing deep emotional bonds to the characters in the first five minutes, crying your eyes out, and then how beautiful the film looked while burying itself deep in your heart.

Blu-ray special features are amazing! From a number of featurettes, to an alternate opening and extended scenes to audio commentary… and of course Pixar’s animated short which debuted at the beginning of Brave when it was in theaters – La Luna.

Brave wasn’t as big of hit with critics as WALLE-E and Up (which I agree with), but even the weakest Pixar title is far superior to a normal movie. Brave doesn’t make you cry in the first five minutes like Up, ball like a baby like Toy Story 3, or pull at your heart strings as you cheered for an adorable little robot, but it’s incredible in its own way. Brave not only tells a beautiful and poignant story, but it is also visually superior to any animated movie I’ve ever seen. The voice acting was wonderful, the story was moving and the music was perfect. It’s an incredible film that will hands down be the best animated film of the year. Don’t miss out. Brave is a must for your DVD collection

Grade: A-
Review By: Emma Loggins

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  1. I haven’t seen Brave yet but have you seen Wreck It Ralph yet?! My opinion may be a bit biased because I’m a gamer and the movie was about games, but I think that Wreck It Ralph will most likely be the best animated picture of the year. I absolutely loved it! I’ll be sure to pick up Brave next time I’m at the store so I can check it out myself. Great review btw!

  2. Thanks Austieb7! 🙂 I haven’t seen Wreck it Ralph yet – but I’ve heard that it’s actually pretty amazing. It’s on my list to see before the end of the year – but it has something pretty stiff competition from Brave if it’s going to change my mind 😉

  3. I just rented Brave today and it was much better than I expected! Now that I’ve seen it I’d say it’s much closer than I previously thought. I’d still give the slight edge to Wreck-It Ralph though, based only on the fact that it’s about video games, but man what a great movie Brave is!