Its difficult to come away from a Pixar film and not be blown away, I haven't seen Cars 2 and therefore can't comment on its mixed reaction, but even the first Cars film had me in awe, and while Brave is one of the funniest entries in Pixar's gleaming list of accolades, while still an excellent film, it doesn't fit well with their other movies and seems very Disney oriented, with various call outs to the typical Disney genre, the witch, the bears the princess etc.
With a Scottish backdrop, Brave is told at a time of magical fantasy with kings, queens and castles, and when flaming red-haired teenager Merida (Kelly MacDonald) tries to be her own person, she comes into conflict with her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) who wants her daughter to be raised the traditional way.
Brave kicked off proceedings with a very nervy and edgy start, but a start that didn't seem to develop, we see Merida making a fool out of all her potential husbands with a bow and arrow, but nothing seems to develop from her skill with such a weapon, and although the plot that unfolds is pretty thoughtful and detailed, it always seems like the film was started to lead into something different.
The message within the film refers to the relationship between Merida and her mother, but again this never seems to have time to make enough of an emotional impact to justify the climax of the film.
Saying that though, Merida is a very intriguing and interesting character, and it was certainly a nice change to see a perhaps male-dominated generation to be upstaged by this flame-haired princess and skilled heroine.
As usual, Pixar continue to push out the most breathtaking an beautifully animated films in recent memory, and Brave is no exception. The Scottish Highlands are the perfect backdrop for the fairytale feel of a film, with rapturous bagpipe tunes to set the tone of the film and show off its true beauty.
Comedy-wise, it doesn't disappoint, with Merida's younger brothers, triplets, being the funniest of them all, playing their pranks whether it is with their father or cake stealing off a maid, the humour, topped with the accent, makes for a wonderfully funny 90 mins.
Yes, 90 mins (if not less) and it does certainly seem so as the film does seem to speed its way through, but although the truly unique feel of a Pixar film perhaps isn't in full force with Brave, there is enough laughter and enough visual spectacle, along with an excellent voice cast that make this enjoyable, if not solely for the adult wanting a previous Pixar effort, then certainly the children.… Expand

Brave isn't a typical Pixar film, but that isn't a bad thing because it's a really great film. It's not up there with Pixar's best, but: it's not down there with their worst. It features an enchanting story equipped with emotion and action, it is also charmingly comedic. The voice acting on this film is superb and the dialogue is funny. The characters all have there charms and there designs and detail are terrific, this is matched with skilled and fluid animation. One of the faults of Brave however, is that it's too short, another 20 minutes would fit nicely; also, the ending didn't have to be that stereotypically cheesy and predictable. But, aside from those fairly minor faults Brave is a really great movie. So I give this film a... 8.8/10!… Expand

Let's keep this review nice and simple. It is a delightful film about the importance of family, but with a very simple plot line. There really wasn't any protagonist to cause any conflict that really kept me absorbed. It is a nice movie with a predictable ending; nothing more.

Brave isn't a typical Pixar film, in fact it plays more like a Disney Animation with its traditional storyline and tales of morality. I will go further to say that this approach, along with its fairy tale-like setting, felt like something from a Brothers Grimm collection. Its not as inventive as most of the other pixar films, but the well told story, positive message and the heartfelt climax almost compensates. Its filled with wild bursts energy and is never short on humor, thanks to the striking action pieces and beautifully animated characters. Brave boasts a great sound palette and mix, and fantastic voice acting from a primarily Scottish cast. I yearned for more creative ambition in this film, but it was good none the less, and never short on depth. In the end it is not Pixars finest efforts, but it certainly wasn't there worse.… Expand

Sure, 'Brave' has stunning animation. What else? By that I mean: What else is there that we haven't seen before, but have come to expect from Pixar? Exactly. This is a mild animation entry that certainly is worth your money, but maybe not your time. It's great to look at. Your kids will love it. But the majority of moviegoers have lived long enough to be able to demand more from a feature than something neatly packaged, while remaining hollow deep down. Admittedly, there are glimpses into the movie that could of been, or was at least imagined to be, but 'Brave' isn't it. In fact, while nowhere near as horrible as 'Cars 2', it stands as one of Pixar's laziest efforts.… Expand

If you want to see a movie about individualism and family, then this is the one to see. Although some people will groan about seeing an animation, this definitely tops the list. As the main character, Merida, goes along through this story, she is faced with a few life challenges that could affect her for a long time. As suggested by the film's title, "Brave," Merida is required to draw from within herself and figure out what needs to be done. During this time, she learns some important values about herself and those that she loves. This movie is definitely one that I recommend. However, some things could have been done differently.… Expand

Brave is visually lush but lacks the spark that an Animated film needs to stand out. It's also quite run of the mill and wouldn't feel out of place as an eighties disney movie. Its not terrible by any stretch but while Pixar has a strong history of Kids movies that are just as enjoyable for adults, Brave is best left to the kids (and nothing wrong with that)

Thank God

An average movie by Pixar, not reaching as strong as some of their past works, but still managing to hold memorable characters and well delivered morals. The main fault of this film is that it moved far into the realm of cliché, and quite early on the audience became more suited for children, but that does not deduct from the overall standards of the films.

Brave is one of Pixar's best looking movies but overall one of their weakest. Always to goofy and never as emotionally investing as could have been, and with Pixar, it should have been.

The storytelling was not as solid as other Pixar films, but I found myself enjoying it anyway. Still as humorous as the others, quite emotional, and exceptional acting. If this was created by Dreamworks, it would probably be one of their best features. However, this is Pixar, and their standards are much higher. But I think we're lucky we don't have to see Brave 4.

it's disappointing that the film often times resorts to physical humor, but this is still Pixar. Animation is superb; the soundtrack outstanding; and the story, even though not taking any risks aside from a cool twist, is heartfelt.

"Brave" has all the ingredients of a Pixar movie and like all the others it is a completely masterpiece. The problem is that people can't see a Pixar movie without thinking on Up, Wall-E, Ratatouille, etc. Let's see the film, enjoy it and think that it's a new and different adventure. Maybe it is not has good as the most recent Pixar movies, but it still being a marvelous and well-done movie.

Not the direction I thought it would go.I thought she would go on some different adventure, but it was good. I liked the main character. The story overall was nothing to crazy.

Brave is new, is simple. Brave is a touching story about mother-daughter relationships.

The trailer made it look like it had a really good story but then goes of some random tangent, lost our interest. Probably Pixar's worst movie! skip this one.

Portuguese Brazil Gostei da produção: Bela trabalho gráfico e iluminação, realmente magnifico! A personalidade do elenco deixa-o melhor ainda, a historia não ficou tão ruim apesar já ser usado em outros filmes, estou a espera do filme 2! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Engl--
English

I liked the production: Beautiful artwork and lighting, truly magnificent! The personality of the cast makes it even better, the story was not so bad despite already being used in other films, I'm waiting for the movie 2!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This should not have won best animation(Wreck-It Ralph was much better). While better than Cars 2, I think that the writing was a little weak. It kind of felt like Pirates of the Caribbean 3 when they turned into bears. Not to say I didn't like this movie, but there were better animations in 2012.… Expand

I liked this movie, but up against other Pixar movies it falls short. The beginning of this movie is the best part, but when the twist happens and the story comes together it kind of goes down hill.

Enjoyable to watch, this movie is actually a pretty good Disney project. Emotional and funny but for sure, not one of the best. I give "Brave" 7/10, because i think it's great and i recommend this to all kids and teens

I don't know why this film rated PG. Bear violence? This should be given an R rating! Nah, just kidding. But however, boys won't like this film like me, and if you expect another masterwork from Pixar, you will be dissapointed.