The criticism you see about the film aren’t likely to be from people who watched it recently. It boils down to a “be careful what you wish for” type story and the fantasy elements seem superfluous as a result it’s something that could be done in any setting.Ĭontext is important too. The actual film is rather intimate and low stakes, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not what was promoted.

The marketing leaned on the fantasy elements a lot, giving an almost Lord of the Rings-esque vibe. I do like the film, but I think the marketing has a lot to do with the reception.

I think it’s the only Pixar film where I’ve left the cinema feeling a bit underwhelmed. Princesses aren't their thing, and they were treading too far into Disney territory for the most part. But maybe that's subjective.Īs a whole Pixar was just really out of their element with this movie. 'I want a spell to change my mom so I can change my fate'? What does that even mean? There are probably some good ways they could have executed this subplot, but intentionally writing it so Merida is incredibly vague just to create a misunderstanding with the witch is not that.Īlso, I think it takes one too many elements out of the first How to Train Your Dragon movie. It feels like two different movies in one, and that makes the writing and pacing feel rushed and awkward.Īdditionally, the entire bear conflict is caused in an incredibly forced way, because Merida apparently doesn't know how to be specific. only to forget about it entirely once the bear transformation happens. My biggest issue with Brave is that the first act of the story pushed the forced marriage plot down our throats. I think this movie is fine, but personally I think it's low tier Pixar.

Disney brave transformation