Brave (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)

Blu-Ray Reviews | Nov 18th, 2012

Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane
Written By: Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi
Directed By: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Studio: Disney / Buena Vista
Buy On Amazon.com

Brave is the latest Pixar movie but it’s a bit different than your usual Pixar animated film. It’s the first time a main character is female and while Brave is a good movie, it doesn’t feel as special as previous Pixar films.

Brave is about Merida (Kelly Macdonald), a fiery redhead daughter and skilled archer of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). Merida is the oldest daughter (she has little triplet brothers) and is supposed to be betrothed to another Clan’s prince, but she wants to control her own life and doesn’t want to do what her Mother says. Things get chaotic when she flees and chases will-o-the-wisps to a cottage where a witch lives. The witch grants Merida her wish of changing her mother, and what happens next is something she didn’t expect.

Let’s just get this out of the way, I like the movie…but it just doesn’t feel the same as other Pixar movies. It’s something about the princess thing, the 2 or 3 songs heard in the movie, and the subject matter that makes me think of this more of a straight up Disney movie than a Pixar movie. I think Pixar needs to have more female-focus movies, but when watching this; I just kept thinking this was something more like Tangled than say, The Incredibles or Wall-E. I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks that. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing or anything, I just don’t think Brave was anything all that special story-wise. It was cute, entertaining, had a great Scottish/British cast, and breathtaking animation…but something seemed off for me. Maybe if Disney didn’t already do a turning-into-a-bear story before with Brother Bear, I might have felt this movie was something interesting and special.

Since I don’t own 3D player nor do I want one, I just watched this on normal Blu-Ray. The film looked amazing on Blu-Ray, which is to be expected since it’s Pixar. You can really tell how vibrant the colors are and all the little details that go into making the movie. The special features for Brave are what you’d expect from a Pixar film, which is good. Lots of in-depth look at the characters, actors, some alternate/unfinished scenes and openings, “research” video (a.k.a. free trip haha), an animated short (La Luna), and loads more stuff! I definitely liked a lot of the stuff in the bonus sections.

Brave is a fun, cute movie that I think children and their parents will like. It’s hard to understand the Scottish accents at times, but there’s always subtitles (if the kids can read haha). Some have claimed it was too violent but I don’t really think so. Maybe one or two scenes that are more exciting than others? I think the overall story is okay but not that original, and this doesn’t feel like a Pixar movie per say.

Features:
La Luna
The Legend Of Mordu
Brave Old World
Merida & Elinor
Bears
Brawl In The Hall
Wonder Moss
Magic
Clan Pixar
Once Upon A Scene
Extended Scenes
Audio Commentary
Alternate Opening
Fallen Warriors
Dirty Hairy People
It Is English… Sort Of
Angus
The Tapestry
Promotional Pieces
Art Gallery
Digital Copy Included

Video:
Widescreen 2.39:1 Color

Screen Resolution:
1080p

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
ENGLISH: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
ENGLISH: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
SPANISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 7.1
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English, Spanish, French

Bottom Line: Brave feels more like a Disney movie than Pixar movie.
Running Time: 93 mins
Rating: PG
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:

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