June 22, 2012 in GENRES
BRAVE
RYAN: I’m honored to review the new Disney/Pixar film with you since it’s so your thing! You love Disney like I love Harry Potterand The Wizard of Oz.
CHUCK: This is true. So it’s hard for me to be unbiased but I will do my best.
RYAN: Well I loved…
CHUCK: …it was absolutely fantastic!! Pixar, once again, proving that they outshine any other animation studio.
RYAN: I can’t get over the hair in this movie.
CHUCK: Unbelievable! And when you have a comprehension of what it takes to make hair look that realistic in animation… it’s such a great feat, amazingly rendered.
RYAN: It’s the most realistic looking hair I’ve ever seen animated. The redheads, the brunettes, the blonds… you almost wanted to touch it.
CHUCK: And in 3D it was almost palpable. Everything in the movie was that way – the blades of grass, the wisps. It was all so detailed and incredible to look at.
RYAN: Speaking of wisps, I loved the magic in this. I was totally not expecting that and there’s really quite a bit of magic to this movie.
CHUCK: They did a really great job of keeping that out of the trailers; the amount of magic in this. It really did harken back to Sleeping Beauty and Snow White with that fantasy.
RYAN: The story actually starts off a little cliche – a princess who is reluctantly forced into getting married. We’ve been there so many times before but then the magic kicks in and there are twists and it’s truly original.
CHUCK: And because it’s all kept out of the trailers, I was completely not expecting any of it.
RYAN: Yeah let’s not spoil it more than that. I’m not much of a crier but I felt the story. I got choked up a bit. Did you cry at all?
CHUCK: Oh yeah. But I am the crier.
RYAN: A lot?
CHUCK: There were a couple moments. There are some universal truths spoken in the movie that are worth revisiting from time to time.
RYAN: I really like the moral to the story. It’s very poignant and will touch everyone.
CHUCK: And the voice talent really propelled the film. Again, Pixar does a great job in casting their movies.
RYAN: There were some songs in it but I wished it had been a musical. A princess breaking out in song is never a bad thing.
CHUCK: [laughs’ I wonder if that may have taken away its validity though.
RYAN: It’s more of a drama.
CHUCK: It is. And for all ages. You do not need kids to see this movie.
RYAN: For sure. It was mature and never insulting in its storytelling. There is appropriate cuteness and animals and humor but still a very universal theme.
CHUCK: And there are some things they did in it that other animated movies wouldn’t. I can’t be more specific without ruining it though.
RYAN: Yeah we mustn’t ruin the movie for anyone. But there are many details I wish we could go into.
CHUCK: Just when things looked down for Disney, they pull another one out of their hats. John Carter didn’t bode well for the studio earlier this year so they need this movie to do as well as it’s gonna do. Plus they have Finding Nemo rereleasing in 3D. But I loved this Princess Merida. She was so fully developed.
RYAN: And she’s the first female lead in a Pixar film, voiced by Kelly MacDonald.
CHUCK: Correct. And Emma Thompson voices her mom and neither of us recognized her.
RYAN: Great Scottish accents all around.
CHUCK: I loved the three little princes who were just there for physical comedy. Oh and there’s an animated short before the film that’s just beautiful too.
RYAN: That was great.
— BOTTOM LINE —
CHUCK: One of my favorite movies of the year; again, slightly biased but this was so much fun to get see in the theater. Take your kids, your family… or go alone; definitely see it in 3D.
RYAN: The 3D provided good context and depth… nothing too out there. And keeping up with Disney tradition, this in another instant classic. Even the opening credit grasped me – it’s like The Lion King almost. Just a brilliant moment and the film builds from there.
— RATING —
Anonymous July 9, 2012
Great review – saw this weekend with my kid and we both really liked it. I wanted to see it for the Celtic elements and was also really suprised at the story which was not at all aluded to in previews – nice surprises. The first movie my spazzy almost 5 year old got really into and sat through the whole movie!
Ryan Jay July 9, 2012
So glad you and your almost 5 year old liked it! Hopefully it's the first of many excellent movies you'll experience together. 🙂