Brave ends with the royal family reunited, the clans at peace and nary a Prince Charming in sight. (Don’t get me wrong, I love Frozen, but Kristoff exists and is technically Anna’s second love interest in the story!)Ī girl who loves archery, adventure and her own independence, Merida not only shatters the glass ceiling of what a Disney princess should be and do, she rewrites what a happily ever after can mean in this sort of story. But this interpretation requires us to ignore that Brave had already done this-and, if you ask me, done this better-over a year before. The more popular (and profitable) Frozen is often credited with Disney’s deliberate swing to familial-based love stories, thanks to its focus on Elsa and Anna’s sisterly bond and its prioritization of it over the more traditional “princess tries to find her prince” plot. Royal by birth and deeply uninterested in the role traditionally ascribed to her by her gender, Merida is unlike any heroine that had come before her and one which few that came after her can match. (So far, so familiar, right?) But although Disney has told plenty of stories about princesses, rarely have they looked like this one, a tale that explicitly rejects the fairytale tropes of marriage and happily ever after in favor of empowering its heroine to not just choose her own fate, but thrive on her own. Set in medieval Scotland, Brave follows the story of Merida, the firstborn of Clan DunBroch, and a princess who wants more from her life than she’s been told she’s allowed to have. Brave broke multiple barriers, yet it is rarely remembered for doing so, remaining one of Pixar’s most underrated and underappreciated gems. It was also the studio’s first-and remains its only-princess film (a familiar staple in the House of Mouse). It was the first Pixar movie to feature a female protagonist, the first to credit a female director and the first to have women credited as screenwriters. (And though Ratatouille absolutely deserves way more respect than it gets, it’s fine if we never mention any of the Cars sequels ever again.) But one of the studio’s best films is not only somehow always left out of the larger conversation about the Pixar legacy, but far too many people also seem to have forgotten it exists at all.īrave hit theaters ten years ago, in June of 2012. I managed to get a photo with Pixar director Mark Andrews, very cool.Though Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios has released over two dozen films in the past 30 years, mainstream pop culture tends to only really remember a handful: Toy Story’s heartfelt tale of growing up, Monsters, Inc.’s colorful exploration of childhood fears, Finding Nemo’s delicately rendered underwater world, Up’s emotionally gutting opening minutes. People mixed, mingled, ate, and even danced a little. Among the festivities, Craig Fergueson presented the slicing of the haggis, a Scottish delicacy that was available for tasting. The bagpipes greeted us at the entrance and there was an archery practice station outside where you could actually try to shoot a real arrow! Also, there was a photo green screen area that put you right into the scene of the movie. The evening gala featured Scottish themed decor, food, and music, which continued throughout the night. Garcelle Beauvais, Molly Ringwald, Alessandra Ambrosio, Kevin Nealon, Christina Milian, Alison Sweeney and many more people had their kids in tow, and even Disney’s own Skai Jackson and Bella Thorne showed up!Īfter the Brave premiere, there was a celebratory party upstairs for all of the guests. In addition to the Brave cast members, which include Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, and Robbie Coltrane, there were a bunch of other notable celebrities in attendance. There’s no doubt that this was a popular event. It felt like I was at a full fledged festival, so entertaining! Fans donned bright red curly wigs to portray Merida’s hair. Even the normal red carpet was green to reflect the landscape of Scotland! Merida, the main character, arrived on a horse dressed in her princess gown. The red carpet event was decked out with all of the Scottish inspired trimmings, including a enormous Brave statue like creation, a live bag pipe performance with band members dressed in traditional kilts, and plenty of Brave banners for photo ops. Disney Pixar's Brave Cast at the World Movie Premiere
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |