Brave (2012)

Saying that a movie is a lesser effort by Pixar is still a grand compliment.  Pixar is just that good of a studio, that everything they produce is simply expected to be stellar.

So Brave is good.  The animation is top-notch, the characters memorable, the crafting of the story is fantastic, and it is all-around fun.  Pixar shows once again that they know what makes a story work, and they know how to tell it.

But Brave  is simply not going to go down as one of Pixar's best.  While memorable, the characters were often also hollow stereotypes.  While a fun story, the plot never really surprised me, nor did it have amazing, over the top moments.  And the story, while very much a fairy tale, seems far too infused with modern values (some of them questionable) rather than the values of the time period in which it is set.  The entire movie is well-polished, but it is well-polished stainless steel, rather than Pixar's usual gold.

All told, I appreciated the themes of unintended consequences for foolish decisions, as well as themes of listening to others and the promotion of family unity.  But I didn't like having to see the bare behinds of the Scottish lords.  Come on Pixar, let's stay classy.

Entertainment: 5/10
Artistic Value: 6/10
Technical Merit 6/10

Overall: 6/10