Many critics' pre-release concerns about Brave focused on if this was a story about a princess and a suitor and whether or not the film would forego those conventions. Although Merida's behavior suggests a fierce sense of independence, I found she lacked agency, which is the foundation of the conventions this film may (or may not) have attempted to defy. In the opening moments of the film, younger Merida stumbles upon a Will o' the Wisp in a nearby forest. When she shares the news of her discovery, she is told the wisps usually lead followers to their fate. The wisps become MacGuffins ex machina throughout the film, leading Merida from one story bullet point to the next. The only real choice Merida makes in the movie is at the witch's house (where wisps led her) in asking for a spell to change her fate. In other words, Merida wants her agency handled by a different agent.
As I drove home from the theater, I kept thinking about Helen Parr/Elastigirl and the choices she made in The Incredibles. Helen chose to honor the rules about going undercover, leading to a reasonably nice family life. She then chose to don her super suit to rescue her husband – there was no prophecy or fate at play. Violet's journey through the movie involved her exploring her own agency. Although she felt invisible (both figuratively and literally) at the beginning of the story, she learned how to utilize her power to everyone's benefit. Merida does come around to seeing things from her mom's point of view at the end of Brave, but the outcome is still what was expected of her: to become a "proper" princess and eventually marry someone from a neighboring clan.
My other issue with this movie was the sheer cartoonishness of it. Yes, it is an animated film, but the tone seemed off from previous Pixar films. SO MUCH OF THE DIALOGUE WAS SHOUTED AND UNNECESSARILY LOUD. This, combined with the antics of Merida's triplet brothers and the constant brawling of the visiting clans made this feel more like a Warner Brothers cartoon. The only character who wasn't cartoony: Merida. It felt as though the animators were not having fun with her, despite her fabulous red hair and adventurous spirit. So much energy seemed to be spent on the brothers and the constantly-screaming maid, as well as post-spell Elinor.
As a movie in general, I thought Brave was okay and a positive move towards stronger female characters for young women to recognize. However, as a Pixar film, I thought this was one of the production house's weaker entries.
