Pixar's Brave...What are your first impressions?

[Sir T-Cups]

The more trailers I see for this movie the more I'm not thinking it actually looks that good.

The accents (while I am sure will be all kinds of accurate) seem overly annoying and take away from the story which seems kinda overused. It's the first movie of theirs that actually doesn't seem all that...original.

[jayjay]

I personally think it's one of the few movies that actually looks good enough to me to get me into the theater. I saw the first trailer when we went to see The Muppets and just saw the longer one today when we saw The Avengers.

[Beastly Rotter]

It looks an awful lot like How To Train Your Dragon, Scottish accents and all: it may be brilliant, and Pixar usually have dud trailers for good movies, but right now I'm not seeing anything that makes me say O gotta see that. I think that the rest of the pack have caught up with them at last.

[Pitchmeister]

Originally Posted by Sir T-Cups

It's the first movie of theirs that actually doesn't seem all that...original.

Have you seen Cars 2? I'm a huge Pixar fan, and I couldn't even finish it. I do hope they'll be back this summer.

[GuanoLad]

Most of the trailers seem to centre around the family life, but I think the majority of the story will actually be about Merida and the bear. I expect it to have a few left field ideas like UP did.

[DrFidelius]

She's Scottish! And has hair like my daughter (although Katie is a light brown and not red)! I may be there opening weekend.

[Tangent]

I'm definitely looking forward to this, more so than any of the other Pixar movies since The Incredibles.

[Red Barchetta]

Notably, it's the first Pixar film with a female lead. I know that's going to draw at least a few people in that otherwise wouldn't have gone.

[Odesio]

It looks like your run of the mill awesome Pixar movie to me. (I haven't seen Cars or Cars 2) I'm looking forward to it as I have yet to be disappointed by one of their movies.

[Khadaji]

It hasn't caught me yet. The trailers so far don't show me enough to make me want to watch it. I will likely rent it, if I see it at all.

[Lasciel]

Read an interesting article a while back about how accurate their depictions of archery were, and another one commenting on the accents and clothing choices and how they're based on linguistics research and illuminated manuscripts respectively, and those are piquing my curiosity.

I already wanted to see it since I saw the first trailer a long while ago, because it reminds me a little of The Secret of Kells, which I quite enjoyed, and also it's the first Pixar to have a female lead, and since Disney has declared itself somewhat anti-female-movies recently, I feel like I have to go fly the girl flag for Pixar.

(I like explosions, don't get me wrong, I even went to see (and liked) John Carter, but damn, Disney - princess movies and girls and women are a practically guaranteed pairing, and not a bad market segment - whyfor do you shun us?)

[Sir T-Cups]

Originally Posted by Pitchmeister

Have you seen Cars 2? I'm a huge Pixar fan, and I couldn't even finish it. I do hope they'll be back this summer.

Cars 2 was a sequel yes, but I thought the story was at least cool and interesting. So far this movie just seems like another "I want to choose my own life!" kind of story.

I also am very very sure and certain it is well researched and accurate as all get out, I meant to put that in my OP

[srm13]

Unimpressed by Brave so far. Seems pretty bland and done.

Tim Burton and Disney's Frankenweenie remake on the other hand looks enticing. Of course that could be my love of Burton mixed with my love of b&w movies. So glad it's gonna be feature length and animated. It looks delightful.

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

Between Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon, I'm getting really tired of a Scots accent used for comic effect. Yes, this character can speak English properly, just like my mother and my granddad did - so why is that supposed to be funny?

[DSeid]

Originally Posted by Beastly Rotter

... Pixar usually have dud trailers for good movies...

In that tradition this seems more appealing than most have. (Interestingly enough I thought the trailer for Cars 2 was pretty good and we all know how good of a predictor that was.)

I'm not seeing the accent as comic effect but as a bit of a geek nod to accuracy. Pixar is also debuting a new "immersive sound experience" in "select theaters" with this one.

I'm very much looking forward to it.

[Ephemera]

I'm pretty excited for it. It'll probably be the first Pixar movie I see in the theatre.

Originally Posted by Le Ministre de l'au-delà

Between Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon, I'm getting really tired of a Scots accent used for comic effect. Yes, this character can speak English properly, just like my mother and my granddad did - so why is that supposed to be funny?

I've not seen anything in any of the trailers I've seen that indicates the accent is meant to be comedic.

[elfkin477]

The little I've seen about it serves only to remind me why I'm generally not a Pixar fan. Too little plot, too much focus on just making it look pretty instead.

[RickJay]

Originally Posted by Lasciel

Read an interesting article a while back about how accurate their depictions of archery were, and another one commenting on the accents and clothing choices and how they're based on linguistics research and illuminated manuscripts respectively, and those are piquing my curiosity.

They're wearing kilts in an era of swords and bows. So it's wrong right off the bat.

(I realize viewers wouldn't accept Scots in pants, but there it is.)

[garygnu]

My second impression is why would any fictional character make a deal with a witch and say anything close to "what's the worst that could happen?"

Up and Wall•E gave Pixar experience in human characters, and it looks like they're running with it. I have thew highest expectations, as usual.

[well he's back]

It's an odd coincidence to have another female lead who's a crack archer, after Hunger Games.

[Red Barchetta]

Originally Posted by elfkin477

The little I've seen about it serves only to remind me why I'm generally not a Pixar fan. Too little plot, too much focus on just making it look pretty instead.

I have no idea what these films you speak of are... (besides Cars)

[Gukumatz]

I'm a big fan of some of the voice actors, so I'll probably go see it. Kevin McKidd, (Lucius Vorenus from Rome) Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid from Harry Potter) and Billy Connolly (Billy Connolly). I'm not a big Emma Thompson fan, but I freely acknowledge that she's both competent and experienced, so that doesn't detract. Curious about the lead, though.

And it looks like the directors are all in-house Pixar talent who've worked themselves up to this and I'm curious about how that turns out.

[MostlyClueless]

For starters; Pixar trailers are notoriously nonindicative. They are one of the very few companies that don't spoil half the movie in the first trailer.

And female protagonist? I'm in.

[Alessan]

Originally Posted by Gukumatz

Curious about the lead, though.

Kelly MacDonald - AKA the hot schoolgirl from Trainspotting, the shy maid from Gosford Park, the protagonist's wife from No Country for Old Men and the one who doesn't get naked on Boardwalk Empire. A fine actress, and a native Glasweigian.

[Jonathan Chance]

Originally Posted by Sir T-Cups

The more trailers I see for this movie the more I'm not thinking it actually looks that good.

The accents (while I am sure will be all kinds of accurate) seem overly annoying and take away from the story which seems kinda overused. It's the first movie of theirs that actually doesn't seem all that...original.

Well, I wouldn't say THAT. Cars, while a really enjoyable movie, is just Brigadoon rewritten. As long as they deal with strong basic themes Pixar does all right.

[InsomniaMama]

Originally Posted by Le Ministre de l'au-delà

Between Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon, I'm getting really tired of a Scots accent used for comic effect. Yes, this character can speak English properly, just like my mother and my granddad did - so why is that supposed to be funny?

Oh, please. Try being German. Yes, yes, a German accent = bad guy. Maybe it's not quite as common as it used to be, but damn.

[Spoke]

Originally Posted by well he's back

It's an odd coincidence to have another female lead who's a crack archer, after Hunger Games.

Between those two and Hawkeye in The Avengers, it is really the summer of the archer, isn't it?

[olivesmarch4th]

I'm sold. The animation looks brilliant. The lead character is obviously a hard-ass. I'll probably be there opening weekend.

[Chronos]

Pixar has built up enough good-faith credit with me that I'd be willing to give it a chance even if the trailers looked terrible. Which they don't.

The lead character is obviously a hard-ass.

Well, I don't know about that, but I get the impression that copping a feel to find out would be dangerous.

[Loach]

As the father of two young girls I'm sure I'll see this in the theater. I've enjoyed every Pixar movie but I doubt I would have seen them in the theater if I didn't have kids.

[Spoke]

I saw the preview in 3D, and all the red hair was doing something weird in my 3D glasses. It was...off. (Hard to describe exactly. Had almost a wobble to it when it moved.) Is there a problem with rendering red in 3D? I noticed red items in The Avengers had something weird going on.

Or maybe I just had defective glasses.

[Heffalump and Roo]

I love the trailer. I don't go to movies in the theater, so I doubt I'll be doing that. But I'll be looking out for it after that.

It gave me pause when I read people in this thread comparing it to UP though. I did not like that movie.

[squeegee]

I think I'd go just to watch that girl's hair. Hair (human or otherwise) used to be a huge bugaboo for 3D rendering, but it looks like they're finally getting the kinks (ha!) out. Impressive.

OTOH, I hated 3 of the last 5 Pixar movies, so I can't say I'm chomping at the bit for another.

[GuanoLad]

Originally Posted by Heffalump and Roo

It gave me pause when I read people in this thread comparing it to UP though. I did not like that movie.

It's probably not going to be much like UP, but I am anticipating that there's a lot more to this movie than the trailers reveal, which is how UP was marketed.

[Odesio]

Originally Posted by elfkin477

The little I've seen about it serves only to remind me why I'm generally not a Pixar fan. Too little plot, too much focus on just making it look pretty instead.

Are you sure you're talking about Pixar?

[dangermom]

It looks like a pretty standard plot to me (in storybooks if not in Pixar movies) but I have two daughters who will probably rip me in half if I don't take them.

[Chronos]

One other thing: The landscapes they showed in the first trailers looked absolutely stunning. Seeing those in 3D might be worth the ticket price alone.

[DesertDog]

Saw Brave at the midnight showing last night and loved it. After the misstep with Cars 2, Pixar's back in the groove again. I saw it flat but from the look of it, Merida's hair would be another character when seen in 3-D. Yes, it's from the "I've got to be me" mold but since movie plots (hell, all plots) are recycled endlessly, it's what's done with it that matters. I did suffer from Dusty Theatre syndrome a couple times during the movie. As seen in the previews, she's an expert archer but that skill is not what brings down the Big Bad in the end. And that's all I'm going to say lest we get into spoiler territory.

[WordMan]

It would be great if it was good. I love good Pixar.

The marketing left me feeling, frankly, like they were whoring themselves out to their Disney overlords by making a simple Princess movie with a little Pixar dust sprinkled on it. I would like nothing more than to be wrong.

[Kimstu]

Just got out of a matinee showing.

My general take on it: If you liked Tangled, you'll probably love Brave.

Very similar theme of ostensibly-about-heroic-girl-achieving-great-feats-and-finding-herself-but-really-centered-on-a-mother-daughter-relationship-thing.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by the reliably high quality of Pixar craftsmanship and no longer appreciate the value of a quite good, engaging, watchable movie, because I'm expecting really engrossing originality and/or ingenuity and/or charm.

[bobkitty]

I'd never heard anything about it til the boyfriend and I walked into the theatre the other night on our way to see Prometheus, and they had a HUGE screen running and re-running the trailer for it just inside the door. We both stopped short, and the boyfriend said "Wow- they made a movie about you!" So we'll probably be going to see it.

Of course, after UP, I just don't trust Pixar to not make me cry like a baby, so I'll be well-prepared with kleenex.

[RealityChuck]

My first impression is this:

In the early days of computer animation, everyone agreed that the hardest thing to get right was hair.

So I get the impression they were thinking "We can do hair now! Let's do a shitload of hair! Hair as far as the eye can see!"

[gaffa]

Just got out of it.

Sadly, no scenes that deeply moved me, so that was disappointing, but plenty of amusing bits, and of course it looked great.

The only thing I really had a problem was the dreadfully mediocre songs. They were utterly generic empowerment pop songs that could have been in any Disney made-for-video release - with a Scots accent. Bleagh! Eddie Reader was not available? They had the opportunity to do something great, and what we got sounded like Miley Cyrus with a brough.

[jackdavinci]

I was expecting something more like Tangled, but it was basically Brother Bear.

[Asimovian]

I was definitely entertained and I'm glad I saw it. I agree with the above comments about the music, however (at least the vocal music). I'd say it was good, but lacked the feeling of originality that some of the other Pixar movies have had.

Then again, a middling Pixar film is still far better than a lot of other stuff out there.

ETA: I actually found the vocal music distracting. It pulled me out of a couple of moments in the film. As though I needed to be told directly how I was supposed to feel.

[Labtrash]

Saw it last night with my six year old. He was a little frightened a couple times (it gets VERY loud a few times). But once we explained the plot he was OK.

For the record, there is a little scene at the end of the credits (the VERY end, literally you have to wait forever).

All in all I enjoyed it. Very beautiful backgrounds indeed.

[DCnDC]

I'm sure the movie is beautiful and funny and entertaining, but I can't help but think that Disney is quickly running out of ethnicities to exploit.

[Katriona]

Originally Posted by Spoke

I saw the preview in 3D, and all the red hair was doing something weird in my 3D glasses. It was...off. (Hard to describe exactly. Had almost a wobble to it when it moved.) Is there a problem with rendering red in 3D? I noticed red items in The Avengers had something weird going on.

Or maybe I just had defective glasses.

Other reviews I've been reading have been saying to skip the 3D version because so much of the action takes place in the dark (caves, night, dark castle, etc.), and it muddies the background coloring. That might be why the red looked "off."

[fumster]

Originally Posted by DesertDog

I did suffer from Dusty Theatre syndrome a couple times during the movie.

Wha?

[Pine Fresh Scent]

Originally Posted by fumster

Wha?

"Some dust" got in DesertDog's eyes, making them tear up.