Plot: Merida is a Scottish princess. Her father, Fergus, wants to her to marry a prince from a neighboring clan. They have a contest to pick the best prince, but Merida does not like any of the boys so she runs away, gets a magic spell that back-fires, and that leads to a big plot twist. In the middle of the movie Merida and her mom, Elinor, spend time bonding, while all the men drink and fight -- also act stupid and run around naked. In the end, modern American values triumph over medieval tradition. No spoiler there. [imdb link] [photos]
There is nothing surprising about the basic story except how conventional it is. The positive aspect is the sequence after the plot twist -- clever and suspenseful -- and I have not seen that before.
This film is most retro in that all the men are incompetent -- I suppose they needed to be losers so that we did not sympathize with the suitors. Screen-writers know it is possible to have a strong female character in a story that also had likable male characters, but that was not this movie. The guys don't have to be heroes, but maybe someone can not be an idiot or a jerk.
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| The core curls in Merida's hair. Here is an article on it. |
The best thing about this movie is Merida's hair. It is like its own big fuzzy red character. Computer animation sure has progressed. All the characters and the animals had lots of hair too. We have come a long way from Toy Story.
I also liked the mix of photography with animation in the outdoor scenes.
In the end, Merida and the princes shirk off any adult duties for an extended childhood. This is not so unlike what is happening with young adults here and in Europe -- although the economy is a factor in that.
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| The concept art for Merida |
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