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Brave

Play trailer 2:30 Poster for Brave PG Released Jun 22, 2012 1h 33m Kids & Family Adventure Comedy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
78% Tomatometer 254 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Merida (Kelly Macdonald), the impetuous but courageous daughter of Scottish King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), is a skilled archer who wants to carve out her own path in life. Her defiance of an age-old tradition angers the Highland lords and leads to chaos in the kingdom. Merida seeks help from an eccentric witch (Julie Walters), who grants her an ill-fated wish. Now, Merida must discover the true meaning of courage and undo a beastly curse before it's too late.
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Brave

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Critics Consensus

Brave offers young audiences and fairy tale fans a rousing, funny fantasy adventure with a distaff twist and surprising depth.

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Critics Reviews

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Rafer Guzman Newsday The main problem is that Merida craves adventure but Brave limits her to mother-daughter psychodrama. Nov 18, 2013 Full Review Richard Corliss TIME Magazine By the climax, at which all right-thinking viewers will have dissolved in a puddle of warm appreciation, the new Pixar film has earned two cheers and a big bear hug. Nov 18, 2013 Full Review Ben Sachs Chicago Reader The story for this revisionist fairy tale, which promotes contemporary attitudes about parenting and gender equality, is less inspired than usual for Pixar, but the movie upholds the studio's high standard of computer animation. Nov 18, 2013 Full Review Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson Many daughters, young and old, can relate to this kind of story about the plans and expectations that their mothers have for them that differ from their own interests. Rated: 4/5 Feb 18, 2024 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Merida becomes a rare kind of protagonist, whose lesson tells a rapt audience that defying customs is okay, as long as we take responsibility for our actions and consider the ones we love in the process. Rated: 3.5/4 Oct 4, 2022 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies A powerful and relevant story wrapped up in gorgeous animation and one of the best soundtracks of the year. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Joey G Horrible! Horrible horrible! Need I say anymore? Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/23/25 Full Review Benjamin H Brave is a fun watch and Pixar production that is bolstered by its great animation and emotional depth, although it is very predictable and i wasn't so invested into the story as a whole. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/21/25 Full Review Amir S Really reasonable to watch - not perfect but still good. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/19/25 Full Review Blu B It's Good Enough I'd say and a deep cut Disney classic. It doesn't go the way you think it would after the first 30 minutes where you think your in for a pretty traditonal animated adventure arc. The pacing isn't bad but it just feels off. Again it starts really well and fast right out of the gate. But the story just feels like it's missing certain key elements. The witch is a perfect example. We literally never see her again and she's just ok to begin with. So there really isn't any villian in this save for the Prince Bear which barely counts. And the traditional sweeping arc across grand vistas or incredibly dangerous battles like Fellowship of the Ring. We sort of get part of that. It feels like we get some Mom/Daughter bonding and some comedic relief antics along with the barebones minimum core plot elements to move the story forward. But that's it. Once the Bear turns up...the film completely changes it feels like for better or worse. It comes out of nowhere really and is kind of bizarre and random. I will say everything else is solid about it and the execution does make up for some fleshing out the story issues in the second half. The other issue is Merida is good as a hero but she sort of goes downhill as things go. I do love her red hair design and the animation in general is really well done. But the actual characters aren't that fleshed out and dare I say they could be picked out of pretty much any other Disney film and done better. But they are well acted and animated so it does make up for the character issues. And Merida is a bit on the annoying side as things go on. The story in general is pulling elements from all other animated flicks of the previous 80 years before it and the result is you get something that is very clunky in the second half because of it. But the solid execution does make up for it once again. It's nothing new you haven't seen before and it hits all the beats you think it will. Much quicker than you think too. I'd say if your a big Disney Fan, fan of any actors in this, or animated adventures than give this a try. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/18/25 Full Review Mark M Brave is one of the most underrated PIXAR movies and also misunderstood. There's no denying the fact that it's generally good Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/25 Full Review Russell H Not quite the adventure I was anticipating. There were some funny moments when the mother was a bear. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Brave

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Movie Info

Synopsis Merida (Kelly Macdonald), the impetuous but courageous daughter of Scottish King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), is a skilled archer who wants to carve out her own path in life. Her defiance of an age-old tradition angers the Highland lords and leads to chaos in the kingdom. Merida seeks help from an eccentric witch (Julie Walters), who grants her an ill-fated wish. Now, Merida must discover the true meaning of courage and undo a beastly curse before it's too late.
Director
Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Producer
Katherine Sarafian
Screenwriter
Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi
Distributor
Walt Disney, Pixar Animation Studios
Production Co
Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Studios
Rating
PG (Some Scary Action|Rude Humor)
Genre
Kids & Family, Adventure, Comedy, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 22, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 1, 2014
Runtime
1h 33m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos, Datasat, Surround
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