Brave

[matt35mm]

SPOILER

I mean I just thought of it as the same as like when in Beauty and the Beast, when the whole true love thing happens between the Beast and Belle, that breaks the spell on all the characters and they all turn back to human. It's the same spell. They didn't each have to find true love in order to be turned back into human. Or, I guess, it's like when you kill the head vampire and everyone else turns back to normal.

I'm not saying you have to like it, but this kind of logic is common in stories like this.

Yes the whole bear-kids thing was just for giggles and cuteness. I can agree that everything to do with the kids is not the strongest part of the movie.

[modage]

Spoi
Also: how dumb is it for Merida to be aware of witches, but not aware of the fact that if you get a spell from them it's probably not going to work out in your favor. Or the hint that the witch was giving her about how the last customer was unhappy. Or the fact that everything in her witch hut is a bear. On top of all this she has the lack of foresight to ask for a spell to do something as vague as "change my fate." That could literally be anything. Such dumb screenwriting.

[polkablues]

How is it bad screenwriting for a rash, impetuous teenager to make rash, impetuous decisions? These aren't bugs, they're features.

[modage]

SP

She could have at least specified she wanted her mom to chill out or get off her back. You can't just walk up and say "change my fate" and not expect the audience to think you're an idiot. Ideally we would not be this far ahead of the film.

And what does she learn by the end of the film? She ends up getting exactly what she wanted in the end so what was the lesson here, exactly?

And and what does the title have to do with anything?

[polkablues]

The title is fucking terrible.

Point of agreement!

[MacGuffin]

Stand Up for Yourself, and Mentor Others
Brenda Chapman is an artist, a writer and a director ("Brave" and "The Prince of Egypt").
Source: New York Times

How can we get more women in positions of power in Hollywood? Anybody? ... Anybody? ... And the crickets chirp.

I suppose the flip side of that is to figure out how to get the Hollywood Boy's Club to give up some of their seats for the ladies? Okay, okay. I know – now stop laughing.

Maybe we just need to make our own chairs. I prefer that approach, because it's the only one that seems viable to me. But where to start?

Mentoring is a good place. We need to help young filmmakers and student filmmakers get the experience they need to transfer their work to the public screen. We can give them a leg up that we older (ahem) women didn't have. Let them learn by our mistakes; we shouldn't hide our trials and tribulations out of a fear of looking foolish.

Those of us left still standing need to keep standing to inspire. Women of my generation and older are the only figures that today's young filmmakers have to look up to. I offer up a personal example: It has been a heartbreakingly hard road for me over the last year and a half. When Pixar took me off of "Brave" – a story that came from my heart, inspired by my relationship with my daughter – it was devastating.

To keep my name attached to 'Brave,' I was persistent and stuck to my principles.
Animation directors are not protected like live-action directors, who have the Directors Guild to go to battle for them. We are replaced on a regular basis – and that was a real issue for me. This was a story that I created, which came from a very personal place, as a woman and a mother. To have it taken away and given to someone else, and a man at that, was truly distressing on so many levels. But in the end, my vision came through in the film. It simply wouldn't have worked without it (and didn't at one point), and I knew this at my core. So I kept my head held high, stayed committed to my principles, and was supported by some strong women (and men!). In the end, it worked out, and I'm very proud of the movie, and that I ultimately stood up for myself, just like Merida, the protagonist in "Brave."

Sometimes women express an idea and are shot down, only to have a man express essentially the same idea and have it broadly embraced. Until there is a sufficient number of women executives in high places, this will continue to happen.

That's just one story of a few I could share. I know there are so many more out there to prove we can move up that food chain. But we must be persistent.

Mentor. Inspire. Move forward together. That's the best I can think of.

[Ravi]

The inevitable knockoff:

[MacGuffin]

Disney Pulls Redesigned 'Brave' Character From Princess Website
The new makeover of Merida has inspired a wave of online protests as well as a sharp critique by the film's former director, Brenda Chapman.
Source: THR

After facing criticism for its redesign of Brave's Merida -- including by Brenda Chapman, the former director of the film --  Disney has apparently pulled the new look of the character from its princess website.

"Numerous supporters have written to us to share the news that the new makeover version of Merida is no longer appearing on Disney.com," wrote Carolyn Danckaert, co-founder of the website A Mighty Girl, who launched the Change.org petition calling for Disney to "say no to the Merida makeover." The petition included a letter to Disney chairman Robert Iger.

Disney has seen a wave of protests online about the newly redesigned princess. In the movie, the character is seen wielding a bow and arrow, while the new look Merida (see design here) was given what one Jezebel writer deemed "a pretty pretty princess makeover" in appearance and dress.

Chapman, the director of the Disney/Pixar film before being replaced by Mark Andrews during filming, agreed with the protests.

"Disney marketing and the powers that be that allow them to do such things should be ashamed of themselves," said Chapman to her local paper, the Marin Independent Journal. "When little girls say they like it because it's more sparkly, that's all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy 'come hither' look and the skinny aspect of the new version. It's horrible!"

The new Merida character was unveiled as the 11th official princess at Disney World last weekend.

The Change.org Merida petition currently lists over 200,000 individuals who have signed the letter to Iger.