Brave (2012)
A Pixar original story by Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman.
In Medieval Scotland, a young Princess Merida of the clan Dunbroch celebrates her birthday and is given a bow and arrow by her father, King Fergus, dismaying his wife Queen Elinor. While venturing into the forest to fetch an arrow, Merida encounters a will-o'-the-wisp. Soon afterward, Mor'du, a huge demon bear, attacks the family. Merida flees on horseback with Elinor, while Fergus and his men fend off Mor'du, though the fight costs the king one of his legs.
Ten years later, Merida becomes sister to 3 identical triplet younger brothers: Hamish, Hubert, and Harris. Her life is also controlled by her mother who is training her to be the next queen which Merida does not want to be, instead preferring to be free and riding on her Clydesdale horse Angus (“Touch the Sky”). She discovers she is to be betrothed to the son of one of her father’s allies. Elinor explains failure to consent to the betrothal could harm Dunbroch, reminding Merida of a legend of a prince whose pride and refusal to follow his father's wishes destroyed his kingdom. Elinor teaches Merida that “legends are lessons; the ring with truths”.
The allied clan chieftains of MacGuffin, Dingwall, and Macintosh as well as their first-born sons arrive at Castle DunBroch to compete in the Highland games for Merida's hand in marriage. Twisting the rules, Merida announces that, as her own clan's firstborn, she will compete for her own hand. Merida easily bests her suitors in an archery contest and, after arguing with Elinor, runs away into the forest. Wisps appear, leading her to the hut of an elderly witch who is disguising herself as a wood carver (her shop is called the Crafty Carver which specializes in bear-themed carvings) albeit unsuccessfully. Merida uses her pendant to bargain for a spell to "change" Elinor, and the witch gives her an enchanted cake.
Elinor eats the cake and is transformed into a bear, unable to speak but still retaining most of her human consciousness. With the help of her 3 younger brothers, Merida and Elinor avoid Fergus and escape the castle. Merida returns to the deserted witch's cottage with Elinor, and discovers a message from the witch: “Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond, torn by pride" by the second sunrise, or the spell will become permanent. The next morning, Merida teaches her mother how to hunt for food and they grow closer ("Into the Open Air”). Merida and Elinor are led by the wisps to ancient ruins, where they encounter Mor'du. Realizing Mor'du was the prince in the legend who had also asked the elderly witch for a spell to give him the strength of ten men and became Mor’du, Merida vows to not let the same thing happen to her mother, and concludes she needs to repair the family tapestry she deliberately damaged during their argument.
They return to the castle to find the clans on the verge of war. Merida intends to relent and declare herself ready to choose a suitor as tradition demands, but at Elinor's prompting, she instead reminds how the 4 clans joined together to fight a common enemy and allows the firstborns to marry in their own time to whomever they choose. The clans agree, breaking tradition but renewing and strengthening their alliance.
Merida sneaks into the tapestry room with Elinor, but Fergus walks in on them. Losing her humanity, Elinor attacks Fergus, but suddenly regains her composure and flees the castle. Mistaking the Queen for Mor'du, and thinking it has eaten his wife, Fergus pursues the bear with the other clans, locking Merida in the castle. Merida escapes with the assistance of her brothers who have become bear cubs after eating the enchanted cake. Merida repairs the tapestry and pursues her father. Fergus and the clans capture Elinor, but Merida thwarts them before the real Mor'du arrives. Mor'du battles with the clan warriors and targets Merida, but Elinor intercedes, holding off Mor'du and causing him to be crushed by a falling menhir. This releases the spirit of the prince, who silently thanks Merida for freeing him and transforms into a wisp. Merida covers her mother in the repaired tapestry as the sun rises for the second time, but she remains a bear. Thinking it was for nothing, Merida reconciles with Elinor begging to have her back, unknowingly fulfilling the true meaning of the witch's message and reversing the spell's effects on her mother and brothers.
With Mor'du gone, Merida and Elinor work together on a new tapestry. After they are called to the docks to bid farewell to the other clans, they ride their horses together ("Learn Me Right”).
TRIVIA
Visual Style
Merida’s curly unruly hair was a great animation design struggle for the animators but it was essential to symbolize Merida’s personality and character.
The made multiple trips to Scotland. The notoriously variable Highland weather was one of the most important elements to capture in order to convey the right sense of place. Mist, rock, ruggedness, skies that are changing all the time with the rain, snow, big patches of sunlight moving over large landscapes.
The standing stones were inspired by the real-life Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.
Pixar created three original tartan patterns for the film for three of the four clans – DunBroch, Dingwall, and MacGuffin. Clan Macintosh wears a red tartan similar to the nonfictional Clan Mackintosh. They even registered the Clan DunBroch tartan within the Scottish Register of Tartans upon the release of the film. The tartan consists of ocean blue for the North Sea, subdued scarlet for bloodshed during the clan wars, deep green for the Scottish Highlands, navy blue for the eventual unity of the four clans, and gray for the Scottish people. In selecting the color scheme, Pixar took historical considerations, stating that there was a concerted effort to use hues that were indicative of the less saturated dyeing techniques used during the ancient period in which the fantasy film is set.
Technology
Brave is the first Pixar film animated with a new proprietary animation system, called Presto.
Deleted Scene(s)
A deleted scene shows that they had teased the Loch Ness Monster prior to Merida and Elinor exploring the ancient kingdom’s throne room where Mor’du resides.
A 2012 Pixar short The Legend of Mor’du follows the witch as she recounts the story of how Mor’du became the giant bear to the first-born Dingwall son.