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Brave

Brave

Adventure · Animation · Family · 2012

In the mystical Scottish Highlands, Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus and Queen Elinor. An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida's quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom's three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin, the surly Lord Macintosh, and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall.

Movie details

Brave

“Change your fate.”

2012 Adventure · Animation · Family 1h 33m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

In the mystical Scottish Highlands, Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus and Queen Elinor. An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida's quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom's three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin, the surly Lord Macintosh, and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Brave?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Mark Andrews · Brenda Chapman

Written by

Irene Mecchi · Brenda Chapman · Mark Andrews · Steve Purcell

Kelly Macdonald

Kelly Macdonald

Merida (voice)

Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson

Elinor (voice)

Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly

Fergus (voice)

Julie Walters

Julie Walters

The Witch (voice)

Robbie Coltrane

Robbie Coltrane

Lord Dingwall (voice)

Kevin McKidd

Kevin McKidd

Lord MacGuffin / Young MacGuffin (voice)

Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson

Lord Macintosh (voice)

Court is in session

Put Brave on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.