Brave (2012)

 So this one comes with a bit of a back story. I again saw this at the student cinema and had decided I was going to help out beforehand as we kind of figured that this would be a busy one. After all, the original Pixar generation are now the generation protesting against student loan rises and the general lack of jobs (sorry for the third year angst). However, when I got there the room was still being used by the Uni newspaper who were still waiting for their key speaker (a certain host of a university based quiz show none the less) who turned up an hour late and was due to speak for another hour. Now, I don't know if you have ever had to tell 250 students that they will have to wait 2 hours for the film to have any chance of starting, but I can assure you from experience that it is not fun. So, after bribing people with various forms of chocolate and trying to shepherd 300 students out of one door whilst directing 250 through another, the film was ready to start, and thank god it was a good one.

 Brave is Disney Pixar's latest offering set in the highlands of Scotland. Princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) has a passion for archery and being out in the wilderness but is forced by her title and her family to live the life of a 'respectable royal'. After stumbling upon a witch in the forest, Merida purchases a spell to make her mother more accepting of her and the way she wishes to live her life. However, when using the words 'I want a spell to change my mother' something is bound to get lost in the ambiguity and thus, Merida must figure out a way to help her mother when the spell doesn't go quite as originally planned.

This film had a lot to live up to. With predecessors such as Toy Story and Up, any new Disney Pixar film must impress to be able to respectfully stand along side the others (I am going to act like Cars 2 was Pixar's slip up moment). Brave manages to do this in every way possible. The story is both funny and endearing in equal measure, and the animation is spectacular. I'm not even sure Scotland looks as impressive in real life as it does throughout this film, at least not the parts I have seen. Who knew that Scotland had sunshine?

 One of the things that struck me most about this film was the fact that it was nice for once to watch a film that didn't focus on romantic love and 'Will the guy get the girl?'. The emphasis on a mother-daughter relationship is heart warming and this slightly different angle makes this film truly great. The combination of Pixar's animators and a cast including British greats such as Billy Connelly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters and Robbie Coltrane make for pretty much a perfect film as far as I'm concerned.

 This has become one of my favourite Pixar movies and I would highly recommend it to anyone out there. Besides if it can be enjoyed by 250 angry students, it must be a good one.