As far as princess movies go, Brave is one of those Disney-Pixar movies that got lost in the hoopla between Tangled and the phenomenon that was Frozen. As such, the movie tends to be low on fans’ watch lists, leaving Merida’s story largely ignored. Mixed reviews cited Merida’s immature behavior, the plot’s predictability, and the overall lack of tension as proof that Brave is sub-par when compared to other princess stories of the time period. However, the film’s positive qualities still make it an enjoyable watch, 10 years later.
For one, very few Disney princesses have much of an onscreen relationship with their mothers. A popular Disney princess trope is the lack of mother figure or presence of an evil mother figure, such as the Evil Queen that hunts down Snow White, Cinderella’s Evil Stepmother, and Rapunzel’s captor, Mother Gothel, to name a few. Even when the protagonist’s mother is present, she typically has no presence; for example, Rapunzel’s mother exists, but she has no dialogue and little bearing on the action in the film. Rapunzel’s main dynamic in Tangled is with her love interest, Flynn Rider.
In stark contrast to the classic but unfortunate Disney trope, Brave’s more modern story not only allows Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) to have a relationship with her mother, Elinor (voiced by Emma Thompson), but also centers the conflict of the plot on their struggle to understand each other. The story centers on familial tensions instead of romantic ones, a welcome change from the classic princess formula. Merida and Elinor begin the story unable to listen to or understand each other; the mother-daughter relationship is messy and lacks effective communication.
This strong point of the central conflict, Merida and Elinor’s misunderstandings of each other, is expertly displayed using a scene that goes back and forth between two conversations. As Merida complains to her horse that her mother won’t listen, Elinor complains to her husband Fergus about the same issue involving Merida. As the scene plays out, the cuts between locations and characters become more frequent and quicker, eventually leading into a two-sided discussion, though neither Merida nor Elinor are able to hear the other side of the argument. This scene makes their central conflict crystal clear.
Though Merida follows the typical Disney princess desire of not wanting an arranged marriage, that is only a small part of Merida’s character arc, a product of her desire to become independent and choose her own life. This desire for independence comes at a price. Because Merida doesn’t fully understand that Elinor argues with her out of a place of love rather than control, Merida can come off as an ignorant and melodramatic teenager who takes the fight with her mother way too far by using a witch’s spell to turn Elinor into a bear.
This reckless immaturity is one of Merida’s negative character traits and one reason why viewers feel a disconnect with her as a protagonist. However, having such a problematic fault only gives her more room for character development.
Despite her flaws, Merida is still a fun protagonist to follow. Her wild spirit and strong desire to take charge of her own life set her apart from many other Disney princesses, even though these same positive traits can become negative. Throughout the course of the story, Merida learns the benefits of being calm and assuming responsibility, and she demonstrates this new skill by mediating an argument between her suitors’ clans. It’s clear that even though Merida never appreciated her mother’s ability to take charge of a situation and act as the only responsible and reasonable voice in the room, she still learned from Elinor’s poise.
Elinor herself learns to get back in touch with her wild and free side by taking the time to understand Merida’s viewpoint. Being magically turned into a bear caused Elinor to become trapped in a situation that, for once, she had no control over; therefore, she had to trust Merida to help her, a decision that, while forced upon her, did help her to grow as a person.
The tone and world building of the story is also not to be ignored. As a proper fairy tale, Brave doesn’t leave out magical elements; the addition of the witch/woodcarver adds magic and humor to the story, and the will o’ the wisps hint at a world far more mysterious world than the characters realize. Legends of witches, wisps that allow you to change your fate, and demonic bears lead the way for Merida and Elinor to repair their bond.
Even Mor’du has a part to play as a warning tale; his story parallels Merida and Elinor’s, illustrating the notion that history repeats itself, unless a better understanding is gained from it. As Elinor herself says, “Legends are lessons. They ring with truths.” Though perhaps not the most dazzling or sickeningly evil villain in the Disney princess pantheon, Mor’du works as the perfect antagonist and mirror to the characters, as well as serving to expand the world building, making this mysterious Scottish kingdom shine with magic and danger.
When all is said and done, telling a story that is predictable isn’t always a negative thing. When a viewer can tell where the story is headed, it’s still possible to be intrigued with how the characters will eventually get to the end. Just because repairing the familial bond between mother and daughter is a given, that doesn’t mean the tension is low. There are still demon bears to fight, mysteries to unravel, and clans to satisfy. One of the most tense moments of the film comes when King Fergus attempts to kill what he thinks is a demon bear who killed his wife, not knowing that he comes within inches of killing Elinor himself. Such a dark possibility is rarely seen in Disney princess movies.
While Brave is far from a perfect movie, it is certainly worth a watch. Its positive qualities are often overlooked, despite Merida and Elinor’s story being unique, interesting, and heartwarming. Much like Merida herself, Brave has flaws. Nevertheless, the film should be given a second chance to shine — as a princess movie, Brave is severely underappreciated.