La Luna was an adorable short, starting with a little boy going to work with his Father and Grandfather for the first time. They are shown riding a little boat at night time in calm waters, and then waiting. Continually throughout the short, both the Father and Grandfather try and persuade the boy to follow in their own footsteps. One of my favorite moments was right in the beginning, when they two older men are trying to show the little boy how he should wear his newsboy hat! While the little boy is copying his two role models, there is a glow in the distance, and the moon rises up from the water in the distance. Then the Father pulls out a ladder, and the family goes up onto the moon. The 2 older men try and show the little boy that their broom is better, and while they are doing this a HUGE star lands on the moon. While the Father and Grandfather are trying to figure out how to move it, the little boy grabs a hammer, climbs to the top of the star, and hits it twice. It then proceeds to break into many normal sized stars, a shot that is beautiful to watch. I loved how they made this part in slow motion, and showed the little boy falling through all the stars! At the end it cuts to a shot of the moon, after the 3 have cleaned it up, and show it in the waning crescent phase, bringing in the fable aspect to the story. It was such a simple and sweet short that deserved the Oscar nomination it received at this year’s Academy Awards.
Now onto the main film of the review, Brave. It begins with the little princess, Merida, playing hide and seek with her Mother, and then receiving her first bow and arrow set from her Dad. One of the arrows Merida shoots goes into the forest, where she goes to retrieve it. While she is deep in the forest, she hears a noise, looks up, and sees a wisp. A wisp is supposedly a mysterious light that is supposed to lead you to your fate in some significant way. Her Mom believes in the magic of them, but her Dad doesn’t (these are all key facts to remember later in the film). At that point, they hear a noise, and a black bear comes out and attacks the family. Just as the bear lunges at the King, it cuts to the title credits.
If I hadn’t known any better from the previews, I would’ve assumed her Dad died (since Disney is good at breaking our hearts by killing off characters parents). He fortunately survives the attack, but the bear got away after eating one of his legs. He has sworn vengeance for this reason.
The next time we see Merida is when she is older, and we learn that her hair is not only beautiful, but it’s her character exactly: wild, untamed, and feisty. Her Mom is trying to make her into the proper princess, but Merida would rather spend her days riding around on her horse, Angus, and hunting. Most of all, she just wants freedom, an impossible thing for a princess. Merida is bitter with her Mom, and after a very dramatic display at a competition to win Merida’s hand in marriage, there is a fight that will change all their fates forever.
I thought that the film was a very well thought out and well executed story. The animation was stunning, and in some of the wide shots I felt like the landscape wasn’t an animated picture, but instead live action footage. Not only was the film beautiful in animation, but it was packed with humorous lines, characters, and situations. My favorite characters were Merida’s triplet brothers, with the same mischievous characteristic Merida has. They were comedic relief throughout the film, as was Merida’s Dad. The Queen really has her hands full, surrounded by this family of red heads!
I will say Brave isn’t my favorite Disney and Pixar film. But I will also say that I wasn’t disappointed at all, and I feel it’s a film worth seeing for all ages. There is a special story between Merida and her Mom, and I feel like all Mother/Daughter relationships come to a point where all they do is fight. It’s relatable, and it’s worth seeing for the aspect as well.
It can be frightening at points, so be warned if you are going with younger children. Also, there is brief nudity, but it isn’t THAT big of a deal. Just a surprise, considering it’s Disney!
The film sends a great message, for anyone of any age: You CAN change your fate.
