Fan-art & Review: "How BRAVE should have ended"

[brendala]

Needless to say, this comic spoils a crucial moment toward the end of the film.

I drew this with my sketchbook in my theatre seat because I wanted to get the idea down before it left my head. I think it came out pretty good considering I drew it in the dark! :)



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I can't be the only one who thought that during the dramatic "DON'T LEAVE ME, MOMMY!!" scene. As a big sister myself, I found Merida's lack of concern for her brothers a bit troubling. I know the triplets are hyper little hell-spawns, but they're still her baby brothers! XD


Anyway, as for my serious opinion of the movie....

I freakin' LOVED it!!!!

My only quibble is the "lack of concern" thing I just mentioned. But even that wasn't enough to make me lower my opinion.

-I loved how Merida was strong without being a super powered and/or annoying Mary Sue. She felt very real and I identified with her right away. I also liked that she had an off-beat look and wasn't designed to appear sexy or glamorous like every other cartoon princess. And I dig her wild hair. It reminds me of the proud Jew-fro my grandmother used to rock.

-I love that we finally have a "Princess Movie" where the mother is neither dead nor suspiciously absent. Very few Disney movies show any mothers at all and, even when they do, the mom tends to feel more like set decoration than an actual character. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that focused on a mother/daughter relationship, so it was cool to see it here (especially since I wasn't expecting Elena to be such a major player in this movie).

-And, best of all, I love love LOVE the fact that Merida didn't end the movie with a boyfriend on her arm!!!!
Don't get me wrong. Like every girl who grew up with a television, I love me some sappy Disney romance. But after recently watching strong female characters like Velma Dinkley and Korra get taken down (and, in Velma's case, dragged behind a shed and beaten half to death. XD) by badly implemented romantic subplots, it was nice to see a girl of marrying age say, "Y'know what? I don't want a boyfriend right now!" and still mean it by the end of the movie!

HORRAY FOR FEMINIST PROGRESS!!!! Now I can finally replace the bras that got burned after I watched this abomination! LOL


Believe it or not, despite the rant above, I'm still a hopeless romantic. So I had to find some couple to ship by the end of the movie:



Technically, Merida's parents were the cutest couple. But they're already married with four kids; so actively shipping them is pointless. So the honor went to Big Strong Guy and Busty Matron. They had a romantic scene at the end that went by so fast that you could miss it if you blink at the wrong moment. Luckily, I caught it.

Oh, btw, did anyone else stay until the end of the credits? I saw the movie with an acquaintance who opted to leave once the film was over and missed a VERY funny post credit scene!

Comments

[oronoda.livejournal.com]

I loved Brave so much. I loved it so much, I called my mom and told her I loved her. Then my mom saw it and did the same.

I never felt so connected to a character like Merida. And also, another thing I loved was Merida took responsibility for her actions after making a typical teen mistake.

[brendala.livejournal.com]

And also, another thing I loved was Merida took responsibility for her actions after making a typical teen mistake.

Can't believe I forgot to mention this!
Yes, it's very cool to see a teen Disney protagonist own up to their mistake and admit being wrong instead of letting some sort of "magic" make everything okay.

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

I stay till the end and it was a nice use of a brick joke. XD

Also, loved that they threw in the maid/big strong guy pairing because it was cute. I really want to see more movies with mother/daughter relationships. I saw it twice, including once with my mom and she loved it too.

I thought it was odd too, however, I'm thinking the writers couldn't find a good way to include Merida saying how she was sorry to her brothers without taking the moment away between her and her mother, which the movie had been about at that point.

Plus, to be fair, the brothers didn't appear to be that upset to be turned into bears, in fact I can see them going "We're bears now? AWESOME! Let's go tear stuff up!"

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sure those boys would have been perfectly happy spending the rest of their lives as bears. But it just struck me as odd that Merida didn't even have an "OH SHIT" moment when she found out that her brothers ate that cake. She was just like,
"Oh, you're bears now, too? Whatever. Go get the key from the busty maid!"

[ms-verma.livejournal.com]

But it just struck me as odd that Merida didn't even have an "OH SHIT" moment when she found out that her brothers ate that cake. She was just like,
"Oh, you're bears now, too? Whatever. Go get the key from the busty maid!"

Now that I finally watched the movie, I can comment on this... and say I don't actually agree with you. Merida didn't have TIME to get the "oh, sh*t" moment. She had to save her mother who was about to get killed by her own husband (i.e. Merida's father)!

[brendala.livejournal.com]

You make a good point. But I still think it's weird that we didn't even get so much as a shocked/horrified facial expression from her. After all, now that her baby brothers are bears, THEY are also at risk from the horde of blood-thirsty bear hunters in the castle.

[ms-verma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but thankfully (or not...), the horde was out in the woods, chasing the bear-queen, and the cubs were relatively safe riding on Angus' back with Merida. XD Plus, Fergus and the rest of hunters mistook bear-Elinor for Mor'du. I doubt it would be the same case with the triplets. =]

[rezo-eris.livejournal.com]

What I find funny is that alot of people out there are saying that "Brave" fails as a feminist movie because it portrayed Merida's rebellious desire for freedom against her mother as a thing that *GASP* had negative consequences for her! Others are slamming the film because it wasn't as "epic" as the marketting made it out to be, and it's not what they expect from Pixar. Which is pretty stupid to me.

''I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that focused on a mother/daughter relationship''

Well, it was a big focus here: http://i2.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens16325021module139596291photo_1292144250disney-tangled-flynn-rapu

But in this movie, the mother is both the princess' real mother and not fucking EVIL! XD

[brendala.livejournal.com]

People are actually saying that? Just because Merida has to face consequences for making a stupid choice (like virtually every Disney protagonist ever)? I guess some people will look for ANY reason to be offended or find fault in something.
And I thought that changing royal tradition and beating a curse was pretty damn epic! What did those people want to see Merida do? Fight space aliens and discover America?


Well, it was a big focus here:

The relationship between Gothel and Rapunzel was interesting. But it was nice to see Brave present a mother/daughter relationship that wont force the heroine to spend the rest of her life in therapy. XD

[rezo-eris.livejournal.com]

No, they were under the impression that the message was an anti-feminist "don't try to change your fate because it will lead to disaster. Accept what your parents want of you because they know best." Even though, y'know, the royal traditions WERE acknowledged as being unfair to her in the end and they didn't go through with the arranged marriage after all?

And I don't think Rapunzel will have to spend the rest of her life in therapy so long as she has her real parents and Eugene with her. And what I find funny is that Mother Gothel is pretty much the female equivalent of...er (shouldn't be bringing "it" up here but)... THIS GUY. http://images.wikia.com/villains/images/4/44/Fred_Jones,_Sr..png

[brendala.livejournal.com]

And what I find funny is that Mother Gothel is pretty much the female equivalent of...er (shouldn't be bringing "it" up here but)... THIS GUY. http://images.wikia.com/villains/images/4/44/Fred_Jones,_Sr..png


LOL. Don't feel bad. The same thought crossed my mind when I watched the movie. XD

[rezo-eris.livejournal.com]

Someone really oughta write a "Father Knows Best" song parody for Fred Jones. XD

[amelia-seyroon.livejournal.com]

/skips spoilers

I can't join in as I have to wait another month for the movie to get out here. T_T

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that. I promise to keep mum about the spoilery stuff until you get a chance to see it.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

Technically, the kids ate the cake on their own. No need to apologize. :P

Way to score, busty matron.

I love Merida's parents too. Please, Pixar, bonus films about them on the DvD.

I have to say, the thing I enjoyed the most was the fact that Merida ended up alone. Male leads don't automatically need a girlfriend. Neither does female leads. Awww yeah. Although some people are arguing that this might be why the movie apparently had trouble finding it's public and pleasing critics. I still think it's more the pacing issues.

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Technically, the kids ate the cake on their own. No need to apologize. :P

Yeah. But leaving a delicious-looking cake in the middle of the kitchen was just asking for trouble. Some poor member of the kitchen staff could have gotten to it before the kids. :P


I wish there were more movies where a young person said "I don't need romance right now" at the beginning of a movie and still meant it by the end. It would be nice if more kids (especially girls) got the message that they're not freaks if they reach their late teens without entering a relationship.