![]() ![]() ![]() There was little focus on what was meant by “fate” in the film. Despite the grievances we bring to God, God reaches out and saves us. And, like Elinor, Christ has given his life for our sake. It is when we say, “I have sinned against You” that we are truly repentant. Without sincere sorrow and repentance for our sins, we are not reconciled. It is too easy to blame the ills we bring about on others. It is here, I think, that the Christian can draw out a theme from the film. She repents to her mother, in perhaps the most heartfelt scene in the movie, saying “I did this to you…” while she weeps. Yet it is only when her mother’s change is seemingly permanent that she realizes the truth. She blames the witch, saying she didn’t know that her mother would become a bear. However, she continues to deny that she is at fault for what her mother turned into. Initially, Merida is convinced that the way to change her mother back is to repair the tapestry she destroyed due to her anger. Perhaps the most important theme in Brave is that of reconciliation. When one sees a teaser image like the one featured here, it seems the movie should have so much more of that epic imagery than it did. Overall, I can’t help but feel I wanted more. Unlike “Up” or some other huge successes from Pixar, “Brave” was good, not great. The movie, it seemed, wavered between trying to appeal to the adults in the crowd and the children, and ultimately never found a voice. It would have been significantly more interesting to have Merida developed further in order to make her into a character that is only hinted at in those beautiful scenes where she climbs a mountain, defying fear or where she races through a forest, landing arrows on every target. The action scenes experienced with Merida were wonderful, but they were few and far between. It seems, in some sense, by the end, that although Merida has experienced a coming-of-age, she is still very reliant upon her parents.įurther, it seemed to me that they could have developed Merida’s own character more before the plot began to roll in full swing. Because her mother spends much of the movie unable to talk, it is hard to relate to the character as much as it is to Merida. Merida herself is little involved in the climax instead, it is her mother who pulls all the weight. I liked the movie a lot but I can’t help but think it was missing something. Her mother returns to herself, and the tribes leave, convinced that one should marry for their own love. Merida manages to undo the spell by finally admitting that it was she herself who did this to her mother, turning her into a bear because of her own pride (before she had been saying it wasn’t her fault). Elinor-bear fights Mor’du to protect Merida and eventually defeats him, but sustains great injury to herself. As they are about to kill Queen Elinor-bear, Mor’du arrives. The climax comes when her mother-bear is discovered and King Fergus leads the tribes to pursue her, thinking the bear has killed his wife. ![]() In the speech she endorses marriage for the sake of love instead of arrangement. Merida manages to calm the tribes with a speech somewhat guided by her mother-bear. Not only that, but the tribes are bordering on open war as they desire to have Merida’s betrothal announced. Merida thus has to balance keeping her mother safe with trying to turn her back before the change becomes permanent. King Fergus, her father, is known for having his leg cut off in an epic battle with Mor’du, the demon bear, and so her mother’s shape turns her into a mortal enemy of her father. Her lack of specificity leads to her mother being turned into a bear. Ultimately, Merida seeks the help of a witch, to whom she was led by will-o’-the-wisps (in this movie, spirits which lead you to your fate), in order to change her mother. Merida would rather marry in her own time and for love, while still being able to pursue her love of archery and other warrior’s tasks. Conflict rages when Queen Elinor, her mother, tells Merida she is to be wed to one of the firstborn sons of the other clan leaders. If you’re only interested in the reflection, skip down to the “Themes to Discuss” section.That said, it should be obvious that there are major plot spoilers below.īrave follows Merida, a princess whose father in some ways endorses her Tom boyish ways, while her mother tries to get her to be the perfect princess. In what follows, I will provide a brief overview and review of the movie, followed by some Christian reflections. I am a huge Pixar fan so I couldn’t wait for this one. Disney Pixar’s “ Brave ,” a tale of a young Scottish girl’s coming of age, released recently. ![]()
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