'Brave' has an uplifting message about improving communication between mothers and daughters, although transforming your mom into a bear is a rather extreme first step. The Scottish Highlands are thrillingly painted in astonishing detail, and some action shows Merida's archery more than equal in assorted emergencies.

This is a great-looking movie, much enlivened by the inspiration of giving Merida three small brothers, little redheaded triplets. Unsurprisingly, when he sees his wife as a bear, he fails to recognize her.Īnd so on. King Fergus ( Billy Connolly) had his leg bitten off by a bear (in the prologue), and has been indisposed toward them ever since. After she and her mother absorb what has happened, they begin to work together and grow closer than ever, even though the queen cannot speak. Merida has exactly two days to reverse the charm. Luckily, the magic spell comes with an escape clause. Witches never know how to stop when they're ahead. She begs for a magic spell that will change Queen Elinor's mind, but it changes more than that: It turns Elinor into a bear. Merida leaps upon her trusty steed and flees into the forest, where her friends the will-o-the-wisps lead her to the cottage of a gnarled old witch ( Julie Walters). Nothing doing, especially since all three candidates are doofuses. Then we flash forward to Merida as a young lady of marriageable age, who is startled by request from Queen Elinor ( Emma Thompson) to choose among three possible husbands chosen by her clan. The princess is Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald), seen in an action-packed prologue as a flame-haired Scottish tomboy whose life is changed by an early birthday gift of a bow, which quickly inspires her to become the best archer in the kingdom.

Mbc the brave cast