Who Will Enjoy Disney's Brave?

I had the privilege of previewing Brave weeks before it opened thanks to a very special invitation from a Scottish family who had ties to Utah's Scottish Guild.

Needless to say, the crowd I was with was a festive bunch. (Everyone wore their family-specific kilts.) We gathered outside the Jordan Commons Theater in Sandy, UT an hour before the doors opened in order to properly celebrate all things Scottish: Celtic dancing, bagpipes, kilts, the works! I had a tremendous cultural experience and loved every minute of it!

Enough milieu; on to the film review! The graphical presentation was, of course, stunning. (Well done, PIXAR.) The music was excellent, but I had hoped for more than two original, lyrical pieces. (I do hold a special place in my heart for traditional Scottish folk music.) The story was steeped in tradition and authentic mythology and magic. Congratulations, Brenda Chapman, on capturing the essence of a civilization in only 100 minutes. Those were the good things...

Here's what didn't work for me. Now, I'm sure seeing this film was and will be absolutely life-changing for the demographic it was created for. However, I was definitely not included in that surprisingly broad-reaching, yet specifically-defined group. Permit me to identify four main characteristics of said target audience:

Female
Unresolved Mommy issues
Does NOT feel in control her own fate
Undying love for Scotland

I do not particularly feel akin to any of these key traits, although I can sympathize with them. To truly appreciate a character's journey, one must understand what that character is experiencing on a deeply emotional level.

Oh well, Disney; it didn't work for me this time. But here's an idea to get your next film ready for the rest of us — you can have one of your many independent, fearless, female protagonists save a prince-in-distress.

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