You ever go see a movie and everything is going great, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a surprise turn comes out of left field, leaving you wondering, “what the heck just happened”?  In the realm of cinema, sometimes those surprises can be great, leaving a lasting impression on you long after the movie’s over. It’s when those surprises fail that the viewer often feels a sting, almost like the powers that be behind the film did it on spite.  I’ve always felt Pixar Animation Studios had the best intentions when they made movies and still do. They are the most consistently successful film company because their projects are a collaboration of thousands of talented artists.

Brave isn’t Pixar’s boldest or even biggest work and though it features some animation that ranks as perhaps their best yet, the story isn’t as revolutionary as we’d expect from them and feels rather familiar. As always the case with Pixar, they’ve managed to keep us in the dark up until the time of release about what their film is really about. There’s some great vocal work by the film’s cast, incredible character designs and imagery so impressive and detailed that releasing the film in 3D almost wasn’t necessary. And yet none of that can save a lackluster story, filled with characters that make some rather silly choices who aren’t as dimensional or well-written as they should be.

Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald, familiar to fans of Trainspotting, No Country For Old Men and most recently, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, is the real standout here. Macdonald takes the lead as Merida, a Scottish princess who against her wishes is about to be, what else, married to a suitor she doesn’t even know.  The film opens strong, as we see a young Merida, with her flaming red hair, receive her first bow for her birthday, just in time to witness her father, King Fergus (Billy Connolly), defend the family from the fury of an infamous black bear that roams the forest.  Years later, adult Merida has reached that age where she must find a suitor when she’d much rather hone her warrior skills, shooting targets with arrows as she rides her loyal steed Angus through the forest.

Merida is a tomboy, through and through, but in her mother Elinor’s (Emma Thompson) eyes, she’s also a lady, one who must follow tradition, even if it means choosing a suitor from one of three leading clans.  Early on, we’re given the impression that Merida is being set up as someone who will finally get to prove her worth by using those skills of hers to save the kingdom.  In stories like these, there is some form of conflict or threat that the hero (or in this case, heroine) will rise up to face and defeat, because they are the only one who can.  Such a threat does arrive late in the picture, when the origins of that bear are further revealed. But what this film lacks is a real antagonist and if you’re gonna make a movie about a warrior princess, you’d damn sure better have one.

The real conflict in Brave lies in the troubled relationship between Merida and her mother Elinor, who Thompson manages to make somewhat sympathetic despite the fact that she can be overly demanding of her daughter.  It’s a plus actually, since Connolly’s Fergus comes across as such a dope, you wonder how he became king. When Merida decides her only solution is to run away, what we initially perceive to be the start of a journey where she ultimately finds herself, is abruptly halted when the Princess comes across a kind old witch in the woods (Julie Walters). It’s at this point – not even mid-way through the picture I might add – that the story begins to double-back on itself, with Merida hoping that a spell she buys off the witch will give her mother a change of heart.  The only change ends up being her mother’s physical appearance as Elinor is transformed into a giant bear much like the one we meet at the beginning of the film. Possessing her intelligence, but not the ability to speak, Elinor must now rely on her daughter to hide her from Fergus, who might go into a murderous rage at the sight of such a creature, being that he lost his leg to one years earlier. What’s meant to be a comedic game of near-misses, isn’t comedic at all. Forget the fact that time is wasted with Merida and were-bear Elinor hiding from Fergus and his drunken pals, scenes where the pair play and bond in the forest feel like a failed idea that someone at Pixar should have crumpled up and tossed in the trash bin.

The potential for any real conflict, character development or excitement is quickly ejected from Brave like air from a flat tire.  I’ve never experienced a Pixar film that felt like it was going through the motions, hoping to rely on the cuteness of its characters, eye-popping animation and scenarios that are barely comedic.  Add the gimmick of 3D and its high ticket price and things start to feel almost insulting.  There are a few humorous bits involving Merida’s little brothers, a set of triplets who just can’t stay out of trouble, but they feel like clones of the “minions” from Despicable Me and are nowhere near as endearing.  When all is said and done, Pixar films have been phenomenally successful because of their stories and the characters that populate them. There’s barely a story here and though Merida is the only standout character, she’s not that likeable of a lead or as dimensional as she should be.  With so many projects in their pipeline, Pixar’s been spreading themselves a little thin ever since they were acquired by Disney and John Lasseter began running that studio.  Every creative individual or company is bound to produce a misfire at some point and in my opinion, Pixar’s creative failures are still more appealing than the successes of many of their rivals.  If they didn’t have the ability to learn from their mistakes, enabling them to bounce back, they wouldn’t be who they are. Brave is preceded by the short film La Luna, a simple tale with really no dialogue.  It’s infinitely better than the main feature.