Queen Eleanor is infatuated with tradition and feels she knows what’s best for a young princess. But her mother has quite a different vision for her. Merida is an adventurous free spirit who loves archery and riding her horse through the countryside with her long, bright red locks of hair flowing in the wind. This gorgeous landscape is the home of a young princess-to-be named Merida who lives with her brave but playful father King Fergus and her stern and often times overbearing mother Queen Elinor. Tall trees, grassy meadows, jagged mountains, and beautiful streams grab us and submerge us into this beautiful land. The film creates a breathtaking natural canvas that quickly places us within the story’s location and environment. Even though I knew it was animated, I was amazed by the huge, sprawling, panoramic shots of the Scottish Highlands. The first thing it does is give us a true sense of location via some of the greatest uses of scenery and surroundings I have seen. “Brave”starts off with the perfect approach.

This tried and true formula once again really pays off here even for a tepid animation guy like me. They hire the perfect voice talent, create beautiful visuals, and throw in some fantastic music. They take meatier subject matter and cover it with a beautiful and playful animated wrapping. Once again Pixar gives us another solid animated feature mainly by following their proven formula. That knack is once again on display with “Brave”. But even I can appreciate their amazing knack for good quality storytelling. Me, I’m not the biggest animated movie guy. Does anyone even question the amazing filmmaking that comes out of Pixar Studios anymore? Well, “Cars 2” didn’t do them any favors, but still Pixar has evolved into one of the most impressive filmmaking teams in cinema.

Who wrote the screenplay for brave 2012