Brave (2012)

It's a story about a young brave princess who doesn't need any prince charming. Instead of calmly sitting on a chair in front of opened window while embroidering a floral motif, she loves to ride her horse and climb the cliffs with the longbow on her back and drink directly from the waterfall. She is Merida, the firstborn princess of the clan Dunbroch. When it comes the time for the princess to enter a marriage life, her mother, Queen Elinor, and his father, King Fergus, have sent the invitation for their three rival clans to join their firstborn son to compete each other in the Highland Games. For sure the purpose is to find the right prince for Merida. Merida who is not ready yet and will never be, peeved due to her parent's decision to make her life under their control, to fulfill their desires which make her must lost her own dreams.

Merida has a big argument with Queen Elinor and she reaches her highest emotion level. She does something which is strictly forbidden, something ever happened to a kingdom causing its ruin. She damages the tapestry, on where painted their picture as a complete family (before her triplets brothers born). Then she rides her horse, Angus (in Indonesian it means scorched. Lol), to the forest but there are will-o'-the-wisp, the atmospheric ghost lights which distract her attention and lead her to a wood carver who actually is a witch. The funniest witch actually.  She does not want Merida know who the actual she is. But her nervousness precisely makes her shows her magic skill. She makes a sculptured bear in one knock. Lol.

Merida insisted she is a witch and she then shoo Merida with her so many various of knifes in the ready position to stab her. That scene is so funny. Merida offers a bargain of buying the witch's whole sculptures. And the knifes turn their direction to the opposite way facing the witch's face and she asks how Merida will pay them, the knifes back facing Merida's face. By showing her pendant which is worth the price, the whole knifes fall. haha. But Merida does not want only the sculptures. She wants a spell to change her mother's heart so she will forget the engagement planning.

Merida gets the concoction in the form of a cake. Without having suspicious on what the witch has told that there is something wrong with the spell, Merida gives the cake to the Queen. And yes, Elinor changes. But she changes to be something Merida never expect before. The cake has changed the Queen to be a bear, the animal King Fergus hates the most. He has lost his leg for saving her wife and daughter from a bear's attack back when Merida was a kid. By bartering her one year dessert, her triplets brothers are obliging to take their mother out of the castle without getting caught by the King and the Lords. They go to get the repair for the spell but the witch had gone and just leave a message that Merida must remember "mend the bond torn by pride".

Merida finds that she has to "mend the bond torn by pride" before the second sunrise or if  not, the spell will be permanent and her mother will be a bear forever. Little by little they understand what it is meant by "torn by pride". It is the tapestry she ripped under her freedom pride. They must be back to the castle while the troops are quarreling about the cancellation of the arranged marriage. Merida calm them down to distract their attention so Queen Elinor can up the stairs to the ripped tapestry. Merida gives them a very wise explanation if she and the Lords sons have the right to decide their own life includes who will be the the right person to marry with; their true love chosen by their own.

They finish the argument with peace conclusion but the bear nature in Queen Elinor's body has destroyed everything. King does not believe the bear is his wife and ordered the clans to kill it. The worst is, the triplets brothers are also changed to be bears. Luckily they still can help. They distract the clans' attention and direct them to the castle roof, so Merida and her mother can escape. There we will see the vulgar Rapunzel in male version. The Lords bond their pants so they can come down from the castle roof (the boys lock the door from inside). Lol.

While sewing on horse riding, Merida and her brothers chase their father and the Lords to save the Queen who in her bear appearance has been tied tightly ready to be killed. King Fergus only believe the bear is his wife when the real killer bear comes. He is Mor'du. Seeing her daughter is almost killed by Mor'du, Queen Elinor summons up her strength to save Merida and finally Mor'du died. That has come the second sunrise but Elinor is still in a bear appearance. Merida cries and says sorry, all the messes are her faults. She says she really loves her mother and tells her she always be there for Merida. And Merida's sincere regret is the truly mending for the bond torn. Queen Elinor is back to be a human again, as well as the three boys.

***

I think it is one of the best animated movies. The plot is so simple but has so deep meaning. It's about a braveness. The braveness of a girl to cut her pride and admits her faults by repairing everything back to its normal situation, a braveness of a queen to break the arranged marriage tradition and start to understand what her daughter really wish to do. It really is a fantasy with the ending is accordance with the hope of people about a happy ending. No war, no revenge, the evil is easily eradicated and the story ends beautifully.