My 'Brave' Review (and it's spoiler-free!)

Being a diehard fan of Pixar's films, I had high hopes for Brave. Even when it was still The Bear and the Bow, I decided that I would love it. This may seem like I set myself up with unfair expectations, but Pixar has consistently made heartwrenching film after heartwrenching film, always dishing out not only well-crafted stories, but stunning animation and hilarious scripts.

Needless to say, when I settled into my seat with popcorn in hand, I was anticipating a truly great film.

And I was painfully disappointed.

Brave let me down because it's story was not on par with other Pixar films. It just didn't have heart. This section of the review is about Story, but don't worry - it's spoiler-free. I'm not going to discuss any specific story details because I don't want to give any of it away, but also because it is hardly a story worth retelling. And that's just too bad from a great storytelling company like Pixar.

The set-up of the film is great. The very real family relationships are serious and deep. The mother-daughter relationship is immediately understood and dynamic. However, Brave becomes muddled in the second act. There is far too much reliance on coincidence, deus ex machina, and other storytelling shortcuts, like the over-manufactured flashback to Merida's childhood. Pixar takes the notion of “fairytale” too seriously, utilizing exposition, magic, and on-the-nose plot devices to the point where all I could do was shake my head in disbelief. The storyteller's hand is all too prevalent – which is even worse when the story you're telling isn't good. The characters aren't given enough time to make the change that they have to make.

The final act is as good as the first, tying up loose ends and showing the character transformation well (although the Queen's line “We have both changed,” is just depressingly bad, especially for Pixar). The climactic action is exciting and fun. But you just aren't all that invested in it, since the characters aren't developed enough.

While watching, you can definitely feel the hand of Disney's corporate hounds. The triplet boys are distressingly manufactured as comic relief and merchandising powerhouses. There is no reason at all to have them in this story, except to fulfill Eisner's silly little dated list of things that audiences (apparently) want.

But for all of those shortcomings, I'd still sit through the film again.

Yes, the story was Cars 2 material. Sure, it was frustrating to see such unforgivable tactics of audience manipulation, so underhanded it made me scan the credits for “Katzenberg”. But the movie is genuinely funny (with some surprise base humor thrown in, too), with good animation and acting, and a stunning setting.

The crowning achievement of Brave is its character design. From the King's massive bulk of a body to the witch's bug eyes to Merida's wild, red locks, the characters are a joy to watch. They're all unique and vibrant. The acting is subtle and realistic, yet also outlandishly slapstick and exaggerated at times, creating a surreal, dynamic mood. Which is exactly what you want from a fairytale – it's a believable world, with just a touch of unpredictable wonder. And physical humor that'd make even the great Buster Keaton let out a chuckle.

There's also genuine fear and suspense. There are visceral bear attacks, real sword fights, and a good deal of grounded violence. Although Pixar used its fair share of Disney tactics and fairytale plot devices, they certainly didn't attempt to sugarcoat any of the action. And that keeps Brave exciting, with more of that delicious unpredictability.

Brave is beautifully cinematic. The rolling hills of Scotland are lush and vivid. The action is big, and feels very real. The story will let you down, but no other part of the movie will. Especially if you see it on the big screen with booming sound. It creates a comprehensive, dreamlike world of staggeringly real action combined with slapstick and overstated movement. The jokes are funny, the characters are each a work of art in their own right, and it is entertaining.

But I'll still never be able to completely fill the void that its lack of Story has given me. I expected more from the creators of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Up. Pixar's dedication to Story over the years is what inspired me to become a storyteller, and it is just too bad that Brave couldn't carry the torch of Pixar's trademark heart.

See Brave when it comes out on June 22. But just know that it very well might be the end of an era.

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Animation Roundtable features Lasseter, 'Pooh' director, and a discussion on MoCap

Briefly: Watch the Hollywood Reporter's roundtable discussion with the Animation contenders this awards season. Those in the discussion include Stephen J. Anderson (Winnie the Pooh), Jamie Beard (Tintin), John Lasseter (Cars 2), Chris Miller (Puss in Boots), Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2), Carlos Saldanha (Rio) and Gore Verbinski (Rango).

Make sure to watch all three parts of the discussion, which covers a range of topics, including the controversial "motion capture vs. animation" debate.

Enjoy.

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Lasseter doesn't disconfirm 'Toy Story 4'

Since Cars 2 is set to be released this Friday in Britain, Lasseter did a brief talk on BBC Breakfast. The beginning of the conversation is nothing out of the ordinary, as he discusses the filmmaking process at Pixar that most of us are familiar with.

However, his interviewers bring up Tom Hanks' discussion of a Toy Story 4 and try to pry John for answers. He dances around the question and quickly changes the subject, never actually denying that a Toy Story 4 is in the works.

What does this mean?! Will we get yet another installment of Woody and Buzz' adventures with Bonnie's toys? Or is it all just a big conspiracy? . . . Seeing as an IMDb page for Toy Story 4, listing its release as 2015, recently popped up, it's looking more and more like we might see another Toy Story.

I'm still against another Toy Story. Sure, I trust Pixar and know that I would probably love the film they came up with, even if it was another Toy Story. But, to me, Toy Story seems to be all about companionship and "being there" for people you care about. That's why the ending of Toy Story 3 was so tear-jerking, and also a perfect place to leave the toys--they just said goodbye to Andy. They had to let him go. I think that making another Toy Story would undermine the powerful message and superb, poetic ending of the current trilogy.

But who knows? I might take it all back come 2015 . . .

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A Day in the Life of John Lasseter

Above you'll find a 25-minute documentary released by Disney entitled A Day in the Life of John Lasseter. The video was shot several months ago in March, as production of Cars 2 was winding down.

In the short featurette, you'll get to see secret passageways in John's house that lead to his train library, take a look at his private movie theater and wine cellar, and also get to witness the unique process he goes through to direct an animated film. It's definitely worth watching--you'll learn lots of new and interesting things, and will probably become even more jealous of Lasseter . . .

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'Cars 2' rules weekend Box Office

Although Cars 2 may not be that great, people are definitely packing into theaters to see it. Box Office Mojo reports a take of $66.1 million at the domestic box office.

That puts the flick's opening numbers at the fifth best for a Pixar movie--it's almost tied with Up which opened at $68.1 million.

It's playing in 4,115 theaters, and is expected to remain strong throughout the next couple of weeks, although the new Transformers this weekend and the final installment of Harry Potter next month very well might lure audiences from unloading their wallets into Emeryville, especially after how the critics received Cars 2.

However, Cars 2's revenue stream is really gonna come from merchandising, seeing how Cars is the current merch champ among any other Pixar film, at over $5 billion in sales (and that's as of April 2009).

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My 'Cars 2' Review

Most of the things you've heard about Cars 2 are true. It's fast-paced. Action-packed. Full of Mater-in-a-foreign-country-making-a-fool-of-himself gags. It feels like a James Bond movie. However, it is missing one very important component we've learned to expect from Pixar films: heart.

The opening scene is by far the most spectacular, in which Finn McMissile makes a daring escape from an oil rig, complete with explosions, zip lines, and a roaring soundtrack.


Then, the film slowly goes downhill. Several scenes in, at the Wheel Well Hotel when Mater calls in to a talk show to defend Lightning McQueen's reputation, you find yourself asking yourself, "When is this going to end? C'mon, get to the point already!" I felt this numerous times during the movie, which not only took me out of the story, but made me rather annoyed. Very un-Pixar and poor storytelling.


But the movie's not all bad. Although you lose interest during some scenes, the plot keeps you intrigued for most of the film. You want to see Mater succeed, and you also empathize with his plight of always being the fool. It gives audience members a good message, which is to always be yourself (although the message could be taken a bit too far, for Lightning tells Mater to be himself even if he'll, say, ruin an important party or destroy a city). Also, when Lightning talks with Guido's uncle in Italy, the message gets to be very heavy-handed and obvious. In Ratatouille the message was artfully implied. WALL-E's basic moral had to be read between the lines of a robot love story. Toy Story 3's message was irreversibly intertwined with the story and plight of the characters. Cars 2's message was apparent, blatantly preached to the audience, and less impacting than that of any other Pixar film.

The score is wonderfully subtle with a different motif for each city, the animation is spectacular and hypnotizing, and the whole film was strewn with clever, city-specific jokes and gags. However, it was just missing that extra umph we've come to expect from Pixar--the heart. It felt more like a good DreamWorks movie than something under Lasseter's name. The main characters were interesting and intriguing, but every other character (including even Finn McMissile) were very flat and boring. The twist at the end is dry and predictable. I really, really wanted to like it, but I found myself wanting more. Perhaps I'm just comparing it with other Pixar films--after all, it's not that bad of a movie. Just a bad Pixar movie.

I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

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Pixar goes ROTTEN! (UPDATED)

Well, it was bound to happen eventually: Pixar has a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a site which combines the reviews of many critics to create a single, average rating.

Contrary to what I thought would happen after reading some early reviews, Cars 2 currently has a rating of 59%! Now, obviously, this rating can go up after more critics see and rate the film, but it is almost assuredly going to be Pixar's lowest rate film to date.

It currently has 17 ratings, 10 "rotten" and 7 "fresh".Stay tuned for my review in just a few days. Now I'm not sure what to think of the film. I'm still excited to see it, but my expectations are, well, undecided.

The end of an era . . . .

UPDATES: Cars 2 now has a rating of 55% on RT, and has been voted on by 23 critics.

As pointed out by yensid98 in the comments, Rotten Tomatoes isn't always a fair aggregator of reviews out there. While it is legitimate and reliable, it's important to take a range of different sources into account. Metacritic, a site similar to Rotten Tomatoes in the fact that it combines many critics' views to attain a single, overall rating, currently has a score of 62% for Cars 2 with 5 critics having rated the film. Still not a spectacular score, but we'll see what we all think come the day after tomorrow!

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'Cars 2' Interviews Aplenty

With the release of Cars 2 less than 3 days away, the PR push is gearing up big time, and that means, in addition to reviews of the film, tons of new interviews!

I've been searching the internet for fresh interviews, and have found plenty of them for your reading pleasure. Enjoy:

Movies Online talks to Director John Lasseter about his motivations for making a sequel, the story process, 3D, and more stuff. Nothing new or incredibly exciting in the interview, but still a good read to get you excited for this Friday!

Collider has an interview with Michael Caine about the voice work he did for Finn McMissile (as well as some talk about The Dark Knight Rises). It's a good interview, in which Caine discusses the differences between live action acting and animation, this role compared to his past spy roles, etc. Good read.

CinemaBlend and ComingSoon.net both have interviews with Giacchino. He talks about the challenge with this film due to the very different atmospheres in each city, the fine line between an homage to spy films and a parody, his inspirations, etc. Two great interviews with the greatest film composer in the business today.

The Wall Street Journal has an interview with Lasseter, in which he discusses the villain of the film being "Big Oil. Obviously the interview is spoiler-filled, sobe weary, but that also means it's got some new information in it... Read it here.

Finally, Movie Viral has a roundtable (once again) with director John Lasseter. He talks about the animation process, 3D, and more... Nothing groundbreaking in this interview, either, but it'll keep your Pixar Fix at maximum levels until Friday, and that is very important.

Well, those are all the interviews I have for now! Stay tuned for more news on Cars 2 as its release gets ever nearer . . .

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Early Reviews for 'Cars 2'

Some news outlets have been treated to early screenings of Cars 2 (with surely more to come in the next few days), and now they're posting their reviews. Now we'll finally have a sense of where our expectations for Pixar's next feature should be.

Variety raves about the film, discussing how it is a "rare sequel that not only improves on but retroactively justifies its predecessor," and that the "lightning-paced caper-comedy shifts the franchise into high gear with international intrigue, spy-movie spoofery and more automotive puns than you can shake a stickshift at, handling even its broader stretches with sophistication, speed and effortless panache." Needless to say, before ending even the first paragraph of the review, it is apparent that Variety believes Pixar has another masterpiece on its hands!

The Hollywood Reporter calls Cars 2 "yet another Pixar winner." McCarthy writes that Cars 2, thankfully, doesn't rely at all on it's predecessor, claiming that the "beautifully designed sequel stands easily on its own four tires." Being a huge Giacchino fan, I can't help but mention that it's mentioned in the review that "Michael Giacchino's score has the effect of a super-charger on the film, as if it needed one." The review gives a brief plot synopsis, as well as plenty more accolades for the film.

HitFlix, a less well-known film site, isn't quite as gracious with its praise for the film, claiming that the film's logic made his "head explode." More plot details can be found within the review.

Well, those are all the major reviews that have come out so far. Stay tuned for more!

I should have known to wholeheartedly trust in Pixar--oh Luxo, will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?! . . . I am ashamed.

Oh, and I'm also very excited to see Cars 2! (And to write a comprehensive review for all of you lovely folks.)

Less than a week away . . .

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First 'Brave' Still

Dutch Animation blog Animatie unearthed the above still from Brave. It's our first look at a fully-rendered Princess Merida, which matches concept art we saw back in March.

The still is presumably taken from the upcoming teaser for the film, which will be attached to Cars 2 later this summer on June 24.

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3 Pixar Videos: 'Cars 2,' Lasseter's Hawaiian Shirt Collection, and 'Cars' LEGOs

I've stumbled across three very interesting, Pixar-related videos. Above is the first, Back into Cars 2, a video released by Pixar. It shows director John Lasseter, as well as the members of the voice cast, discussing the premise of the film and specific characters and scenes. You'll also spot some never-before-seen footage from the film. If you're as skeptical about the movie as I was several months ago, watch this featurette. It will restore your faith in Pixar and make you super-excited to see Cars 2 come June 24 . . .



Peter Hartlaub, a pop culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, spent a Sunday morning with John Lasseter and his wife Nancy. But not just any Sunday morning: April Fool's Day. In the above video, you'll see John himself discussing his filing system for his thousands of Hawaiian shirts, 374 of which are currently in "active rotation." They are sorted by subject matter--such as Pixar shirts, Disney shirts, Baseball (Giants, to be exact) shirts, etc. After the filing system's discussed, you'll be treated to how fun April Fool's Day is at the Lasseter's. The article goes on to discuss how down-to-earth and fun they are to hang around.



The final video is a fan-made remake of the penultimate Cars 2 trailer . . . out of LEGOs! It's a great video--very well-done.

Cars 2 will be released on June 24, in just over a month. Oh boy! . . .

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'Cars 2' track listing

Briefly: Below you'll find the official track listing for Cars 2, (courtesy of Amazon) featuring Weezer, Brad Paisley, and, of course, Michael Giacchino.

The soundtrack will be released on both CD and digital download this June 14. Unless otherwise noted, the tracks below are instrumental and by everyone's favorite composer (or at least mine) Michael Giacchino.

1. You Might Think—Performed by Weezer
2. Collision Of Worlds—Performed by Brad Paisley and Robbie Williams
3. Mon Caeur Fait Vroum (My Heart Goes Vroom)—Performed by Bénabar
4. Nobody's Fool—Performed by Brad Paisley
5. Polyrhythm—Performed by Perfume
6. Turbo Transmission
7. It's Finn McMissile!
8. Mater The Waiter
9. Radiator Reunion
10. Cranking Up The Heat
11. Towkyo Takeout
12. Tarmac The Magnificent
13. Whose Engine Is This?
14. History's Biggest Loser Cars
15. Mater Of Disguise
16. Porto Corsa
17. The Lemon Pledge
18. Mater's Getaway
19. Mater Warns McQueen
20. Going To The Backup Plan
21. Mater's The Bomb
22. Blunder And Lightning
23. The Other Shoot
24. Axlerod Exposed
25. The Radiator Springs Gran Prix
26. The Turbomater

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Lasseter talks 'Cars 2,' 'Brave' and 'Incredibles 2'

Moviefone just posted a great interview with John Lasseter. Not only does it go into great detail about Lasseter's inspirations for Cars 2 and how excited he is for Brave, but the interviewer also gives the reader a short tour of Pixar and John's office.

During the interview, Mr. Lasseter restates what we all know as the Pixar credo, if you will:

Part of the magic of what is Pixar is, of course, number one is the story. It's the humour, the characters, the emotion ... of course all that is in there, but the look of our films. I feel like I could reach up and touch it but I know it doesn't exist. It's the believability. Instead of the word 'realistic,' I use the word 'believability.' The goal I have as a director and a film maker and Creative Officer here is, I want people to come in to our movies ... I always think of the audience every day with everything I do ... I want them to sit down, the lights go down and I want right away to suck them into our movies. And they don't think about a thing until our movie is over.

Brilliantly said. John also discusses how he isn't against an Incredibles sequel, as long as there's a good story to be told. At the moment, however, an Incredibles 2 is not in the works.

He also discusses another pillar of Pixar rule, involving the likability of their characters:

Imagine going to lunch or dinner with someone you've never met before. That's the characters in our movies. You don't want to sit with a jerk, you know? Someone you don't like?

It's a great interview that you should check out to stay excited for Cars 2 and Brave!

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Even More on 'Cars 2'...

After the wild week that led up to Easter, I find myself having to post yet another link round-up to catch up on all the amazing news I've missed recently! I'm sorry to my loyal readers. My life has been a bit upside-down lately... But have no fear!! Normal posting has returned, and you can expect many more posts from Disney, etc.

But, for now, here are lots of awesome links (and commentary) so that you (and I) can catch up on everything we might have missed.


Stitch Kingdom has posted a ton of new Cars 2 stuff, including almost 1,000 new characters, some fun facts about the film, and some minor spoilers. Check it out here.

Also over at SK is a collection of brand new Cars 2 concept art and a series of panels showing how the development of a shot progresses--from storyboard (like the image at the top of this post) to final film.

AWN has a great interview with Lasseter all about Cars 2.


Denise Ream, producer of Cars 2, discusses the film in a recent interview with Collider. She discusses how Cars 2 is the most effects-heavy film ever attempted at Pixar. Having seen the trailers and considering the epicness of the premise, this doesn't surprise me in the least...

TPB has a tip-off that Giacchino, everyone's favorite composer, might be doing the underscoring for the short attached to next year's Pixar flick Brave. This sounds about right... Go Giacchino!!

Also at TPB is info about the awesome trip taken by the creative team at Pixar as research for the foreign escapades of Cars 2.


Finally, if you happen to be in or near Walt Disney World around May 13-15, be sure to check out Pixar weekend in Epcot! Speakers include Jonas Riviera and Michael Giacchino (!), but there will be plenty more activities, including Meet and Greets, fun activities for kids, and an awesome Pixar-themed topiary.

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That's all the Pixar news I could scrounge up for you, my beloved reader. As I've said before, the more I see about Cars 2, the more excited I am. It looks like it will be a large-scale, exciting, fun action movie. Let's just hope it's got the touching Pixar heart we've all come to love and expect.

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'Cars 2' Updates! (Epic Triptych, Giacchino, Posters, and more.)

Sorry that there haven't been any posts recently. News has been slow and I have been busy . . . Luckily, I've managed to scrounge together some great Cars 2 updates for your reading pleasure.

The first but of news can be found at the top of this post. That epic bit of Cars 2 art is a super awesome triptych, released several days ago on the film's Apple Trailers page here. There are over 400 posed characters and it took 5 months to complete. Read all about it at The Fan Carpet here. So cool . . .


Head on over to MovieWeb to read this awesome Michael Giacchino interview (Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Up, Lost, Star Trek, and much more). He discusses working for Pixar, why the studio stands out from the crowd, and also his inspirations for Cars 2 (the soundtrack for which is available for pre-order, by the way). I am very glad that Mr. Giacchino is doing the score for Cars 2--he really lets the subject matter influence his music, so I am very excited to see how he incorporates Japanese, Italian, and British musical motifs into the unified soundtrack. Should be excellent, as all of his stuff is. I am also very excited to hear his score for Super 8, The Ballad of Nessie, the upcoming reboot of Star Tours, John Carter of Mars, and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol . . . sheesh. Does this guy ever sleep?!

Some more British characters have been announced for the flick.


The final bit of news is the releasing of the above two vintage posters. They feature scenes from the British segments of the film, and are super cool. Especially the one on the right.

Cars 2 will be released on June 24 later this year.

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'Cars 2' Viral campaign

Above you will find a viral advertisement for Cars 2 released by Pixar. What on the surface appears to be a low-quality commercial for a cheesy Emeryville Car Company is actually a clue that leads to, what Mr. Lasseter calls, in sticking with the subject matter of Cars 2, "top secret" footage from Cars 2.

The video, which is accessible through cars-n-deals.com, was recently promoted at WonderCon in San Francisco.

I won't spoil the fun of finding the link for you. You'll just have to watch the above video and keep an eye out for the clue (or call the phone number if you get really stumped) . . .

(Oh, and see if you can find the awesome Pixar Easter Egg in the ad, too!)

Don't worry if it takes you a few minutes to find the clue. Especially because the secret clip is totally worth it. Trust me. After seeing that clip, I am no longer skeptical about the awesomeness of Cars 2 (which is now pretty much a certainty).

Boy oh boy do I love viral marketing campaigns . . .

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Some 'Cars 2' news!

Here are some super-exciting updates related to Pixar's next feature, Cars 2!

First up is the poster heading this article--it was just released. I like the style. Nice n' simple. It ain't no Pooh one-sheet, but it does its job.

As soon as it seemed like we'd seen everything there was to see from Cars 2 until the film's actual release date, I stumble upon something as spectacular as the Japanese Trailer . . . Click here and watch "Japan Trailer 2" for tons of never-before-seen action and pure awesomeness!

A screenwriter is suing Disney, claiming that Cars was his idea. I'm sure that he is just a gold digger who had a similar idea . . . After all, could his tming be any more perfect with the release of Cars 2 just around the corner? Read all about it at The Pixar Blog here.


In June, the first part of a two part comic series, based on Cars 2, will be released by Marvel Comics. The cover is pictured above.

Cars 2, which I am becoming increasingly less skeptical about, will be released later this year on June 24.

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Lasseter talks 'Cars 2'

Here's a short video of John Lasseter talking about Cars 2. He discusses his inspirations, his favorite characters, and the interesting fact that Finn McMissile was actually developed for the original Cars film. It's a short, sweet, very interesting clip. Definitely worth a look.

Also, John has managed to make me a little bit less skeptical about the film, claiming it's "not a parody of a spy movie, this is a spy movie."

Thank goodness. I knew I could count on you, Mr. Lasseter.

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New 'Cars 2' Trailer, Retro Posters, and Hi-res Stills!

Above you will find a full, extended, super awesome trailer for Pixar's upcoming film Cars 2. Below, you will find a collection of just-released stills. Click to massively embiggen. . .

And here is the pièce de résistance, a collection of retro Cars 2 posters (courtesy of Empire), straight from Emeryville, California. Click these to embiggen, too. . . Boy oh boy, would I want a print of that London poster for my wall.

I'm still questioning Cars 2. As I've been saying all along, it looks like it has great characters, spectacular animation, and even a cohesive plot, but I just don't see any room for the coveted "Pixar heart" that they've had in every film since Luxo, Jr. But I'm not going to pass judgment on the film just yet. If anyone's earned my trust and respect, it's Pixar. I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt until I see the film later this year.

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Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation Stills

Above and below you will find the just released, hi-res stills from Pixar's upcoming short, Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation. The short will be attached to Cars 2 (and we will be treated to yet another Toy Story short before the upcoming Muppets film), and it looks like lots of hilarious fun . . . Awesome!!

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