Viewed – 03 December 2012. Blu-ray

There was a time when in my humble opinion, Pixar animation could do no wrong.  A near perfect run that included Toy Story, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles and Wall-E.  Then we had Cars and Up that despite looking the part, seemed to lack that certain something.  This latest offering seems to fall into the same camp … sadly.

Merida is a spunky princess in a Scottish clan, who has become an expert with a bow and arrow, but feels that her mother the queen’s insistence on an arranged marriage isn’t the destiny she wants for herself.  Now on first impressions, I was swept up by the likable characters, gorgeous animation and a refreshing setting.  However this turned into a very different movie than expected.  We don’t get a story where our plucky heroine sets out on an adventure and proves herself against impossible odds to save the day.  This is more a story of a mother and daughter, of witchcraft gone wrong and putting things right.  It didn’t grab me like this sort of thing should, lacked any memorable gags, and the plot, I’m guessing influenced by Scottish mythology, seemed a bit all over the place.  And why make her an expert in archery, and do nothing with it?

Like Up it had plenty of ideas, but they didn’t seem to gel when thrown together.  Yes it all looks superb (especially the hair!), Merida is an enjoyable creation (voiced well by Kelly Macdonald), and Billy Connelly provides plenty of energy voicing Merida’s father.  Yet for me it just didn’t win me over enough to instantly recommend.

Verdict:  3 /5

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