-Answer, next week.
Bonus points!
5 points if you can identify the epic fantasy series from which I take inspiration for the title of this Media Monday.
-Answer, at the end of the post
***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Saw “Brave”—loved “Brave.” The Scottish accent only made it better. I was fondly reminded of “Shrek.” I was then fondly and giddily reminded of Disney’s “Gargoyles.” I had a small obsession problem with that TV show as a kid. But, less on that, more on Brave.
Wonderful job Pixar introducing your own princess into the mish-mosh of those already in existence. Despite this pre-existing bunch, though, Merida is unique. Strong-willed, independent, aware of what she wants, and, well, brave (duh).
The best thing, in my opinion, about “Brave” is that it’s unexpected. Every time you think “ahuh, I know where this is going,” the movie goes precisely in the opposite direction. I saw this with a friend who had already seen it. When Merida got the potion, I turned to my friend and said “the Momma’s gonna die.” I then stood corrected a few minutes later when the momma turned into a bear (ngoiehgegoiwejioeho?). I was, obviously, not expecting the bear thing, but I loved it. And, I loved that the bear thing was tied into the four brothers legend.
I recommend going to see “Brave.” I don’t recommend taking your kids to see “Brave,” however, if they scare easily. Yes, it’s an animated/kids movie, but parts of it are dark. I would have been scared when I was around 5.
That said, if you do bring your kids to see “Brave,” good. The movie teaches some very important life lessons. Don’t be afraid to go after what you want. Believe in yourself, and don’t take potions from creepy wood-working witches in the woods are just a few. Parents—there’s a lesson to be learned here fror you too. While you shouldn’t take potions from creepy wood-working witches in the woods either, you should also allow your child to make their own decisions once they’re old enough to do so. I’m not a parent, but I appreciate my parents more than I can say because they guided me through growing up rather than ordering me through it. I think it makes a difference. This is just my two cents. Do what you want with it. It won’t turn you into a bear (I think).
I do have to say, though, despite my assertion that I would have been afraid of this movie as a small child, I wish it had come out when I was a kid. I spent hours in my backyard pretending to be the one princess that was kick-ass and knowledgeable about nature. If I’d had “Brave” to go off of, I could have pretended to be Merida. Although, the fact that I branched out and made up my own ideal princess without Merida’s influence says a lot for my creative mind. So, maybe I should thank Pixar for not making “Brave” sooner because it allowed me to be creative and probably (at least partially) led to me becoming a writer. (It made sense in my head).
Last but certainly not least, a few themes to take away from “Brave.” The first is “legends are lessons,” and how true is that? We always say “history repeats itself.” I’d like to amend that to “history repeats itself if we don’t learn our lesson the first time and prevent the bad things from happening again.” “Legends are lessons” is the same basic concept, except it alliterates better. It took Merida turning her mother into a bear to realize that. I hope we can figure it out with a little less trauma.
Second—and this is very important. “Never conjur where you carve.”
Answer to trivia question #2 at the beginning of this post. I take inspiration from George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series.
See you out of the box,
Caboodle
P.S. I wrote a guest post for a friend and fellow WPFer this week. Check it out and have a look at her blog here!
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