On Brave vs. Mulan
I’ve been seeing this question a lot on my dash and, judging by the criteria that went into people asking why Pixar “even bothered” with making Brave when we “already have” Mulan, I think we should also ask of animated movies with male protagonists:
- Why bother with three sequels and a spin-off when we already had the first Shrek movie?
- Why bother with three sequels when we already had the first Ice Age movie?
- Why bother with two sequels when we already had the first Madagascar movie?
- Why, in 2011 alone, bother with six films about talking animals (Rango, Rio, Kung Fu Panda 2, Winnie the Pooh, Puss in Boots, and Happy Feet Two)?
- Why bother with so many robot and alien animated films (Robots, Astro Boy, WALL-E, Monsters vs. Aliens, Mars Needs Moms, Megamind, Planet 51, Star Wars: the Clone Wars) when we already have The Iron Giant?
…Among other things~
I mean, really, I could’ve gone a lot broader since the only things Merida and Mulan have in common are that they’re fierce ladies who own black horses and wield a bow and arrow at some point.
The Ancients spoken it. It is the heart of this fierce land. It is carried in the wind, born of our legends and when we are put to the test it is the one thing we must always be.
BRAVE
First Look of the Day: Concept art for Pixar’s 13th feature-length film, Brave, has arrived online courtesy of EW’s Inside Movies. The animated fairy tale will be Pixar’s first feature to star a female protagonist, and its first film to be co-directed by a woman.
A synopsis follows:
Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).
Brave is due in theaters June 22, 2012.
[insidemovies.]
