Hi Huneybees,
Pixar's BRAVE opened in Singapore cinemas on 8th August and I had the honours of catching it weeks before it's officially opened to public thanks to Nuffnang and Disney.
During festivities, the whole clan gathers to play games, play on bagpipes and of course gorge on great food. The men wore kilts, that are tartan printed "skirts". They wore that even to war! The pouch on the front, not only acts as a pocket, but also as a protection for the private areas....
The bagpipe is an instrument that plays pretty loud and high octave notes. Air has to be "pumped" into the bag and constant fingering and releasing of air from the bagpipe creates the great music. It works pretty much like a clarinet with a vibrating reed to produce sound. But note, it's a pretty heavy instrument....
Games like Tug-Of-War, arrow shooting, hunting, etc, are common during the festive and the whole village of people are as happy and excited as we were that day. More of this scene can be found in the movie.
The Story - Merida (voice of Kelly MacDonald) is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.
Directed by Mark Andrews (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, John Carter) and Brenda Chapman (The Lion King, Prince of Egypt), and produced by Katherine Sarafian (Lifted, The Incredibles).
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"A grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humor, “Brave” uncovers a new tale in the mysterious Highlands of Scotland where the impetuous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos, forcing her to discover the meaning of true bravery before it’s too late.”  |
It is really rare to see an animation so strong on Scottish traditions and so educational. Being in the cinema for that couple of hours was as though I had travelled back in time to ancient Scotland. Moreover, the tour we had before the movie was fun and made me wana run back to my school's military band to play on that flute and piccolo....
During festivities, the whole clan gathers to play games, play on bagpipes and of course gorge on great food. The men wore kilts, that are tartan printed "skirts". They wore that even to war! The pouch on the front, not only acts as a pocket, but also as a protection for the private areas....
The bagpipe is an instrument that plays pretty loud and high octave notes. Air has to be "pumped" into the bag and constant fingering and releasing of air from the bagpipe creates the great music. It works pretty much like a clarinet with a vibrating reed to produce sound. But note, it's a pretty heavy instrument....
Games like Tug-Of-War, arrow shooting, hunting, etc, are common during the festive and the whole village of people are as happy and excited as we were that day. More of this scene can be found in the movie.
I used my M.A.C. Tartan printed blusher that day to get in the mood and of course, got myself a kilt (borrowed lah).
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| Arrow shooting can't be done there, imagine how dangerous it can be. But then again technology is here to save the day! |
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| Of course, me and hubby turned red heads to enter the photo booth for this great moment... |
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| With great friends, time passes super fast and it was time for us to catch the movie. |
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| Caught the movie in 3D with Hubby Dearest... |
My take on the movie:
Pixar's animation has always been a breakthrough and when I saw the trailers in the cinemas with Merida's soft, red, curly hair, I was already sold. Being an animator myself, details are what catches my attention.
Eversince "Once Upon A Time", Disney princesses have had a rough time with the women who run their lives, usually a stepmother. However, one big difference in this movie: the woman who makes the heroine’s life miserable is not her stepmother but her own mom.
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| Let the wisps lead you there... |
This time, together with a female input - Brenda Chapman (Director), not only was the story a huge twist in the middle, the creative tug-of-war between a male and a female director was as though they were doing a Tango in the movie.Not only were there brawny highlands humor - fighting, carousing, spit takes, there was also the primal bonding of a mother and daughter, that touched alot of our hearts and I was caught tearing up in a few scenes.
Moral of the story? Someone we think is a beast may love us to pieces, that teen rebellion can have dreadful consequences and that, sometimes, even a Scots mother can have a Brave heart.
It's a movie suitable for everyone in the family and trust me, after the movie, you will learn to treasure your mum's nagging even more...
I give the movie 4.5 popcorns out of 5!
