As a world-famous and prominent studio, Pixar always receives special attention and certain demands from the public. And it's understandable that Pixar strives for perfection in everything they do, from the content to pictures and characters. Pixar offers much more than just animated films when the studio incorporates special and significant lessons and messages into the films. And that's what makes it one of the most well-known and successful studios in the world.
Despite the fact that it follows several conventions of the studio,
Brave stands distinct in Pixar's filmography for a variety of reasons. It established a number of precedents for Pixar, many of which haven't been followed since, but the film's originality is what makes it one of the best standalone Pixar films. Below we have listed 10 ways that make the movie
Brave stand out in a very unique way. Read to the end and don't forget to let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
#1 It’s dark
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Almost every Pixar picture before
Brave had periods of melancholy and outright tear-jerking scenes, but none of them were fully dark throughout the movie. The film's somber tone is odd given that it looks more like a
Disney film than anything else Pixar has done. And the gloom isn't just in the tone, but also in the way it appears aesthetically. In comparison to the brilliant hues that Pixar is known for,
Brave is a relatively dark film.
#2 Original songs from contemporary bands
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Original scores were used in the first 12 Pixar films, which included peppy Randy Newman compositions or generally heroic-sounding orchestral swells from
The Incredibles.
Brave, for the most part, follows suit, with an original score by Patrick Doyle that pays homage to Scotland's culture by employing Celtic instruments. But, unlike any previous film before it, this one employs a larger number of contemporary musicians to create unique music. Mumford & Sons composed songs for the film, which were performed by Birdy.
#3 No talking animals
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Every Pixar film had incorporated talking
animals to some extent until the twelfth film in the studio's oeuvre. The Underminer, who acted and looked like a mole, even appeared in
The Incredibles. In
Brave, though, there isn't a single talking animal or inanimate thing. Granted, Merida's mother, Elinor, transforms into a bear in the film. However, she is unable to speak while in bear form, despite the fact that she can still sense human emotions.
#4 No American voice actors
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In many ways,
Ratatouille is the most comparable to the 2012 film. Even the 2007 food-themed film, however, did not commit to using French voice actors.
Ratatouille is mostly made up of American actors imitating French accents, whereas
Brave is primarily made up of Scottish and English actors. There is one exception, which is John Ratzenberger, although he is Pixar voice-acting royalty, having been in nearly every Pixar film.
#5 It heavily uses the location’s culture
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Brave not only takes place in a unique and picturesque section of Scotland, but it also incorporates elements of the country's culture, such as clan tartans and Highland games. Not only that but the film's spiritual idea is also based on Scottish folklore. Despite the fact that
Ratatouille is set in France, and the animated images of the city are stunning, the film does not employ French culture in the same way that Brave does.
#6 It has a period setting
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Pixar may have put
WALL-E in the future, but the studio had never tried a film set in the past before 2012.
Brave is set in the 10th century, nearly 1000 years ago, it isn't just set in a period setting. To the best of the audience's knowledge, this is the first time Pixar has attempted something similar. It must be a difficult challenge, given Brave is nearly entirely unique to Pixar, and no other film has attempted to replicate it afterward.
#7 It’s supernatural
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Pixar's films are more fiction than reality, with toys that come to life when children aren't there and cars with their own minds.
Brave, on the other hand, not only has magical components, but it also has elements that are based on true mythology. The Will O' The Wisps, a witch, and a woman who transforms into a bear are all based on existing supernatural tales in the film.
#8 It’s about a princess
Source: Pixar
It's not just Pixar that has inspired Disney films; once the two businesses combined in 2006, Disney had some sort of influence on multiple Pixar films. Merida is a Disney princess in the sense that she is the heir to the Dunbroch throne. Merida is a long cry from the inanimate objects that populate other Pixar films, such as toys and cars. She's also a lot more normal than the superheroes who came before her when it comes to human characters in the studio's canon of films.
#9 A female protagonist
Source: Pixar
Before Merida, there was a slew of fantastic female Pixar characters, including Jessie from
Toy Story 2 and Helen from
The Incredibles. Surprisingly, none of Pixar's first 12 films included a major female lead. That was put to an end by
Brave. Not only does the film keep Merida in the spotlight at all times, but it also centers on her connection with her mother rather than a male character. Future Disney films, such as
Frozen, were influenced by it.
#10 Takes place in the UK
Source: Pixar
The majority of Pixar's creative films prior to Brave were set in the United States. Only one other film has been set in a foreign country before, and that was
Ratatouille, which was set in Paris. It takes set in Scotland, and the country appears so gorgeous in the film that, despite being animated, it undoubtedly done wonders for Scottish tourism.