Brave
It’s hard not to like a princess who can gallop over rough terrain, shoot with precision and climb a cliff that would make Snow White turn a deeper shade of pale.
Of course, that is not where her bravery ends. She stands up to her mom, the educated and well mannered Queen, and refuses to be betrothed to some random son of a clan leader.
My three daughters loved this movie. The Butterfly (age eight) laughed loudly throughout much of it, clearly identifying with the rebelious leading lady. The Adventurer (12) and I loved the riding scenes, the music and the very last scene in the movie, because it was something (sorry I can’t tell you) that we could see ourselves doing.
The Princess (5) said she loved the “little brothers” who made trouble, stole food and “ran around with naked butts.”
We were suprised, really, but the amount of male nudity in this film. It’s animated. And clearly done for a good laugh (which it recieved). Still, it was a lot of bare backsides in 3D, especially if you are sitting in the third row.
Of course, my girls weren’t offended at all. Nor were they offended by the manner in which the men in this movie were portrayed: meat-eating, brawling, thick headed, mostly shallow and egotistical brutes.
And the skirts! KILTS girls, KILTS!
Well, now my girls have begun asking the question that has plagued mankind for hundreds of years:
“Do they wear anything under their kilts?”
“They must not, because that guy in the movie mooned the other guys just by flipping his skirt up.”
“I guess they all go commando.”
“What does that mean?”
“Mom, who invented mooning?”
Our conversation only went down hill from there, as it frequently does. Just like the time we watched an extensive documentary about wildlife in China and all my girls remembered was that Pandas rub their butts on trees to mark their territory and attract a mate.
Anyway, I thought this movie was terrific (I’m talking about Brave again) and definitely recommend it for ages six and up. My 5 year-old did hide her face in my sweater during some of the scary scenes, so if you have a child who is easily scared, maybe wait on seeing this or skip the intense 3D version.
And moms, you will enjoy it, because it is truly about the mother / daughter relationship and learning to listen to and enjoy each other.
Here’s the trailer, in case you’ve missed it:
The short film “LaLuna” plays (also in 3D) right before Brave and is absolutely beautiful.
A big thank you to Connecticut Kids and Family, for the tickets to the special preview event.
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