This past Monday, I was privileged to be one of several press members who attended the Brave Press Conference at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood. My fellow journalists and I were given the full VIP treatment, complete with parting gift bags, some snacks, and several beverages to choose from. But most importantly, Disney™ provided us with the opportunity to speak to the wonderful cast and crew of Disney•Pixar’s new Brave. Each Brave contributor gave us deeper insight into the film’s complex narrative, some behind-the-scenes factoids, and plenty of laughs as well. It was an excellent day, and all who came brought such wonderful bouts of energy and enthusiasm that it was just a joy to take part in this event. Below, you will find two audio files from the press conference, as well as a video I was able to record of Director Mark Andrews and Producer Katherine Sarafian’s Q&A with the press. The readers who’ve already seen Brave will hopefully get more insight with these sets of interviews, but if you don’t mind a spoiler or two and haven’t watched Brave, by all means dig in… Read more on ‘Brave’ Press Conference!…
A film so proficient in technical scope and detail, it’s unfortunate to say that Disney•Pixar’s Brave doesn’t quite live up to the narrative standard set by its predecessors, most notably the Toy Story franchise and 2009′s Up. Both films raised the bar for animation storytelling, in-depth characterizations, and sequences that both jolted and awed. So, is it really a surprise why I left my screening somewhat disappointed when we have these two benchmarks in animated film-making to measure Brave against? Before I launch into my review, let me say this: Brave is not a bad film; in fact, the teleplay itself is quite original. It’s simply that there are too many rifts in the screenplay — both the dialogue spoken and the way in which the tale unfolds — to truly call it a bona fide success. I was also rather puzzled why our heroine, the first ever Disney•Pixar female protagonist, wasn’t more sympathetic and, dare I say, likeable. Read more on Brave (***)…
For those who worried that ‘Cars 2′ was the start of some sort of Pixar slump, you can rest easy, as ‘Brave’ is a return to form for the studio. That being said, this is definitely not on par with their creative heights (‘WALL-E’, the ‘Toy Story’ trilogy, etc), and contains a few flaws. At its core, ‘Brave’ is a somewhat standard Disney Princess fairy tale re-imagined through the Pixar filter. Simply told and rather old fashioned, this is something new and old at the same time. I can’t say that I was entranced by it like I’ve been by the company’s work in the past (I actually think it has more in common with ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ in a lot of ways than anything else), but their animation continues to be unparalleled. I’d argue that this may even be the best looking animated film to date. I’d preferred if it had been a bit more of a complete meal, as it were, but in terms of pure entertainment there’s not too much to complain about here. Featuring strong voice work, this does fill the Pixar tradition of having an appeal to not just children, but adults too. Young girls may be the top target here, but everyone should be able to have a good time. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best animated film of the year so far and the frontrunner for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. The film opens next week and you should expect a solid outing from Pixar.
