WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley says \"Brave\" is a
fun outing for the kids, but not up to Pixar\'s
own
high potential.
Top 10 Pixar Flicks 10. Brave (2012)
Pixar's latest is my least favorite. If any
other studio had produced it, I probably would
give it more credit. Unfortunately, "Brave"
cowers beneath Pixar's own high standard of
masterpieces.
It's a fun movie with
plenty
of
laughs, brilliant animation and a refreshing
heroine concept, but the story choices are
random and the script can't decide on a proper
villain.
9. Cars (2006-2011)
Released the same year that Will Ferrell played
Ricky Bobby in "Talladega Nights," Pixar tried
its own hand at the NASCAR craze. The result was
so successful that Pixar chose it as the second
film worthy of a franchise, after the success of
"Toy Story 2" and "Toy Story 3."
The sequel was a disappointment, but only
because the original set the bar high with Owen
Wilson's leadership, Larry the Cable Guy's comic
relief and the distinction of Paul Newman's last
movie.
8. A Bug's Life (1998)
Could Pixar follow up the magic of "Toy Story,"
or was their debut success a fluke? "A Bug's
Life" answered all doubters with a powerful
story of bug recruits fending off greedy
grasshoppers.
I first saw this on the big screen of a Disney
cruise, and it held its own with a formidable
cast of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-
Dreyfus, Phillis Diller, Denis Leary, Madeline
Kahn, Bonnie Hunt and Brad Garrett. Much better
than Dreamworks' debut animated feature "Antz"
(1998) and Jerry Seinfeld's experiment "Bee
Movie" (2007). A fun 4D attraction at Disney's
"Animal Kingdom" keeps its presence alive today.
7. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
In one of the most creative concepts of any
animated movie, Pixar explored the "monsters in
your closet," suggesting that there is a whole
monster industry, Monsters Inc., employing
monsters to scare children as a means to power
the city of Monstropolis.
John Goodman's furry "Sulley," Billy Crystal's
cyclops "Mike" and Steve Buscemi's chameleon
"Randall" are hilarious guides to a monster hit.
6. Ratatouille (2007)
Pixar was coming off seven hits in a row. So an
unusual tale about a rat who wants to be a chef
seemed like a recipe for disaster. Hardly.
"Ratatouille" had all the right ingredients,
from a unique plot to adorable characters voiced
by the likes of Patton Oswalt and Peter O'Toole.
It garnered a 96 percent on rottentomatoes.com
and avenged "Cars'" loss to "Happy Feet" by
bringing the title of Best Animated Feature back
under the Pixar roof.
5. The Incredibles (2004)
Just a few years into Hollywood's superhero
craze, Pixar was smart enough to offer its own
spin. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel
L. Jackson voiced this exciting tale of
undercover superheroes disguised as an average
suburban family.
The film knocked off "Shrek 2" to win the Oscar
for Best Animated Feature and was the AFI's pick
for the Best Movie of 2004. It was also the
first written and directed by Brad Bird, an alum
of "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill," who
went on to direct "Ratatouille" and serve on the
senior creative team for "Up" and "Toy Story 3."
4. Up (2009)
Pixar's "Up" was a lock for Best Animated
Feature, but it also holds the distinction of
the first animated film nominated for Best
Picture since Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"
(1991). Granted, "Beast" did it with just five
nominees, while "Up" benefited from the
Academy's expansion to 10 nominees.
Nevertheless, "Up" is a powerful film that is at
once uplifting, like the very balloons on Ed
Asner's house, and heartbreaking, like the
"silent" opening montage that is the essence of
visual storytelling.
3. Finding Nemo (2003)
The best underwater effort since "The Little
Mermaid" saved Disney from bankruptcy. "Finding
Nemo" was an instant classic with two of
history's best comic talents -- Albert Brooks
and Ellen DeGeneres.
It was the first Pixar movie to win the Oscar
for Best Animated Feature, after the award had
gone to "Shrek" and "Spirited Away" in its first
two years.
The film charmed us with the curiosity of its
"20,000 Leagues" clownfish, made us laugh at its
sea turtles and seagulls, and inspired us with
the advice: "just keep swimming." Deservingly,
it was voted among the AFI's Top 10 Animated
Movies of All Time.
2. WALL-E (2008)
Was it possible that in 2008, a children's movie
could keep kids and parents smiling at the
screen without using dialogue? The visual
storytelling in "WALL-E" is so captivating that
we forget the first half is virtually silent.
This is in part due to its adorable title
character, a cross between "E.T." and "Johnny
5," with imitable robotic readings of "WALL-E"
and "EVE."
Not only is it a cautionary tale of mankind's
wasteful impact on the future, it's one of the
best love stories ever done. The film won the
Oscar for Best Animated Feature, but you could
argue it was the Best Movie of 2008.
1. Toy Story (1995-2010)
Pixar's debut feature "Toy Story" was one of
just two animated movies to make the AFI's Top
100 Films of All Time, joining "Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs" (1937). While "Snow White" was
the first feature-length animated film, "Toy
Story" was the first feature-length computer
animated film.
Steve Jobs debated shutting
Pixar down in 1988, because it was hemorrhaging
money, but he decide to stick it out when head
animator John Lasseter won the Oscar for his
animated short "Tin Toy." The company expanded
the idea into a feature, pairing classic
toys with cutting-edge visuals and turning Tom
Hanks and Tim Allen into one of the great buddy
teams in movie history.
If you doubt the film's pop culture impact, just
ask the father and son who used the phrase "To
infinity and beyond" in a life-saving game of
Marco
Polo.
"Toy Story 2" was an even bigger success than
the first, and "Toy Story 3" may be the best
"three-quel" ever done. Together, the trilogy
has grossed $883 million, to say nothing of DVD
sales and merchandise.
WASHINGTON – Take the sweeping mountainsides of “Braveheart,” lop the “heart” off the title and run it all through computer animation.
“Brave” is Pixar’s thirteenth flick, and its tenth original concept if you lump sequels like “Toy Story 3” and “Cars 2” with their originals. Of the 10, it may be my least favorite, but it’s not bad by any means. Let’s just say it’s subpar by Pixar’s own super high standards. After all, this is the go-to animation studio that’s churned out one masterpiece after another.
It tells the tale of a young teen, rebelling against her mother’s strict code, only to gain respect for her sacrifices. Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is a spunky archer who bucks the Medieval mindset of parents, King Fergus (Billy Connolly) Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). They host a round of sporting games to find a suitor for their daughter’s betrothal, drawing contenders from three nearby rulers — Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd) and Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).
I was enthralled by Act One, from Merida’s adolescent pushback against her mother, to her rebellion at the sporting tournament. I even loved the plot point of a hilarious witch disguised as a woodcarver, giving Merida a potion she hopes will change her mother.
However, when the mother finally eats the potion, the film takes a questionable turn. I won’t spoil the twist, but it sends the movie in a direction that may not have been the best choice.
The same goes for the kingdom’s ancient legend of four brothers, and the evil one who branched out on his own. The writers can’t decide whether this should be the antagonist, or whether it should be Merida’s mother. How fitting that they both suffer the same “grisly” fate.
Such plot decisions are my only qualms. Everything else is superb: the shot selections (horse-riding montages and tracking shots), visual storytelling (a symbolic “rip” on a family mural; chess pieces holding up the four corners of a chess board), directorial concepts (Merida’s slow-mo release of her arrow), whimsical fantasy (the supernatural Wisps), character mannerisms (the twitching and posturing of the three male suitors), allusions to Disney classics (an arrow splitting another like “Robin Hood”), and Pixar’s penchant for comic relief (a trio of redhead toddler pranksters steal the show). The film even pushes the envelope with harmless nudity, mining laughs from a few bare butts.
Needless to say, the computer animation is impressive as always. I marveled at how Pixar’s animators made Merida’s stringy red hair look so realistic. As she bounced around, I felt like I was watching a 3D ball of red yarn unravel before my eyes. Combine this with fantastic sound design, from waving flags to galloping hooves, and “Brave” is a sensory pleasure.
If you want a fun summer movie that will make the kids laugh and cement your importance as parents, “Brave” is a worthy weekend outing. But if you compare it to Pixar’s pedigree, hoping for something as original as “Toy Story,” as entertaining as “Finding Nemo” or as magical as “WALL-E,” you’ll be disappointed.
★ ★ 1/2
The above rating is based on a 4-star scale. Read more from WTOP Film Critic Jason Fraley by clicking “Fraley on Film” under the “Living” tab above, following @JasonFraleyWTOP on Twitter, and checking out his blog, The Film Spectrum.
Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at WTOP as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.
