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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jason Fraley, WTOP Film Critic
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.
What’s the best Pixar flick? Check out The Pixar Top 10.
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.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
