The interrogation of cultural traditions and boundaries-human vs. This transpires with the challenging of the marriage tradition found in Brave. As such, animated characters-especially animals-by their very nature carry diverse sets of representational positions that allow the animated art form to challenge cultural boundaries and traditions. However, the sense of ambiguity or ambivalence within film with respect to the presentation of animals is, for Paul Wells, a defining characteristic of animation. As a tale that explicitly invokes the increased need for communication between mothers and daughters with the inclusion of implicit feminist undertones, the symbolic usage of the bear is more ambiguous. Similarly, Louise Krasniewicz argues that metamorphosis from human to animal is an ancient (and contemporary) visual form that functions as a way to provide new perspectives to change our understanding of the world. Utilizing the image of the bear as a central figure in this pedagogical tale, we are reminded of Cynthia Chris’s contention that representations of animals articulate and disseminate entertaining yet educational messages, while also acting as a lens through which we can examine dominant ideologies. As such, the focus and presentation of the film is clearly directed towards young children and families, with particular attention to the mother-daughter relationship. Touted as Pixar’s first computer-animated fairy-tale, Brave was inspired by the writer’s (Brenda Chapman) own relationship with her daughter. After mending their bond, Elinor is returned to human form, the clans reunite, and the story concludes with the announcement of the termination of the marriage tradition. The kingdom falls into disarray while Merida and Elinor learn to listen to one another and gain insight into the other’s perspective. Unbeknownst to Merida, the spell turns Elinor into a bear, forcing the mother-daughter duo to have to learn to work together to break the spell before it becomes permanent. Desperate to change her fate, she consults with a witch who concocts a spell intended to change her mother’s mind about preserving the cultural tradition. In an act of defiance against the age-old custom, Merida rejects the cultural practice in order to assert her freedom to choose her future partner.
As the story unfolds, Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor, announces a kingdom-wide competition amongst the first-born sons of the clan leaders for Merida’s betrothal. The Disney-Pixar film, Brave (2012), directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell, is a computer-animated film set in Medieval Scotland featuring Merida, a skilled archer and princess, who is determined to seek freedom from the cultural duties and responsibilities enforced upon her.
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