If you could read this
post, would you?
Overview
Brave is Pixar's 2012
film that marks many firsts for the studio. It's their first fairy tale and
stars their first female protagonist, Merida. The film follows princess Merida as
she cracks down on female customs and makes magical mistakes, like turning her
mom into a bear. But both she and her mom learn from these mistakes and grow closer
than ever. It's quite a tale (excuse the animal pun), and the tale of making
the movie is just as interesting.
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| Merida and her Mom in Bear Form |
Director Debacle
The film's original director, Brenda Chapman, conceived of
the story by combining her love of Hans Christian Anderson and Brothers Grimm
with the experiences she had of raising her daughter.
However, her role as director was eventually taken over by
Mark Andrews. In 2011, Chapman said she was taken off the film due to "creative
differences." But in 2012, she revealed details of the decision. She
mentioned how animation directors are not protected like live-action directors
and how they are replaced regularly. She also said that, "this was a story that I
created, which came from a very personal place, as a woman and a mother. To
have it taken away and given to someone else, and a man at that, was truly
distressing on so many levels.” Chapman's vision is still intact in the film
and she's given a director credit, but it looks like women, both in Brave and in real life, still need to
fight for their own hand. Wonder if Chapman could've kept the job if she
transformed her boss into a bear.
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| Brenda Chapman |
Research
To get the accuracy of the environment right, some of the
film crew took a research trip to Scotland. They studied forests, the Dunnottar
Castle, and the Callanish Standing Stones. The crew noted different types of moss in the
forests, the contrast of delicate grass with jagged cliffs by the castle, and the
mysterious stillness of the Standing Stones.
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| Forest Research Photo |
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| Forest Concept Art |
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| Forest Final Frame |
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| Dunnottar Castle Research Photo |
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| Castle Concept Art |
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| Castle Final Frame |
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| Callanish Standing Stones Research Photo |
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| Standing Stones Concept Art |
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| Standing Stones Final Frame |
Besides for getting the aesthetics
right, this trip was also for the crew to get the feel of actually being in
Scotland, so they can recreate that feeling to transport audiences to that
land.
Animators also did some research back in their California
home. Some took archery classes while others were taught sword fighting from
the film's own director Mark Andrews. Their boss is boss! Getting in the
characters' shoes (and weapons) helps the animators create realistic motions
and gestures.
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| Producer Katherine Sarafian getting Archery Lessons |
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| Editor Nick Smith with an Archery Scene |
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| Mark Andrews Fences with Production Members |
Closing
A lot of time and effort went into making the simple love
between a daughter and mother into the extravagant tale of Brave you can see today. Hope when you'll watch it again, you'll
appreciate the eye candy of the environment and the realism of the family relationships.
Speaking of which, you should also give your mom a big bear hug if you can!
Pixar has taught you that moms go through a lot and they'd definitely deserve a
hug.
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