In the end, the lesson Merida learns is that her mother was “always there for me” and “never gave up on me.” But this is never shown in the First Act. From beginning to end, Merida is punished for that not-so-unreasonable desire as much as for her misguided (but guileless) actions. She never intended to turn her mother into a bear she only wanted her mother to change. Although both Merida and Eleanor undergo positive change arcs by the movie’s end (and although Eleanor definitely suffers more than Merida), the movie places the burden of blame on Merida from the very beginning. Third, I have major issues with how blithely the movie treats the mother’s actions in the First Act. She can’t have her Moment of Truth revelation yet, because the story hasn’t moved her that far along. Because the actual conflict began so late at the First Pinch Point, Merida’s character arc is drastically delayed. Second, we have no great Moment of Truth here. Other than an incidental tie-in to the “legend of the lost kingdom” and the evil bear Mordu that the father is obsessed with killing, the mother’s turning into a bear brings no added dimension or insight into the plot or the theme (more on the murky themes in a minute). On the positive side: this is a huge turning point in the plot.įirst of all, I have problems with the whole bear symbolism. Midpoint: Merida feeds the spell to her mother-and it turns her into a bear. Knowing where the movie and its conflict head from here, this would have been a much better First Plot Point-one that was aligned with what the story was actually about, rather than what the First Act sets it up to be about.Īs it stands, this all-important development not only comes very late and relatively out of the blue, it also relegates the charming witch character to a mere plot device. Here, at the First Pinch Point, Merida runs away, encounters a (very poorly foreshadowed) witch, and gets her to provide a spell to “change” her mother. Her relationship with her mother has been the important catalyst in that conflict, but as the Inciting Event and First Plot Point prove, that relationship has not been set up as the heart of this story Up to this point, this movie has been constructed as the story of a princess in a conflict over whether or not she will submit to a forced marriage. Merida lashes out and slices the tapestry Eleanor made, which depicts their family.įirst Pinch Point: And… forgive me Pixar lovers (of which, I am generally one), but this is where this movie starts to go really wrong. She infuriates her mother, who drags her to her room and insists she’s endangered the peace of the kingdom. After learning that the rules of the competition indicate that the firstborn of each clan may compete for the princess’s hand, Merida competes in the archery competition on her own behalf and wins. She has zero interest in being married or having her life planned out for her by her mother.įirst Plot Point: The clans arrive. Merida firmly rejects this Call to Adventure. “I was blindsided by the overwhelming response to this issue,” Chapman tells ‘Riffs, “which is quite nice.Inciting Event: The Scottish princess Merida’s mother Eleanor announces that the clans are all bringing their oldest sons as suitors for Merida’s hand. More than 220,000 supporters have signed the petition “Say No to the Merida Makover.”. Many Merida fans felt a similar disappointment and disgust. And Disney turned her back into the same old thing, taking away her symbol of strength and individuality, her bow and arrow, and sexing her up. “So wrong-minded, when the Pixar crew and myself worked so hard to give them a completely different kind of princess - one that kids and parents today can relate to in many different ways. “I thought ‘typical,’ when I first saw the artwork,” Chapman tells Comic Riffs. so I’m dubious.”Īlthough Disney distributes Pixar films - and John Lasseter heads up animation for both studios - Chapman (who since “Brave’s” release has moved on to LucasArts) emphasizes the differences between Pixar and Disney. They have taken the images off of their Web site here in the States, but they are still up in other countries. “As far as the Disney makeover, I was incredibly disappointed and frustrated, but not surprised,” Chapman tells Comic Riffs. Oscar-winning “Brave” director Brenda Chapman - who created the film as a “love letter” to her young daughter, providing a model of feminine strength - strongly criticized Disney’s makeover decision this week.
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