Brave (2012 film)

This article is about the film. For the video game, see Brave (video game). For the soundtrack, see Brave (soundtrack).

Brave
A girl with long, curly bright red hair stares at the viewer holding a bow and an arrow. Behind her is the film's title while at the left shows a bear staring at her. She is located in a forest
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Story byBrenda Chapman
Produced byKatherine Sarafian
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byNicholas C. Smith
Music byPatrick Doyle
Production
company
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures[a]
Release dates
  • June 10, 2012 (2012-06-10) (SIFF)
  • June 22, 2012 (2012-06-22) (United States)
Running time
93 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$185 million[1]
Box office$539 million[2]

Brave is a 2012 American animated fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman (in the former's feature directorial debut), co-directed by Steve Purcell, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, with John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter serving as executive producers. The story was written by Chapman, who also co-wrote the film's screenplay with Andrews, Purcell, and Irene Mecchi. The film stars the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, and Craig Ferguson. Set in the Scottish Highlands, the film tells the story of Princess Merida of DunBroch (Macdonald) who defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in the kingdom by expressing the desire not to be betrothed. When Queen Elinor (Thompson), her mother, falls victim to a beastly curse and turns into a bear, Merida must look within herself and find the key to saving the kingdom. Merida is the first character in the Disney Princess line to be created by Pixar. The film is also dedicated to Pixar chairman and Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who died before the film's release.

Brave is Pixar's first film with a female protagonist, and the first one animated with a new proprietary animation system, called Presto.[3] Originally titled The Bear and the Bow, the film was first announced in April 2008 alongside Up (2009) and Cars 2 (2011). Chapman, who had just wrapped up work as a story artist on Cars (2006), drew inspiration for the film's story from her relationship with her own daughter. Co-directing with Andrews and Purcell, Chapman became Pixar's first female director of a feature-length film.[4] To create the most complex visuals possible, Pixar completely rewrote their animation system for the first time in 25 years.[5][6][7] Brave is the first film to use the Dolby Atmos sound format.[8] The filmmakers created three original tartan patterns for three of the four clans in the film. Patrick Doyle composed the film's musical score.

Brave premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on June 10, 2012, and was theatrically released in North America on June 22. Receiving generally positive reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $539 million against a $185 million budget. The film won the Academy Award,[9][10] the Golden Globe,[11] and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Feature Film.[12] Preceding the feature theatrically was a short film entitled La Luna, directed by Enrico Casarosa.[13]


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  1. ^ a b "Brave (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  2. ^ "Brave (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  3. ^ "Our Story". www.pixar.com. October 27, 2021. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "'Brave' director Brenda Chapman breaks silence: Getting taken off film 'heartbreaking... devastating... distressing'". Entertainment Weekly. August 15, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Stein, Joel (March 5, 2012). "Pixar's Girl Story". Time. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Cavna, Michael (June 22, 2012). "Pixar's Brave: Director Mark Andrews on the duality of teens, the singularity of his mission — and what a man in a kilt brings to Pixar". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  7. ^ Williams, Steve (May 28, 2012). "Why Pixar's 'Brave' Is Different From Any Films They've Created Before". Team Locals. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  8. ^ Savitz, Eric. "Disney/Pixar's Brave First Film With Dolby Atmos Audio". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Boardman, Madeline (February 24, 2013). "Best Animated Film: 'Brave' Wins At 2013 Academy Awards". huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Academy Awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Globe, Golden (December 13, 2012). "Golden Globes 2013: full list of nominations". guardian.co.uk. London. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference BAFTAs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Rizvi, Samad (August 19, 2011). "D23 2011: La Luna Will Play Before Brave, New Toy Story Toon Title Announced". The Pixar Times. Archived from the original on December 30, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2012.