Following a will o' the wisp, Merida encounters a witch ( Julie Walters) who conjures a magical cake to 'change the queen.' But when the queen eats the magical treat, it's not her mind that changes she ( possible spoiler alert!) transforms into a giant black bear - exactly like the bear that took the 'Bear King' Fergus' ( Billy Connolly) leg a decade earlier. When the realm's three other clans arrive to present their leaders' firstborn sons as potential suitors for betrothal, Merida rebels against her regal mother, Queen Elinor ( Emma Thompson), and runs away to the forest.

Brought up in the Scottish kingdom of DunBroch, Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) would rather sling her arrows than learn the proper etiquette befitting a future queen. Show moreīRAVE is Pixar's first feature with a female main character, and Merida isn't your typical princess. Although there are no product placements in the movie, there's a ton of Brave merchandise available, particularly aimed at girls. There's no romance for Princess Merida, but you can expect a few jokes about men being naked under their kilts a couple of scenes even include quick glimpses of naked cartoon bums belonging to men and three young boys. The first Pixar movie to revolve around a female main character, Brave does have a strong message about family relationships and open communication between parents and kids (particularly mothers and daughters).

There's also a lot of brawling among the Scotsmen, who use both weapons (arrows, swords, etc.) and their bodies (fists, teeth) on each other. A moment when the mom-turned-bear temporarily forgets she's human and growls at her daughter could upset younger kids. Several intense sequences involve a large angry bear that attacks the main characters - which are even more so when seen in 3-D - and ( possible spoiler alert) a possibly disturbing but mostly comical transformation of a mother into a bear.

Parents need to know that Brave is pretty scary for a 'princess movie,' especially for kids under 7 and/or those who are very sensitive to peril.

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