Though Brave is set in a fictional medieval Scotland, Pixar's animators were deeply affected by the real country's raw beauty and rich heritage, visiting Scotland both in the summer of 2006 and late 2007.
Plot. The movie takes place in 10th century Scotland. Princess Merida is an incredibly skilled archer living in the Scottish kingdom of DunBroch with her mother, Queen Elinor, and her father, King Fergus. On Merida's sixth birthday, King Fergus gives Merida a short bow and arrow as a birthday present.
Set in a kingdom in the highlands of medieval Scotland, Brave's fictional story is mixed with accurate costumes and sets as well as real themes and ideas that give the film a sense of believability. According to co-director Mark Andrews, Brave takes place in 9th to 12th century Scotland.
According to co-director Mark Andrews, Brave takes place in 9th to 12th century Scotland. Andrews said, “We kind of looked at the 9th to the 12th century and took all the stuff that we liked and made a fantasy Scotland” (Andrews, thesudburystar.com).
The story of Brave touches on a long-lost kingdom from days past where there was a King and he had four sons. And while Brave is set in historical times, it might surprise many to hear that this is actually a reference to a real-life king and his sons.
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Is Brave supposed to be Irish or Scottish?
Though Brave is set in a fictional medieval Scotland, Pixar's animators were deeply affected by the real country's raw beauty and rich heritage, visiting Scotland both in the summer of 2006 and late 2007.
Disney has been fiercely criticised for creating a "glammed-up" version of Princess Merida from the Pixar fantasy fairytale Brave for a new toy line. Bow-slinging Merida has been given a makeover in advance of her official induction into The Disney Princess Collection.
She is a Scottish princess from the kingdom of DunBroch, the daughter of Queen Elinor and King Fergus, and the older sister of Harris, Hubert, and Hamish.
The story of Mordu was invented for the Pixar movie, but it's based on Scottish myths and legends the writers/directors discovered while researching in Scotland.
Clan DunBroch is a Scottish clan in Brave. It is the ruling clan of the kingdom of the same name, to which belongs King Fergus and his family, including Merida. Its symbol is the sword.
Princess Merida is the first official Disney Princess to originate from a Pixar film. She is the first official Disney Princess to not be based on an already existing story, or from a noted figure, thus making her the first originally created one from that line-up.
Then when all seemed lost, the tapestry magically seals, and Merida feels a human hand touching her hair and realizes Elinor is human again. Elinor is so happy and proud that she kisses her daughter lots of times. Fergus comes and hugs his wife and daughter and kisses Elinor.
Taking place in medieval Scotland—that's right, not Ireland—Disney and Pixar produced Brave with great attention to Scottish detail. Though the film takes some creative liberties regarding Merida's coming-of-age story, Scottish culture oozed from the setting and narrative.
Mixed reviews cited Merida's immature behavior, the plot's predictability, and the overall lack of tension as proof that Brave is sub-par when compared to other princess stories of the time period. However, the film's positive qualities still make it an enjoyable watch, 10 years later.
Merida from Brave is the only princess to date that doesn't sing. While some of the best songs in princess movies are Disney icons, it sets another unrealistic expectation.
The animation team studied real-life curly hair to ensure the hair movements were accurately simulated based on physics. Merida's hair is thematically significant to the story, symbolizing her independence and defiance of societal expectations. It serves as a visual representation of her personality and conflicts.
In the late 19th century, the area surrounding Mérida prospered from the cultivation of henequen, the fiber of which was used in the production of rope and twine, as well as for the production of licor del henequén, a traditional Mexican alcoholic drink.
In this film, Merida, the princess invites women to fight for their rights to choose activities they like even though it is the activity of men, such as riding and archery, opposing the standard of beauty made to refer to a woman as beautiful, and refusing an arranged marriage.
For Brave, Pixar created three tartans for three clans while using the real Clan Mackintosh tartan for the Macintoshes in the movie. Pixar registered the DunBroch tartan with the official Scottish Register of Tartans. It wasn't the first time. Apparently, in the 1940s, Disney registered the tartan for…
Trivia. Mor'du's name may come from "mor" and "dubh", the respective Gaelic words for "giant" and "black", which appropriately describes his physical appearance and fur color.
