Pixar appears to be aiming for a more intense, stone-faced tone of maturity with their fairytale-centered Brave, arriving in 2012 with Pixar story man Mark Andrews at the helm. The story appears to pivot on a curse created by defiant battle-trained princess Merida, voiced by Boardwalk Empire's Kelly Macdonald, who turns her back on tradition and family lineage to forge her own path -- which, in turn, throws her "kingdom" into a state of volatile disarray. Pixar's initial teaser concentrates on some of the ferocity that they might be aiming for: snarling bears, a vein of suspense, and rays of beauty within a bleak and shadowy aesthetic.
This newly-released, minute-long burst of gorgeous animation illustrates the strong young woman galloping on a horse through knotted woods and jetting rocks, approaching a central open area where she confronts a massive bear with nothing but her bow and her horse ... and she doesn't seem that addled by it. A mix of her bravery pouring from her aggression, the tense narration, and the visual composition shows that this will be something of a different flavor from the company who has been falling into sequel territory as of late with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2. Out-of-the-box exploration of some daring tonal risk-taking and more mature subject matter seems to be exactly what the digital masterminds at Pixar need, and it looks as if Brave could potentially be the firecracker that reignites their inventiveness.
Brave opens on June 22nd, 2012, just in time for the summer rush (a rush I'll get caught up in). Official site can be found at Disney.com.
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Thoughts? Love to hear 'em -- if they're kept clean and civil.