Disney Pixar is one of the leading animation studios in the industry, and they are quite well-known for producing films such as Toy Story, Coco, and Inside Out, among others. The unique and creative storytelling is the trademark of Pixar, and this year, Brave is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Brave is one of the most underrated movies from the studio, and probably the most debated in many Pixar fan forums. The fierce and feisty princess of DunBroch, Merida, is indeed one of the rarest kinds of royalties in Disney. In celebration, here are five lesser-known facts about the movie:
The Tapestry
The image of the family tapestry is one of the most significant elements in the movie. It represented Merida and her relationship with her family, especially her mother. When the tapestry was torn, it resulted in many disagreements.
It is not easy to design an animated tapestry, let alone create thousands of fibers to form a design. In a post from The Herald, it was stated that Pixar created tools to form each thread instead of just using a pre-made one. This strategy resulted in a more realistic look at the torn fabric.
The Accent
It is known that the Scottish accent is a bit incomprehensible when one is not familiar. One of Merida’s suitors speaks in such an accent that no one can even understand what he wants to say.
The voice behind Young MacGuffin and his father, Lord MacGuffin, is Kevin McKidd. In a post from Huffington Post, the actor said, “It’s actually a dialect from Elgin, my hometown. My grandfather spoke it fluently. It’s called the Doric. It’s an old farming dialect from the North East of Scotland, and it’s absolutely authentic.”
The Logo
Disney Pixar is known for hiding easter eggs and other hints in the most random places in their films. One would not easily spot this clue in Brave because it was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment.
If we look closely at the logo, there is an image of a mother and daughter figure in the letters B and E. This symbolizes Queen Elinor and Merida. Indeed, Brave is not your typical Prince Charming story because this is about a loving mother-and-daughter relationship.
The Scottish Culture
Many aspects of the movie are considered historically accurate. From the wardrobe down to the settings, one can say that it is well-researched.
Katherine Sarafian, co-director of Brave, said, “Every Pixar film, we do our research. In our case, we went to Scotland twice, and we went way, way deep in… we wanted this character in the movie of Scotland.”
The Hair
Merida’s red hair is one of the most unique features of the movie. One can imagine how much work the animators had to do to get her curly locks in place. In a post by InsideScience, they described the rigorous process of designing Merida’s hair.
Claudia Chung, the simulation supervisor for Brave, said, “It took us almost three years to get the final look for her hair and we spent two months working on the scene where Merida removes her hood and you see the full volume of her hair.”
