Pixar's Brave (formerly The Bear and the Bow)

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:23 pm

I tried to fix up some of the concept art that recently was photographed. I think it looks a bit better than what we had.

Figured I'd share.

Sotiris · Post by **Sotiris** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:31 pm

Pixar Previews Brave
http://www.awn.com/articles/films/pixar ... page/2%2C1

Seven years in the making, Brave was the brainchild of Brenda Chapman, who was supposed to be Pixar's first female director, but gave way to Andrews (who co-wrote John Carter with Andrew Stanton) two years ago when she reached a story impasse.

"There's a great heart at the center of this film that just isn't for moms and daughters," Mark Andrews continued. "I'm a father of four (a girl and three boys, just like King Fergus). So I know about parenthood and the fears and tribulations. 'Look, I've done it all and I don't want you to make the same mistakes.' I get Elinor's play. I was also a teenager so I didn't want anyone telling me what to do, what to say, what to wear. So I get Merida's play.

That's what I'm invested in: this universal, relatable story. I brought objectivity, which is what was needed since the story was stalling out and wasn't progressing. I don't care! Chop, chop! This doesn't work, this doesn't work, this doesn't work -- and shatter it! What still works? The mother/daughter relationship works; but there were a lot of holes. You fill in the blanks. You take Brenda's great ideas and the wonderful relationships that she started, clear away the clutter, find out where the missing places were, and solve them. I didn't succeed right off the bat. We twist and contort painfully."

ajmrowland · Post by **ajmrowland** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:24 pm

so Pixar fired her for making a chick flick?

Sotiris · Post by **Sotiris** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:35 pm

New Banner

jazzflower92 · Post by **jazzflower92** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 1:43 pm

ajmrowland wrote:so Pixar fired her for making a chick flick?

I wonder how much action is going to be in this movie and how the orginal script was going to be like.It seems like the orginal one was more relationship based.I also wonder what this flick was like in its earliest stages because I always like to see what the movie could have been.

Sotiris · Post by **Sotiris** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:47 pm

jazzflower92 wrote:I wonder how much action is going to be in this movie and how the orginal script was going to be like. It seems like the orginal one was more relationship based. I also wonder what this flick was like in its earliest stages because I always like to see what the movie could have been.

The Time Magazine article has some info about that:

Chapman, who's a redhead like Merida and part Scottish, took conflicts with her then 5-year-old daughter and fairy-tale-ized them. In one scene, which has since been cut from the film, Merida and her mother take a break midargument to hug and say good morning before they resume fighting, just as Chapman and her kid did. "I have this amazing daughter, and she is really strong-willed, and I'm strong-willed," Chapman says.

Brave progressed nicely for a few years after the Scotland trip. Then the thing that happens to nearly every Pixar movie happened to this one: it got stuck. The story wasn't propulsive. The characters were murky. When a movie hits a wall at other studios, executives give notes that have to be executed. At Pixar, directors receive criticism only from the Brain Trust, a group of fellow Pixar directors and writers. The Brain Trust has been known to suggest that large segments of a movie--even one that's nearly finished--get "plussed" with major improvements or thrown out entirely, which can swell the budget and push back the release date. Every four or five months, the Brain Trust watched a "milestone" screening of Brave, then sat down over lunch and ripped it apart for two hours.

Changes suggested by the Brain Trust are not mandatory. Chapman was free to listen or not. Disney execs aren't allowed to interfere. The final film is always the director's cut.

But Lasseter can fire the director. He has replaced a director halfway through production three times: on Toy Story 2, Cars 2 and Ratatouille. When you ask Pixar employees what exactly happened in the case of Brave, everyone gets circumspect, which is a circumspect way of saying they get vague. There were creative differences. Management problems. Things were taking too long.

[Mark Andrews] final version of Brave is brawnier than Chapman's original pitch: more bows, more arrows, more bear fighting. Andrews loves action films. He left his job as second-unit director of Disney's upcoming sci-fi movie John Carter to direct Brave. Brave has a lot of action. A major character's leg is amputated and a woman sustains an ass pinch before the opening credits. Chapman, who still works at Pixar and watches occasional reels of Brave, seems leery of some of the changes. "Even when I was on it, there was sometimes so much action that I said, 'Pull it back.' The last version I saw had a lot of action, but I know it's all shifting," she says.

"Where we're going to land is a hybrid," Sarafian says. "Heart and original story from Brenda, with the energy and entertainment and adventure that Mark brings. That's the goal." Chapman and Andrews will be credited as co-directors.

You can read the whole article on page 53 of this thread.

tweeb² · Post by **tweeb²** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:16 pm

Funny, as much as Lasseter and all the Brain Trust Guys love Miyazaki films and such, it seems that they are afraid to make quiet and non-action films like Studio Ghibli does. I know that Europe and specially North America are more into action in movies than the Japanesse, but it should be good to try, at least once, just for the fun of it.

With that said, I t think that if they wanted an all things awesome female main character the film needed action and not just mother-daughter discussions.

Disney's Divinity · Post by **Disney's Divinity** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:13 pm

Am I the only one unimpressed with the Queen's design? Merida is quirky and the king looks lively and interesting, but the queen just looks bland. I mean, I get she's supposed to be a mood-killer considering she and Merida are supposed to have a tumultous relationship, but her design just feels so uninspiring, imo. That's the only thing that's kind of disappointed me so far from what we've seen.

RyGuy · Post by **RyGuy** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:51 pm

I wouldn't say that I'm impressed with her design, but I do like it based on what I've seen so far and read. Her design is somewhat conventional and the trailers suggest that convention is what the queen focuses on in life. Perhaps that was their intent in designing her as they did?

DisneyFan09 · Post by **DisneyFan09** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:35 am

Disney's Divinity wrote:Am I the only one unimpressed with the Queen's design? Merida is quirky and the king looks lively and interesting, but the queen just looks bland. I mean, I get she's supposed to be a mood-killer considering she and Merida are supposed to have a tumultous relationship, but her design just feels so uninspiring, imo. That's the only thing that's kind of disappointed me so far from what we've seen.

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I prefer the Queen's design. I don't like Merida's design.

Sotiris · Post by **Sotiris** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 12:30 pm

Scotland animated about the Pixar effect on tourism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/scotland-b ... ixar-brave

Movies: Sneak Peek of Disney Pixar’s New Movie BRAVE
http://www.miscfinds4u.com/blog/2012/04 ... ixarevent/

Movies: BRAVE Press Day at Pixar Studios – Archery Range Photos
http://www.miscfinds4u.com/blog/2012/04 ... ixarevent/

Pixar chiefs beat midges on scouting mission to Scotland for new film Brave
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/te ... -23818051/

Oshima Yuko to voice protagonist for Japanese version of Disney Pixar’s ‘Brave’
http://www.tokyohive.com/2012/04/oshima ... ars-brave/

Brave: First 30 Minutes Reaction Plus We Visit The Pixar Studios!
http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/brave-f ... ixar-visit

Brave director Mark Andrews previews Pixar’s latest
http://www.reelscotland.com/brave-direc ... rs-latest/

A Q&A with Pixar's Brave Director Mark Andrews (He's Not Brave, That's...Oh Never Mind
http://www.holymoly.com/film-dvd/interv ... -mind62547

Exclusive Concept Art : Brave - Pixar
http://www.itsartmag.com/features/brave-conceptart/

dollover · Post by **dollover** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 12:53 pm

DisneyFan09 wrote:
Disney's Divinity wrote:Am I the only one unimpressed with the Queen's design? Merida is quirky and the king looks lively and interesting, but the queen just looks bland. I mean, I get she's supposed to be a mood-killer considering she and Merida are supposed to have a tumultous relationship, but her design just feels so uninspiring, imo. That's the only thing that's kind of disappointed me so far from what we've seen.
Sorry, but I have to disagree. I prefer the Queen's design. I don't like Merida's design.

I prefer the Queen's design too. Merida's hair is great, her features are fine, but I really don't understand why they had to give her that huge wide Stewie (from Family Guy) head that's wider than it's long. She would have looked just as striking and much better with a more normally shaped head.

DisneyFan09 · Post by **DisneyFan09** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 1:47 pm

I prefer the Queen's design too. Merida's hair is great, her features are fine, but I really don't understand why they had to give her that huge wide Stewie (from Family Guy) head that's wider than it's long. She would have looked just as striking and much better with a more normally shaped head.

I agree with your latter statement. Merida's head is huge and wide.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 2:21 pm

Sotiris wrote:Pixar chiefs beat midges on scouting mission to Scotland for new film Brave

I totally misread this as "Pixar Chief beats midget on scouting mission".

Sotiris · Post by **Sotiris** » Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:12 pm

‘Brave’ Concept Art Reveals The King’s Fierce Side
http://pixartimes.com/2012/04/12/brave- ... erce-side/

jazzflower92 · Post by **jazzflower92** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:10 pm

http://www.kansan.com/news/2012/apr/12/ ... struggles/

A great lesson in life is that you can't seem to please everyone espically those who are always crying out for female characters.I also think that the writer hasn't seen Disney's Tangled at all.I also take offense that all Modern Disney Princess/Women Leads are about girls defying tradition or oppression.

Sotiris · Post by **Sotiris** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:06 pm

Exclusive: Katherine Sarafian, Producer of Pixar’s ‘Brave,’ Talks Director Controversy, Pixar’s Reaction to the Chilly ‘Cars 2′ Reception And More
http://www.slashfilm.com/film-interview ... reactions/

An Interview with Mark Andrews - Reveals Who John Ratzenberger's Voicing in Brave
http://a113animation.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... s-who.html

jazzflower92 · Post by **jazzflower92** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:46 pm

http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/brave-f ... ixar-visit

Yeah,it seems like the preview of the movie is getting more and more great reviews.It could be an indication that we are in for something real good in June.

I also remember in the article that it says there will be no villian in the story or mentor figure in addition to Merida not having a love interest.This could mean they are subverting using many common fairy tale archtypes in order to be orginal and think outside the box.I still wonder what are they going to do without a villian and if Mordu is just going to be an obstacle to deal with rather than a villian to defeat.All in all this movie seems to be a PostModern like take on the fairy tale genre in not only having an active female lead but doing away with many story tropes usually used.

I have a feeling that this movie will be more than just a girl power movie but may actually deconstruct the rebellious princess genre that has been common in Disney movies and then reconstruct it in order to produce something new.

Sotiris · Post by **Sotiris** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:44 am

Cover art for about a dozen 'Brave' books has been revealed over at amazon.com.

Elladorine · Post by **Elladorine** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:55 am

Sotiris wrote:Cover art for about a dozen 'Brave' books has been revealed over at amazon.com.

Cool, thanks!

This might be my favorite one:

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Pixar's Brave (formerly The Bear and the Bow)