8) Brave (2012)
The Story: In the wilds of Scotland, a feisty young princess named Merida (voiced by Kelly MacDonald) defies her traditional parents by proclaiming that she has no desire to be betrothed to a prince from another clan. A free spirit who would rather practice her archery skills than learn the finer elements of womanhood, Merida turns to a witch in order to help alter her fate. However, when Merida’s wish has unintentionally catastrophic consequences, she must rely on her wits to save her kingdom.
The Twist: When Merida asks a local witch to help her change her mother’s mind about Merida’s future as a bride to a loutish clansman, the witch tells her to feed her mother an enchanted cake. When Merida does so, the cake magically transforms the queen into a giant black bear. Determined to reverse the curse before two sunrises have passed and the queen remains a bear forever, Merida sets out on a quest into her land’s rich, mysterious past.
Why It Sucks: Marketed as a lushly animated adventure about the adventures of an endearingly spunky young princess, Brave takes a bizarre left-field turn by shifting the focus from Merida to her transformed mother. Unfortunately, that plot-line is neither interesting nor original enough to command the audience’s attention, and Brave falls unexpectedly flat as a result. Though the film’s animation is gorgeous and the humor is enjoyable, taking the “magical transformation” route prevents Brave from engaging its audience. As Pixar’s first female-centric movie, Brave could have succeeded if it kept the spotlight on Merida. Instead, it’s forgettable and formulaic.