Sequels aside, all of Pixar's animated films feature settings and stories that are noticeably different. There are, unquestionably, similarities in theme, and watching them there is a certain undefineable Pixar-ness to their feel, but they are all unique. Pixar's latest, 2012's Brave, takes place in the Highlands of Scotland and tells the timeless story of a teenage girl butting heads with her mother. With the addition of magic and mighty bears and warrior clans, the stakes are greater than in your average 21st Century home where parents and children butt heads constantly, but once the trappings are stripped away, the mother-daughter story is what's left.
The daughter, and main focus of the film, is Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald). She is a teenager and eldest child of the chief of one of the four local clans. Merida, according to custom, is being required to marry a chief's son from one of the other clans. A strong, independent young woman, Merida wants nothing to do with any sort of wedding and attempts to thwart her parents' plans.
On the other side of things are Merida's parents, Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Elinor (Emma Thompson). Fergus is more of a laissez-faire dad when it comes to what's "proper," and doesn't mind his daughter learning to shoot a bow or wield a sword. Not so Elinor, Elinor is far more traditional, and expects her daughter to marry and do what is proper. To be clear, Elinor isn't in any way a passive woman, nor does she expect her daughter to sit back and do what her future husband says. No, Elinor is a strong woman who fights tooth and nail for her family and way of life. Elinor may not want to give Merida a choice about her future position, but Elinor still fully expects Merida to control her family and her people's future.
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