I teach many students that they need to be made aware of the history of the industry they are entering. While not every animator needs to aspire to become a director or independent filmmaker, it is essential to understand who is creating what and why, especially in today’s complex landscape of animation and VFX production.
To shed light on some specific history, I am starting this blog reboot with a video breakdown I found on YouTube. The video analyzes the dynamics between the main characters of Pixar’s movie “Brave,” its dual plots, production problems, and the firing of its original director, Brenda Chapman. The video is titled “Brave Was a Disappointment.”
Before diving into the “Brave” breakdown, I acknowledge that it might seem ironic to critique Pixar while “Inside Out 2” (2024) is being hailed as one of their best films. As of July 11, 2024, it’s the studio’s highest-grossing film ever, with over $1.25 billion earned globally.
“Inside Out 2” is praised for its cleverness and ambition, resonating with many through its honest depiction of the character Anxiety. This theme is particularly relevant today, as so many of us are familiar with the experience of Anxiety on various levels. Timing is crucial when selecting themes.
Additionally, I enjoyed seeing Maya Hawke explain how she portrayed Riley’s emotions and anxiety because they are so relatable. Check out her explanation on TikTok.
Now, let’s get into the breakdown of “Brave.”
I find @eliquorice’s breakdown of “Brave” fascinating, notably because “Brave” won the Best Animated Feature Film of the Year in 2012, marking the first time a woman had won an Academy Award in this category.
To understand the essence of the video and why I am sharing it to restart the blog, you can skip to 36 minutes, but the entire video is well worth watching.
In Mark Andrews’ own words:
“[Andrews]: Wait a minute. This is our first female. It’s a female heroine, and are we having Mark Andrews direct it?
[Andrews]: As far from a female point of view as we can get, but…
[Andrews]: It’s NOT a female, you know?
[Andrews]: Gender has nothing to do with this movie.”
Hmmmm, I understand Andrews having difficulty taking on any other perspective when presented with the story, and, as the narrator points out, it’s understandable to approach her character as a human facing a struggle without considering gender.
But I have to agree with the narrator: “Surely, it’s obvious by now how central the concept of gender is to the story they’re telling. You can’t take a story that starts off with a mother who feels compelled by tradition to force her daughter into marriage and match it with a vision that is trying to remove gender from the mix. Those two things are inherently incompatible.”
Thoughts?
