A New Princess on the Block

BY ERIN CARHART

If you’ve been keeping up with your movie media recently you’d know that Pixar released their newest trailer for a film called Brave. Now, this isn’t the typical hero tale of a toy that saves the day or about an older man who finally learns to let love in again. No, no, this movie is about a young woman, Merida.

In Pixar’s Brave, Merida plays the first female lead in their animation history. Her character is a young woman who defies the tradition of her country and instead of following suit, Merida takes a strong interest in archery. She isn’t the classical Disney princess nor is she the damsel in distress. Merida is simply asking for a chance to decide for herself. However, this narrative does seem to ring the classical fairy tale bells. A young girl defying tradition, eventually seeking help from an elder, and then forced to face the ultimate challenge…so wait, is there a happy ending?

Could it be a fairy tale that will end with a woman not happily married to a man? Though the challenge is left for Merida to face and she takes on quite a burden because of her “mistakes”, leaving some feminists to ask: Has the movie industry finally got it? Will Merida be the breaking point in which fairy tales no longer predictably end with companionship or that the female role must sacrifice for others? This movie has an opportunity to bring stronger and empowering messages to younger generations, but now we wait until opening day to see what exactly Merida’s bravery will bring to our conversation.