Remember my feature post on Disney • Pixar’s BRAVE? Last Sunday, I attended Disney • Pixar’s BRAVE Gala Premiere at the Cathay, courtesy of Nuffnang Singapore. It was a fun-filled event with many activities going on at the exhibition on the ground floor, near the entrance of the Cathay. Read on for more pictures and a short review of BRAVE, the movie!
So I settled for taking pictures next to the BRAVE standing banners.
The three little boys in BRAVE are the cutest ever and they're redheads! I have a weakness for red hair.
Here are some of the activities that were going on inside:
Here are some of the activities that were going on inside:
Apparently you could try on a tartan kilt and take a picture? I didn't because I was afraid I'd look too weird, haha.
There were BRAVE Wii games and a number of people playing them. I was so interested in trying the archery one but sadly there wasn't much time before the movie started, so I didn't get to play it. Did you notice a number of red-wigged folks wearing tartan kilts? They're the BRAVE exhibition staff and I thought it was really cute that they were togged out in Scottish wear, complete with the red hair that Merida (the main character in BRAVE) is known for.
Bagpiper playing a Scottish melody! I find bagpipers cute. It's amazing how much lung capacity is required to play the bagpipes. Plus they get to wear that sexy, sexy kilt. I secretly want a kilt and I'm not even sure why. It's not like I would wear it around in Singapore - ever!
Anyway, once we were done at the exhibition, we headed up to the 5th floor for the movie.
- SPOILER ALERT -
It was a very lively, humorous, family-oriented and touching movie, the trademark of Disney/Pixar movies. With Merida, the feisty redhead as the heroine of the movie, we were led through the mysterious and wild Scottish highlands where will-o'-the-wisps and witches dwell. The animation here was at its best, creating a sense of awe and wonderment at the natural beauty of Scottish landscape and giving the local audience a peek at Scottish culture.
The characterisation was also quite satisfactory: the movie primarily took us through the process of Merida's growth from child to young woman and her relationship with her mother, speaking of her growing emotional maturity as she learns to relate to others. After Merida, her mother - Queen Elinor - was characterised in a very nuanced manner. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes where Elinor capers around as a bear, trying to get used to her new body and lifestyle while interacting with Merida. There were some scenes - especially the one where Elinor turns feral and doesn't remember Merida - that tugged at my heartstrings in true Disney/Pixar fashion.
The most important thing the movie left me with was my reflection upon the relationship I have with my mother. It's a funny coincidence that I blogged about my mother in my feature post on BRAVE, as I didn't expect BRAVE to revolve around a mother-daughter bond. While my mother and I don't get along as well as we hope to, BRAVE gave me new insights into the whys and hows of a mother-daughter relationship, and helped me better understand some maternal concerns that I may have misunderstood. It's true that mothers often come across as having a "holier-than-thou" attitude, with their nagging, scolding or general disapproval of what their children do. However, mothers - and parents by extension - always have their reasons, even if they don't explain those reasons very well. In some ways, it's also up to the children, once they are grown, to figure out how to react and relate to their parents' concerns without severing the tie between parent and child. This movie made me reflect upon all these things, and for that, it's not only a good and fun movie - it's a movie with depth that will stay with me for a long time to come.
Once again, a big thank you to Nuffnang Singapore for giving me the chance to participate in the BRAVE Gala Premiere and watch such a lovely movie. BRAVE will be officially released in local cinemas on 8 August 2012, just one day before National Day (and one day after my birthday, hee)! Do watch it - there's something in this movie for everyone, and the message it sends is really precious and memorable.
