Take A Look at Disney

7/19/14

Power of The Princesses: Merida (with ThatLong HairedCreepyGuy)






Moviefan12:  Hello & welcome  back  to Power  of The Princesses  and after  the special Rapunzel edition,  Princesses returns to normal  as we take  a look at the first princess  from Pixar  and to  join me once again,  is  someone I admire and respect,  Creepy.  Creepy, thank you for  joining me to look at Princess Merida.   



 CG: "Thanks, MF!

I first saw this film with my boyfriend, Ingonyama70.  At the time, I had no idea what to expect.  The reviews that I'd seen for Brave were divisive, to put it mildly.  Some heralded Brave as the film that set a new standard for movies aimed at a young demographic.  Others decried it as tripe.  After watching it, I have to concur that my feelings land on the former.



Moviefan12:  I remember those  complaints  and at the  time,  I didn't get it because  I too thought the former.  Now,  I've also  noticed that from within, the Disney fan community,  there  have been  "purists"  that  don't  think Merida should've  been  made an official Disney  Princess solely based on the face that she's from Pixar and  I can't  agree with that.  That's  like people  who said Rapunzel  shouldn't  be part of the line up,  because of her being a CGI  Princess.  I think  having  Merida being a part of the official  line up is important, not  just because she's  from Pixar.   That really has nothing to do with it but more the fact that Merida was the first princess, who wasn't interested in getting  a man in her film.  (Elsa fans, sometimes forget that) and that her arc was a different  kind of love story,  it was a mother/daughter film and it's  important to show that relationship.  Honestly,  Merida  while not  my favorite Pixar  character or even one  of my favorite princesses,  I find her rather refreshing  in that, she fights against the notion  of marrying.   Creepy,  any thoughts on this, before we move on?  


CG:  This was a refreshing change of pace.  I also think that it's a subject a lot of young people, boys and girls, can identify with.  Not so much the concept of marriage, but the onset of greater responsibility.  Merida tries to duck getting married because she is content with her life as it is.  She sees the future as something to dread and dodge for as long as possible.



The lesson Merida ultimately learns is that the future is inevitable, and that no one remains the same forever.  She must find the proper balance between the life she has and the role she must inherit.  The relationship between herself and her mother is very well portrayed.  Merida does make several valid points, and is shown to be both clever and intelligent.  At the same time, however, she lacks the wisdom and experience that her mother has.  She's not perfect, but she isn't meant to be perfect.  No one is, and the conflict between Merida and her mother highlights both characters' flaws well.


 Ingonyama70 once compared Merida to Ariel from The Little Mermaid.  While I can definitely see a comparison, I also disagree somewhat.  Ariel and Merida do share common traits.  They are both stubborn, willful, defiant, and at odds with a parent.  I personally find Merida to be the superior character.  We see far better development of Merida and the authoritative character she clashes with.  Also, the film itself is more self-aware of the protagonist's flaws.  I found myself sympathizing with Merida's plight while recognizing the need for her to change and grow as a person.  The Little Mermaid seemed to overlook that need.

However, I still cheered a little when Merida took a stand and competed in the archery tournament for her right to decide for herself what her life would be.




Moviefan12: While I do see the comparison, and it is one, I've thought before as well, I'll freely admit that I am more partial to Ariel, out of these two redheads but Ariel has always been a childhood favorite of mine. I already talked about her with ME's biggest Ariel fan though, and today is all about Merida. And per usual, we will be looking at Original Voice Actress, First Appearance, Favorite Moments, Later Appearances and finally, Is Merida A Good Character? With that out of the way, let's begin. 



Original  Voice Actress


Kelly  Macdonald  

 









Moviefan12:   I'll  be honest  and say  that this is the only   role,  I know  of from  Kelly  Macdonald  and  she  does a very  good  job,  getting  across the brash and rebellious  nature  of  Merida.    Her voice   actually  makes  you feel that she is Merida.   I think  this  also  helps  in part  from  her  like  Merida  actually being Scottish.   You  see  Macdonald,   wasn't  the  original  choice  to play  Merida  as  Pixar  originally  wanted Reese  Witherspoon  to voice  Merida  but  Ms.  Witherspoon had to drop out due to scheduling  conflicts.  No  disrespect  to Reese  Witherspoon,      but  I think  it was  for the best  that she  didn't  play  Merida  because  I feel  like  Kelly  Macdonald  brought  authenticity  to the  character  and    sure,  it may  just  be the accent but  it worked  for me.     

 

CG: Kelly Macdonald provided the voice of Merida as a young woman while Peigi Barker voiced Merida as a child.  Both did an admirable and applause-worthy job, but Macdonald is the voice whom I remember best (due to older-Merida getting the most screen time).  Macdonald does a great job of giving Merida the fire and spirit she needs to be a convincing tomboy princess with a heart and mind of her own.




First  Appearance

Moviefan12:  We first see  Merida   as  a   6  year  old  on  her  birthday   asking to shoot  her father's   bow  and arrow  and    is led to the Will O'Wisps  and her  mother informs  the young child,  that they'll  lead you to your  fate.   














We  first  see   the  older  Merida   some years  during   a day  off  spending time with her horse , riding  shooting arrows  and  climbing Misty  Mountain,  all set  to  the wonderful   song,  "Touch The Sky".     Merida  climbing Misty  Mountain  is the  one sequence from  the intro  that has always stuck  with me.












 This  is  such a great  introduction  for Merida  as  it  gives  you an idea  of who  she is.   I  think,  this  line   gives  you a perfect  idea  of who Merida is.

 There comes a day when I don't have to be a princess. No rules, no expectations. A day where anything can happen. A day where I can change my fate.

CG: The young Merida is a Merida of innocence.  The world is new, strange, and most of all, exciting to her.  Many things call out to her, which is what I think the Will O' Wisps symbolize.  She's being enticed by what is unknown.  This isn't spelled out for us in clunky dialogue, but rather implied through visual imagery, music, and the language expressed through the characters' movements.


The older Merida shows experience.  She's not a fully grown woman yet, but the changes and experiences she's gone through show in her confidence.  The world is still exciting for her, but also more familiar.  Again, the music and body language shown during the scene where 'Touch The Sky' plays shines through to show off the character.  Rather than be told about her, we see her adventures and her wild reckless spirit play out on screen.




Moviefan12:  Now, let's  move  onto  Personality


Personality



Moviefan12:   Merida  is at  best , a tomboy  and  because of that,  she often  clashes with her mother.  Because  she  doesn't  agree  with some  of the social  standards  and  if I remember right,  she states that  she feels that she'd  be better off, if she weren't a princess.  Merida's biggest personality  flaw  is that  she  is  hotheaded and stubborn.  Those  aspects  are important to show  how  she clashes with Elinor in her beliefs.  The  Disney Wiki  also  describes   Merida  as being daring, (yep),  courageous and ...  brave (title drop).  While I can see that,   the  film  does  seem  to highlight  her stubbornness, the most.   Now, being stubborn  isn't  always  a bad thing.   You need  a little  stubbornness, if you want to achieve your  goal  in life.   Merida  is  also  pretty  short tempered.     Just  like  how  I described  Ariel  as a teenager,  I also  think that word  can apply  to Merida  as well.  Because these two  feel the most like teenagers  in my opinion.      




CG: Merida does feel like a teenager throughout the film.  However, she's still a likeable enough character with sympathetic traits.  She wants to live the kind of life that makes her happy, and sees the life her parents (particularly her mother) have laid out for her as a hindrance.



At first glance, it would be simple to take Merida's side and decry Elinor as the 'villain'.  The problem with this train of thought is that Merida really isn't wise or experienced enough to handle the world.  She makes numerous mistakes throughout the film.  Elinor is the wiser of the two, but also caught in the trap of who she sees her daughter as.  The point of the two traveling together to see the witch and undo the spell is for them to learn from one another.  Merida sees how her selfishness has hurt her mother dearly and put her father's kingdom in jeopardy.  Elinor, by contrast, sees how forcing Merida into a situation has made her miserable.  She also finds out from first-hand experience that Merida is knowledgeable about the ways of the forest, and a survivor in her own right.  She has a lot to feel proud of in her daughter, and this comes out as the story progresses.





Favorite Moment 


Now,  it's  time  to go over our  favorite  moments from the film.   I was torn  between  Merida  sewing the tapestry back together  and what I ultimately  went with.   My  favorite  moment  happens to be...







Princess Merida: I am Merida, and I'll be shooting for my own hand














Moviefan12:  Admittedly,  this scene  won out for just how cool, it is .  I mean  everything  from  Merida  taking  off the cloak  and  that line to her  arrow  perfectly  hitting the target.  Everything about this scene  is just awesome.  It  just works  so well  and  perfectly  shows who  Merida  is. 



 










Also weird aside,  but there were  a lot of archers in movies  in 2012 from Katniss  in The Hunger Games  to  Hawkeye in The Avengers  along with Merida  in Brave.   What  brought about  the resurgence  of archery in film?



CG: I don't know myself why archery has become "cool" again, except perhaps a game of Follow The Leader.  That moment is just perfect, though, and I'd have to agree that it's my favorite moment as well.  I like that the film showcases the consequences of Merida's actions as well.  Merida is awesome for standing up for what she believes, but at the same time, she doesn't get out of facing the shitstorm her actions unleash later on.


 
Another great moment is when Merida cuts the tapestry her mother has been sewing down the middle.  This is actually the opposite of Merida on the archery range.  Merida stands in defiance of  Elinor in this scene.  She is saying that she doesn't care who gets hurt or what happens, she is doing what she wants to do.  The remainder of the film shows the tragedy that follows, but it is a great scene all the same.  This is the scene that sets off the second act, and it works on a lot of levels.















Moviefan12:  Now  let's  move onto Later Appearances.   



Later Appearances


Moviefan12:   The first  thing, I'm  going  to bring up  is actually  an appearance  that was in the film that preceded Brave.  You see, Pixar  likes  to plant  Easter Eggs  for their upcoming films  in   their movies  and  the movie  that preceded Brave was Cars  2  and  the tapestry from Brave   makes  a cameo  featuring  Merida,  Elinor, and Fergus  as cars.    Make  of it, what  you will?   


  






Now  before   I move  on,  there  is  something   that needs  to be  tackled regarding  Merida.    You see,  when  she  first joined  the Disney  Princess  line,  she   received   a redesign  and   well,   this  is true  of  all the princesses,   a  good  majority  have just  been   redesigned ,   a couple  years  back  but  Merida's   redesign  sparked   some  controversy  with  some  people  dubbing , this  new   redesign ,  "Sexy"   Merida.   













Now,  I've  already  gone over this  in  the past in a Can We Talk about  and how  I didn't  see what  the big fuss was,  but  a lot of people were furious  with the redesign  saying that the new  redesign  betrayed  Merida's character by putting her in a dress and  making her "sexy" sent  a bad message  to  young girls.  There  was a petition  on  Change.org  and  even  original  Brave  director,  Brenda  Chapman  and nerd  icon  and creator  of  MLP  G4,  Lauren  Faust  said  on Twitter  that   she was  not  a fan  of the redesign.   In my opinion,  Disney  rightfully  said  that  they felt  the whole thing  had been  blown  out of proportion  and  pulled  Merida's  original  "sexy"  redesign  and now,  Last  year,    Merida  along  with the  other princesses  as I mentioned received  a new  redesign and  in group shots  of all the ladies,  Merida  is seen  in her  film outfit, while  in products  that only  feature Merida,  she is seen  in her  new 2013  redesign.  Creepy,  thoughts on this?






CG: Honestly, I see why the redesign would create such a stir.  At first glance, it's easy to dismiss the change as "Just a dress."  Putting Merida in new clothes doesn't change her personality.  Her wearing a different style of dress won't change her values or make her into a different person.  A dress is just a dress.

HOWEVER!

I actually lean more toward the other end of the spectrum with this argument.  The point isn't the dress.  Merida is a tomboy, as you've stated before.  She was in some ways the antithesis of what most Disney princesses are like.  The closest one that comes to mind in relation to her is Mulan, at least for me.  The point is not the dress, but what Merida's dress represents.  She is a wild rebel, a highland girl who loves the wilderness and the outdoors.  She's not the type to go around wearing dainty frills.

Putting her in such a dress does smell suspiciously of an attempt to 'feminize' her and make her appear more traditional.  This would send an uncomfortable implication to young girls who look to Merida as a role model, and I do take the side of the people who cried out against that.  Girls need role models the same way boys do, but they also need diversity.  Male role models typically are more diverse than female role models.  Girls are shown at a very young and impressionable age that they are supposed to fit a certain 'type'.  Merida was a princess who defied the stereotype, and sent a message at the same time that it was OKAY to be who you are, if that person happened to be a outdoorsy type who didn't wear a lot of makeup or fret over the shape of her hair.




Moviefan12:    Now,  let's   move  onto   Merida's  other Appearances.    Merida can  be seen  in  the Festival  of Fantasy  parade in  The Magic  Kingdom.














She  also  along with  most  of the  other princesses  had a cameo  in  It's  A Small World:  The Animated  Series.   Again,  I didn't  think   this was worth  mentioning.  











 Merida   has  also  been  added  to  the  2.0  edition  of    Disney  Infinity.   Man,   I may  have to buy  this game seeing  it  has Rapunzel,  Merdia, Elsa, Anna,  Stitch, and Tinker Bell  in it.














Merida  was  revealed  in a trailer  alongside  Maleficent  of being added  to this game.  And before anyone asks,  it's  Jolie  Maleficent.    Now,  Merida  has  also  been  put  into  some  of the Disney On Ice  shows  such as  Rockin'  Ever After,   the one  that  I saw with my family  as  a Christmas present. Which  was awesome, especially  when Merida   shot the arrow  but  I took umbrage  with them  omitting  Fergus and  the whole  bear  plot.















Now,  there aren't  too many  other appearances to discuss regarding  Merida.   I've  heard that the  show runners  for  Once would  love  to work  Merida  into  the show  but  seeing as  season  4  is Frozen centric,  that probably won't  happen for a while.   Creepy,  can you think  of anything else to add?


 CG: Not really.  I do enjoy these little Merida easter eggs.  I was not aware until you mentioned it that Merida was a part of the Infinity game.  It would be cool to see her made a part of the Once Upon A Time storyline.


  
 


Now,  it's  time  to move onto the final  part,  and answer the question....



Is Merida A Good Character?



Moviefan12:   I would say  that  Merida  is indeed  a good  character.   She  shows  young  girls  that  they  don't  have  to all conform to  the expected  norm  of  being  girly  and that  there  is nothing wrong  with being a tomboy.  Merida may  be a bit  rebellious,  hard headed, and stubborn but  that  makes  her  growth  seem  all the more realistic.  




 CG: I agree.  Merida shows how those traits can be both positive and negative.  We see her stubbornness as a detriment at first, but that same hard-headedness gives her the drive to success at whatever she sets her mind to.  This is what helps her save her mother and younger brothers at the end.  There is nothing wrong with blazing your own trail, but both Merida and Elinor demonstrate why wisdom and experience count when finding your way through the world.


Moviefan12:  Creepy, thanks again for joining me.   


 
CG:  It was fun.  :)






























































































































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