The 5 Most Disappointing Movies Of 2012

4. Brave (Dir. Mark Andrews/Brenda Chapman)

From teasers alone, Brave appeared to be taking a brave new step for Pixar. Was this movie moving into even darker territory for the acclaimed studio, what with its broody Scottish landscapes and a terrifying bear creature who looked as though it might scalp our ginger-haired heroine without a moment’s notice? What we might well have presumed would emerge as the story of an archer sent on a dangerous quest into the mountains to kill a bear or something (that would’ve been cool), Brave felt more like a middling effort from Disney, and a movie so unidentifiably Pixar in almost every regard.

For starters, the film doesn’t realise its world in the way that Pixar films are usually adept at doing, perhaps because several creative differences managed to stall production – differences that resulted in Brenda Chapman leaving the project and taking a job over at LucasFilm. Though Brave works admirably as mainstream animated fare, the plot is all together too confusing and messy, and the trademark Pixar magic is lacking throughout. Though funny in parts, there’s none of the hilarity of say, Monsters Inc., or the layered screenplay appeal that adhered to both adults and children alike in films like Toy Story or The Incredibles. Even the usual good messages that come attached to Pixar films seem ham-fisted.

Certainly a one-time watch, Brave fails in its attempts to… well, play it safe.

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