Avid readers have this problem with movies based off of books. Directors almost always manage to leave out some of the important details, those little things that we loved, the hilarious exchanges between characters, and sometimes the characters themselves. It's very aggravating.
There are companies however, that almost never fail to please. Those companies are Disney and Pixar. The topic I am introducing today is from these wonderful industries. I am going to break down the movie Brave.
This particular film is one of my personal favorites. The story of a mother and daughter relationship isn't something you see everyday. Most of the time, it's some sort of romantic plot. Don't get me wrong, I'm a total sucker for chick flicks and sappy things like that but I do like a new and fresh story, and Brave offers that.
So today we're going to go over three things.
-Plot Twists
-Dialogue
-Character Development
Let's get started then!
Plot Twists
In this movie there are lots and lots of surprises and I believe that you should always try to surprise your audience. You should try to keep them on their toes and on the edge of their seat. The writers of Brave get that. First of all, they throw the fact that (if you haven't seen this movie, stop reading!) fiery Merida is going to be forced to marry a complete stranger. Awkward, right?
This twist sets up the story. It's the uniting point of the two main characters, Merida and her mother. Merida doesn't want that at all, and her goal is to change her fate. Queen Eleanor (her mother) does want this, because its the one thing that can save the kingdom. Neither of them are villainous. They both have flaws, yes, but that's necessary to a relatable character.
The key to plot twists is to use them so that they contribute to your story. Avoid simply throwing a twist in there just for the sake of having a surprise. You have to build your story around the plot twists. That's a technique I use in my writing. I try and use the planned twists as a sort of guideline for the story
Now for one of the major twists. When Merida goes to a witch so she can change her fate, she suffers the consequence. Her mother ends up transforming into a bear. This twist provides goal that both Queen Eleanor and Merida can relate to. Now, instead of these two being on opposite sides, they are now united. Their goal? To turn Queen Eleanor back into her true form.
One more point before we move on. It's always a good thing to keep hurling surprises into your story. They don't have to be big. Humorous twists are fun too. For example, in Brave, her three little brother also accidentally get turned into bears.
Dialogue
Ah, the dialogue in this movie. There's plenty of banter and teasing going around. It never fails to make my family and I chuckle. You've got a bunch of fiery Scottish men from different clans all arguing and competing with each other. Then you have Merida, the Princess of the clans, who doesn't really want to be a princess in the first place. There's also the elegant Queen Eleanor who can stop a fight by simply walking across the room. The boisterous King Fergus and his mischievous triplet sons are some of the main sources of humor in this film.
The dialogue provides an inside look into the characters. It's lets the audience know how those characters are feeling. It shows their wavering courage, their love for someone, and sometimes their undying hatred. It's extremely important in a story.
Character Development
My favorite part of Brave (at least from a writing view) was watching the characters change. I saw Queen Eleanor learn to have fun and appreciate her daughters sense of adventure, and Merida in turn learned to respect her mothers position and all that she stood for. Both mother and daughter learned to truly love and respect one another.
As for the minor characters, I saw King Fergus go from a joking husband to a mighty warrior avenging his family in a matter of seconds. The three Lords came to understand that their children's hearts were not for them to give away. They came to see it was their children's duty and privilege to give it away to the right person.
There are all sorts of changes in this movie. Most of them are between the parents and their kids, which as I said before, is a refreshing thing to see in a film. I definitely would recommend Brave to everyone! It's my moms favorite Disney movie, and she's a hard critic. ;)
Until next time!
There are companies however, that almost never fail to please. Those companies are Disney and Pixar. The topic I am introducing today is from these wonderful industries. I am going to break down the movie Brave.
This particular film is one of my personal favorites. The story of a mother and daughter relationship isn't something you see everyday. Most of the time, it's some sort of romantic plot. Don't get me wrong, I'm a total sucker for chick flicks and sappy things like that but I do like a new and fresh story, and Brave offers that.
So today we're going to go over three things.
-Plot Twists
-Dialogue
-Character Development
Let's get started then!
Plot Twists
In this movie there are lots and lots of surprises and I believe that you should always try to surprise your audience. You should try to keep them on their toes and on the edge of their seat. The writers of Brave get that. First of all, they throw the fact that (if you haven't seen this movie, stop reading!) fiery Merida is going to be forced to marry a complete stranger. Awkward, right?
This twist sets up the story. It's the uniting point of the two main characters, Merida and her mother. Merida doesn't want that at all, and her goal is to change her fate. Queen Eleanor (her mother) does want this, because its the one thing that can save the kingdom. Neither of them are villainous. They both have flaws, yes, but that's necessary to a relatable character.
The key to plot twists is to use them so that they contribute to your story. Avoid simply throwing a twist in there just for the sake of having a surprise. You have to build your story around the plot twists. That's a technique I use in my writing. I try and use the planned twists as a sort of guideline for the story
Now for one of the major twists. When Merida goes to a witch so she can change her fate, she suffers the consequence. Her mother ends up transforming into a bear. This twist provides goal that both Queen Eleanor and Merida can relate to. Now, instead of these two being on opposite sides, they are now united. Their goal? To turn Queen Eleanor back into her true form.
One more point before we move on. It's always a good thing to keep hurling surprises into your story. They don't have to be big. Humorous twists are fun too. For example, in Brave, her three little brother also accidentally get turned into bears.
Dialogue
Ah, the dialogue in this movie. There's plenty of banter and teasing going around. It never fails to make my family and I chuckle. You've got a bunch of fiery Scottish men from different clans all arguing and competing with each other. Then you have Merida, the Princess of the clans, who doesn't really want to be a princess in the first place. There's also the elegant Queen Eleanor who can stop a fight by simply walking across the room. The boisterous King Fergus and his mischievous triplet sons are some of the main sources of humor in this film.
The dialogue provides an inside look into the characters. It's lets the audience know how those characters are feeling. It shows their wavering courage, their love for someone, and sometimes their undying hatred. It's extremely important in a story.
Character Development
My favorite part of Brave (at least from a writing view) was watching the characters change. I saw Queen Eleanor learn to have fun and appreciate her daughters sense of adventure, and Merida in turn learned to respect her mothers position and all that she stood for. Both mother and daughter learned to truly love and respect one another.
As for the minor characters, I saw King Fergus go from a joking husband to a mighty warrior avenging his family in a matter of seconds. The three Lords came to understand that their children's hearts were not for them to give away. They came to see it was their children's duty and privilege to give it away to the right person.
There are all sorts of changes in this movie. Most of them are between the parents and their kids, which as I said before, is a refreshing thing to see in a film. I definitely would recommend Brave to everyone! It's my moms favorite Disney movie, and she's a hard critic. ;)
Until next time!