Cars 2 and Brave: Pixar at their most... Meh

Pixar has yet to make a bad film.  Unfortunately, the last two have been quite mediocre.  They are enjoyable by themselves, and they have their merits, but neither are up to the amazingly impossibly high standard Pixar has set for itself.

Cars 2

The sequel to Cars, already one of the lesser films in the Pixar canon, falls even short of its predecessors standard.  While Cars has the sad fate of Radiator Springs to add pathos to the film, Cars 2 has nothing.  Maybe we are suppose to feel sorry for Mater, but he is so off in his own world, that we never do.  In this film, Mater stumbles into a complicated spy plot and gets mistaken for a secret agent.  So, the plot, and how it will play out is obvious.  Mater causes trouble, then uses his good heart to get out of trouble and ends up figuring out the plot because he is actually smarter than anyone realizes.  Very standard fare.

But, Cars 2 isn't meant to be deep entertainment.  There may be nothing below the surface, but the surface itself is definitely fun.  There are several fun actions scenes.  The animation is terrific.  Some good laughs can be had here.  The voice acting, as always, is spot on.  It is good for an afternoon distraction.  Just don't expect this to be one you revisit.

*** (out of *****)

Brave

In comparison to Cars 2, Brave is both better and much more disappointing.  This is Pixar's first female protaginst (about time), and it is about a relationship between a mother and her daughter.  This should be the kind of story Pixar makes magic with.  But wait, the lead Merida is a princess, who wants to lead her own life, free of her royal  and is butting heads with her mother?  Why did Pixar feel the need to slap what could have been such wonderful characters into a standard Disney plot, and then follow the Disney animated playbook step by step.

As the film went on, my mind kept difting to better films.  First, my mind wandered to Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service.  Both phenomenal animated films with wonderful female characters at the lead.  The appearance of the tiny spirits made me think of Princess Mononoke with Mononoke and Eboshi bother being terrific, well-rounded and fascinating woman.  I also thought about the Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast and all of the superior Disney animated films this film was stealing from.  There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from past films, but they never weave that inspiration into anything unique.  Coming from the people that turned the story of a trash-compacting robot , and the adventure of a grumpy old man into a pair of back-to-back masterpieces, that they couldn't do more with Brave is really disappointing.

However, none of the films above dealt with a mother/daughter relationship.  So, during the climactic scene, I was thinking of good films with a mother/daughter theme.  The moment when the good bear, and the evil bear clash, a funny image came into my head.

This made me think two things.  One is that I need to get on by butt and finish the reviews I started.  Second, it reminded me how themes of motherhood would be so wonderfully applied to a film where you might might not expect them.  So, in a very strange, but real way, I wish I Brave were more like  Aliens.

This is still a film worth seeing, and ultimately, as we do have something invested in the characters here, it is a better film then Cars 2.  The voice acting and animation are up to the usual Pixar standard, but the movie itself isn't.  Brave could have been another great entry into the Pixar canon.  Instead, it has me hoping Piaxr has something daring planned for their next trip to the cinema.

*** (out of *****)