
Imagine Tangled’s Rapunzel being raised by the Vikings from How to Train Your Dragon and you get the idea. Much of Brave’s humor is derived from the brawling, boorish behavior of Merida's Scottish clanfolk, particularly her ogre-sized, doting dad King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and her triplet little brothers, cute mischief-makers with hair as fiery red as hers. Patrick Doyle’s score and Julie Fowlis’ Gaelic songs are likewise lush and atmospheric. Brave is a visually sumptuous experience, and its 3D fully immerses you in its mythic version of old Scotland and its misty Highlands. Pixar just keeps getting better and better at rendering textures and elemental effects. The movement of and detail in her unruly curls is amazingly life-like.

If you thought Disney did a stellar job of animating Rapunzel's hair in Tangled then wait until you see what Pixar does with Merida's wild scarlet locks.
