Pixar's Brave - Part II

[pap64]

Hmmm.... I don't like the idea of a pixar character in the lineup sorry! The line up should only consist of WDAS characters in my opinion, It just mixes up the identity of each character and the legacy of both studios! Plus I think that the message in Brave and Merida's rebellion would not fit in to the line up and match the morals of such characters like Snow White. And besides I bet Pixar never intended Brave to be a Disney Princess movie in the first place

I have a similar feeling about it, too.

Merida (to me at least), is the product of a new mentality when it comes to princess characters. Merida is proud to be a girl, she wishes to be free, see the world and be independent. She is proof that people can be happy without having to desire a love interest. The whole movie is about her trying to escape herself from the frills and rules of being a princess, which the Disney Princess line wholly embraces. Heck, her regular dress isn't even THAT frilly, not even the one they use for the Meridas at the Disney parks.

So having her alongside the likes of Cinderella, Belle and Rapunzel would be weird, since the majority of these characters are romantic in their endeavors and beliefs, which contrast greatly from Merida's brash and adventurous spirit.

To give an example of what I am talking about, here are Amy Mebberson's drawings on the subject matter:






But at the same time, I do see her being a very popular Disney Princess for the same reasons I stated: she is different. Remember how they made a big deal over Tiana because the line finally represented African American girls? Well, I see Merida as being the representation of girls that love being girls, but don't want to be stuck with all the rules about what women should be in life.

Plus, Merida has been a huge hit with people that are usually Anti-Princess because of her attitude. Merida stands in a very ideal place: she is a princess proud of her land, heritage and life, but also believes that her role in life is something bigger than marriage.

I think that's why Disney would want her in their lineup: she represents a progress of character.

[DisneyDude2010]

pap64 Your summery was great and i do agree with the everything you stated! Like the Pocket Princess strips sum it up excellently, Merida would have difficulty conforming to the Disney Princess Line Up (From her debut in Brave) Plus I am worried that Merida will basically remove focus from Mulan, which i'm PRAYING won't be the case!

[Atlantica]

I love those cartoons !

They might be testing the water with her maybe......though as I have said previously and you guys have said; I just don't think she will 'fit in'.

Remember they tried to include Megera, but dropped her because she was too 'bad' for the oh-so-pure lineup.....

[pap64]

pap64 Your summery was great and i do agree with the everything you stated! Like the Pocket Princess strips sum it up excellently, Merida would have difficulty conforming to the Disney Princess Line Up (From her debut in Brave) Plus I am worried that Merida will basically remove focus from Mulan, which i'm PRAYING won't be the case!

That would be ironic since in many a fan's vision, Mulan and Merida are best friends since they are so similar (they are warrior princesses whose endeavors weren't romantic but ones that were based on freedom and upholding tradition). Heck, even the Disney theme park characters are embracing that idea.

When my best friend Brent met Merida way back when she was new, he asked her about who would win in a fight: her or Mulan. Merida then answered that she would never fight her, that they would have each other's backs in times of danger.

When I met Mulan in EPCOT last July, she had seen Merida's signature on my autograph book, and she said that she was happy that I had met her, that she had been trying to teach her archery (but Mulan was bad at it) and she believed that as princesses that could fight for themselves without the need of a prince charming, they needed to be friends and stick together.

I think that if they DO include Merida, they will do it like they did with Mulan: slightly tone down they attitude, but still keep her charm and appeal (Mulan is presented as very sassy and outspoken as a park character in comparison to Cinderella, Belle, Aurora and such, so Merida will still have her spark).

I mean, on the Disney Princess website Mulan has her regular clothes instead of her bride gown, and her bride gown is usually used for dolls alongside her normal outfits. So my guess is that Merida will have her green dress as a default outfit while her turquoise outfit will be an alternate and not a full representation of her character.

I would find it funny if she is added to the lineup, her games on the site would be hilarious...

"Today's is the day of the Clan Dunbroch's Highland Games, where all the clans in the land come to our kingdom to compete in games that celebrate peace and union! Uuugh... but my mum wants me to dress like a lady and be there to greet all the young lords that will come to compete! Not only that she wants me to attend a tea party with the other princesses and queens of the land, and she has told me to create the invitations!

Between you and me, I would rather be participating in the games and show the big boys what I am capable of, but it is my duty as a princess to keep the peace between the clans. Would yeh be kind to help pick my dress?"

Both Mulan and Merida are awesome, and whether Merida is an official princess or not, we have two kick butt characters to meet at the parks!

[AladdinFan]

I don't want Merida in the princess line up. I'm shock. Hey Disney while your add it why don't you add Giselle and Megara too then.
Merida is from Pixar I don't want to hear other people saying/thinking that "Brave" is a princess movie. Plus I think Disney line should only be from WDAS princess. I never liked the line anyways before this line all of these "princess" movies where just regular Disney classic movies (which they still are). After Disney launched the princess line all of these movies are call princess movies. Pocahontas, Mulan, and ESPECIALLY Aladdin are not princess movies. The rest are fairy tales not princess movies.

[miklc]

I don't want Merida in the princess line up. I'm shock. Hey Disney while your add it why don't you add Giselle and Megara too then.
Merida is from Pixar I don't want to hear other people saying/thinking that "Brave" is a princess movie. Plus I think Disney line should only be from WDAS princess. I never liked the line anyways before this line all of these "princess" movies where just regular Disney classic movies (which they still are). After Disney launched the princess line all of these movies are call princess movies. Pocahontas, Mulan, and ESPECIALLY Aladdin are not princess movies. The rest are fairy tales not princess movies.

I completely agree with you! I seen Brave the other day and I though it was brilliant and I loved Merida as a character. It has not changed my view regarding Merida and the Disney Princess line though, apart from her lack of a song and love interest (a staple of all the current ten princesses) adding her to the line would be doing an injustice to her character! I'm sure merchandise featuring Merida will still sell in the future seeing how popular the film seems to be without the need to plaster the Disney Princess logo across them...seriously if they do add her Disney may as well add Sofia the First from their new pre-school children's TV show

On a side not I have always though Megara would be a great addition to the line, she's technically a princess through marriage (Hercules is the Prince of the Gods after all) and she's such a wonderful character! As Disney seems to pretend like that movie doesn't exist right now (regardless of it being a fantastic film!) I don't think we will ever see her added to the line up in the near future

[PatrickvD]

But wait, giving a damn about whether or not she will be included implies that people beyond the age of 6 actually care about the princess line?

[Kyle]

But wait, giving a damn about whether or not she will be included implies that people beyond the age of 6 actually care about the princess line?

Yeah, the only thing going through my mind reading these debates is why does anyone here care? its just a line to market these characters to kids. Blatant pandering. The only thing that decides who goes and who stays is the characters popularity or if they need to fill some diversity hole. It has nothing to do with their personalities, nothing to do with semantics of whether or not she's "Disney" or not. Its all irrelevant.

[pap64]

But wait, giving a damn about whether or not she will be included implies that people beyond the age of 6 actually care about the princess line?

Yeah, the only thing going through my mind reading these debates is why does anyone here care? its just a line to market these characters to kids. Blatant pandering. The only thing that decides who goes and who stays is the characters popularity or if they need to fill some diversity hole. It has nothing to do with their personalities, nothing to do with semantics of whether or not she's "Disney" or not. Its all irrelevant.

Well, considering that there are hundreds of articles that examine how the Disney Princess line affects everything from girl's mentalities to Disney's overall presence in the world, people above the age of 6 definitely care about the line .

But in all seriousness, here's why people "above the age of six" care about the line enough to discuss them: since its inception in 2000, the line has affected greatly how Disney is seen, understood and marketed. Some say it has been a blessing for the company, others say it has been a curse, and that's why there are so many debates about the line, and why people wonder who is going to be selected and how they will sell said character.

Merida just represents an interesting case where her presence as a princess has made her a hit for many, yet Merida is also an evolution of character, a princess that isn't about finding the princess, wearing dresses or having tea party. So if you were to look at it through a marketing point of view: how do you include a character in a line that completely contrasts what the character is all about.

At least, that's how I see it. I don't see to the extreme as most, that I think some deserve to be in it while others should be in it. I get that the line is just a marketing tactic to make sure their films and characters are sold extensively. But like I said, it is a line that has affected greatly how things are done at Disney regarding their parks, their characters and their merchandise most importantly.

[Sotiris]

If Merida ends up not being included in the line after all, it would be for one reason only: she's a Pixar character. Not because she doesn't have a love interest or an 'I Wish' song, and not because she's so different and unique that DCP won't be able to assimilate her into the line. Pocahontas and Mulan are two of the most feminist, pro-active, courageous heroines in the line and you see how they're treated. This wouldn't change for Merida if she were to be included.

[Semaj]

It won't hurt anyone if Merida is not part of the Disney princess line.

I'd rather not see her drawn in shiny plastic like the other Princesses.

[Sotiris]

[Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo] also predicted a strong holiday season for the company's consumer products division, noting that items tied to Merida, the main character from "Brave," should boost the Disney Princess line.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/en ... 9419.story

[ajmrowland]

I loved those cartoons!

[Patrick]

I went to a merchandise strategy meeting for 2013 this past week and my company is under the impression that Merida will have a coronation ceremony in May of next year. I'm not sure if she's been confirmed to be a part of the princess line or anything yet but it seems like it'll be happening next May. We've got a whole month planned around it.

[AladdinFan]

Wondering if Best Buy is going to have a Brave Steelbook.

Brave (Future Shop Exclusive Collectible Metal Packaging) (3D Blu-ray Combo)


http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/ ... c20427en02

[sunhuntin]

love that image. stunning.

[Prince Edward]

Merida should not be a part of the Disney princess line, she is a Pixar character and not a Walt Disney Animation Studios heroine.

[thelittleursula]

Merida should not be a part of the Disney princess line, she is a Pixar character and not a Walt Disney Animation Studios heroine.

^ This

[estefan]

My problem with adding her to the Disney brand is that it completely devalues what made the character so special. You can't put a character who hates dresses into a frilly dress, who hates tea parties and have her participate in tea parties, who doesn't have a love interest and have her gush about boys. Merida is very much the anti-Disney princess and that's what makes her so refreshing.

Of course, with the exception of the Walt Disney-era princesses, the entire brand turns characters into blank stereotypes and makes the films they come from look like "girly movies." Their inclusions don't even make sense at times. How is Mulan a princess, exactly?

[Kyle]

the entire brand turns characters into blank stereotypes and makes the films they come from look like "girly movies." Their inclusions don't even make sense at times.

Bingo. That's why we should stop caring so much imo. Its doesntg do them any favors. Walt era included.