Brave

In ancient times, a Celtic princess (voice by Kelly Macdonald) rebels when her parents (queen Emma Thompson and king Billy Connolly) decide to betroth her without asking her thoughts on the subject. In a snit, she makes an impulsive bargain with a witch to “change” her mother, and the witch does—she changes the queen into a bear. Written by directors Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell and Brenda Chapman, with an assist from Irene Mecchi (story by Chapman), this latest Pixar feature has the customary supple Pixar animation, and it’s never less than gorgeous to behold. But it may be a case of too many cooks; the story lacks punch and never even comes near the mythic resonance it tries for. Indeed, it seems patched together from remnants of The Little Mermaid, mixed with a heaping dollop of “I hate you, Mom!”