Finally a fairy tale has come along that has a strong feminine lead and not a poor little helpless damsel in distress. Fairy tales, one of the oldest story forms are not to be trifled at.  Every good fairy tale has its beasts, dragons, Cyclopes, knights, witches, monsters, magic, heroes, villains; the list goes on but one common characteristic is usually the damsel in distress who must be rescued by the hero of the tale. Damsels are getting more modern but the story line has changed little. Just when we thought Disney had squeezed every ounce out of female characters needing saving aka Snow White, Cinderella, the little Mermaid, they are returning them to the screen in more luxurious 3D and with more CGI than ever. Even Pixar, the animation giant that has created some of the most memorable modern characters of recent time seemed doomed to the same predictability (Toy Story 1, 2 & 3; Cars & Cars 2; The Incredibles; A Bug’s Life; UP; Finding Nemo; Wall- E; Monsters Inc. and Ratatouille). Toy Story may never be topped but Woody and Buzz are a couple of guys and Barbie is predictably caught up in her wardrobe.

After 26 years Pixar has broken the mold. In a brave move (pardon the pun) Pixar has teamed up with Disney and discovered that real life women of power make great protagonists so why not try it with a fairy tale. I cannot imagine Catherine the Great, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc and Mary Queen of Scots telling a fairy tale without a strong female nearest to all the high stakes action as the protagonist.

Brave, (initially titled The Bear and the Bow – now that would have been lame!) promises to be just such a tale with Merida, the feisty red-head whose sharp wit, archery skills and independent view of the world make it clear even from the trailers that she is no damsel in distress. Trailers for Brave show a stunning visual world set in a mythical time in the Highlands of Scotland. The all-star cast brings to life some very original and multi dimensional characters. I can’t wait for this one to hit theatres June 22^nd (Disney Digital 3D™).