Pixar Goes "Disney Princess" With Brave

Brave is set in Scotland so I chose Quilt 2 as today's fractal "cookie" since it looks like plaid and the colors are featured pretty prominantly in the movie.  Now--on with the review!
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First the good news: Brave is absolutely gorgeous!  Every frame is beautifully drawn and drenched in amazing color.  I don't know if I've ever seen a more beautifully-done computer-animated movie.  There's also a really nice soundtrack loaded with Celtic music: if you're a fan (which I am) you're sure to enjoy listening to the music.  The bad news: to see all this beauty you actually have to WATCH the movie.  It's a great movie for girls and even women (the Baroness certainly enjoyed it) but any guy who has past puberty is going to be less-than-enthralled by this girly tale of self-discovery and empowerment.
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Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) is none-too-happy to be a Princess of "marriageable" age: she's happy to be off riding, shooting and having adventures and is none too interested in in any of the suitors from the other Clans.  After acting out she flees to the woods and encounters a witch who offers her a spell to change her fate.  Of course no spell is cast without its consequence--and this one turns Merida's overbearing mother, Queen Elinore (voiced by Emma Thompson) into a gigantic bear!  King Fergus (Billy Connolly) lost his leg to an ancient bear (an earlier victim of the witch) so the girl must hide Mamma Bear and figure out a way to break the curse.  From this you ought to be able to figure out how the story unwinds from here.
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Honestly, I think the message that girls should be masters of their own fate and make their own choice is a great one--I just don't know if Brave is the best way to get that message out.  The movie tries to mix action and slapstick but, like oil and water, it just doesn't work.  I'm not a slapstick fan so I don't find physical humor all that funny.  There wasn't a lot of laughter (even though the theater was crowded) so I'm guessing the jokes weren't that good.  Even so, a lot of people were making positive comments on the way out of the theater so I'm guessing I just wasn't the target audience.  Brave is the kind of movie parents can take their kids to see--and both should have a great time.  Even the most jaded individual will find something worthwhile here.
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FINAL GRADE: B