A princess by title only, she yearns for a freedom that tradition says she'll never have, and turns on her heel when her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), insists she must be married to the son of one of three warrior clans. A smudge of a nose underneath a shock of Rebekah Brooks hair, Merida is the most rounded Pixar lead yet. Princess Merida is, believe it or not, Pixar's first female protagonist, but Brave doesn't play the gender card: as always, it aims to connect with as wide an audience as possible.

This heightened realism extends to the characters, too. The bonny Scotland of the Pixar render farm is the closest they've come yet to replicating a world that feels of our own – rolling hills and foggy moors so real you can almost reach out and brush the dew off the grass. Brave is more grounded, and though it features magical elements, as per any Celtic fairytale you'd care to mention, it's less obviously showy than past efforts. Even The Incredibles and Up, Pixar's only other movies with human lead characters, had flights of fancy to keep them light: super-powers and exotic birds and dogs flying bi-planes. Brave is the first Pixar movie without a gimmick, for want of a better word – no talking toys, singing fish, maudlin robots or cooking rats.

Brave 2012 reese witherspoon