Trailers

Merida 

Passionate and fiery, Merida is a headstrong teenager of royal upbringing who is struggling to take control of her own destiny. She feels most at home in the outdoors honing her impressive athletic skills as an archer and swordfighter, and racing across the magnificent Highland countryside with her faithful horse, Angus. With a spirit as vibrant as her untamed hair, Merida also has a softness of heart, especially when it comes to her wee triplet brothers.

Queen Elinor

A vision of grace, wisdom and strength of character, Queen Elinor is fiercely dedicated to the well being of her family and kingdom. As the measured, diplomatic counterpoint to her more impulsive husband, King Fergus, Elinor carries the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders in order to maintain the fragile peace between the volatile clans. Elinor strives to instill in Merida the knowledge and manner of a royal, expecting complete commitment to Elinor’s standards. But her vision of her daughter’s future is at odds with Merida’s rebellious spirit and desire to forge her own path, which ultimately causes Elinor to face calamitous consequences.

King Fergus

King Fergus is a heroic warrior with a majestic bear cape, broad sword and a knobby peg leg – the result of his much-regaled skirmish with the demon bear Mor’du. His vendetta against the beast who took his leg makes Fergus a ferocious and determined bear hunter, evidenced by a home full of mounted trophies of every size. Protector of his kingdom and family, Fergus has a heart as big as his triplet sons are mischievous, and boundless love for his wife, Queen Elinor. But his pride for his first-born daughter Merida is unmatched, and he has gifted her his great skill and passion for the sword and the bow. 

Triplets 

Identical triplets Harris, Hubert and Hamish are adorable, redheaded, and always ready to stir up a bit of mischief, especially if sweets are at stake. They can communicate wordlessly with their sly smiles, subtle glances and rascally giggles. This troublemaking trio is particularly keen on sneaking through the secret passages of the castle, mysteriously appearing out of walls, and playing clever tricks on everyone, especially their father, King Fergus. They share an extra special bond with their big sister, Merida, who is among the few who can actually tell them apart.

Bear Queen

At first, Queen Elinor is determined not to let her new, ursine form get in the way of her usual routines and manners. But she soon discovers that survival in the wild carries with it a different set of rules, and realizes she must look to her daughter for guidance in this new and
unfamiliar environment. 

Angus

Black as night with an ivory muzzle and fetlocks, Angus is Merida’s powerful Clydesdale and her most trusted confidant. Angus is Merida’s escape from castle life into the deep forest and the highlands beyond. Merida target shoots from her perch on his broad back and is able to coax him into one adventure after another. Angus can be balky, stubborn and faint-hearted at times, but is ultimately a devoted and faithful friend
to Merida.

The Witch

Deep in the overgrown Highland forest, a ramshackle blackhouse cottage is home to the Crafty Carver. This seemingly harmless, eccentric and long-in-the-tooth crone specializes in the whittling of wooden bear trinkets, figurines and curios. But the mysterious recluse is more than meets the eye. When Merida sees through the guise and reveals her as the Witch she truly is, Merida begs for a magical solution to her problems. The Witch begrudgingly gives in, conjuring a haphazard spell with an obscure riddle, which holds Merida’s fate in the balance.

The Lords

The three lords of the kingdom – Dingwall, Macintosh and MacGuffin – are the unruly, overzealous leaders of their respective clans. Though once warring factions, they have been united under the sword of King Fergus and held together by the diplomacy and political savvy of Queen Elinor. The clans are summoned to Castle DunBroch to compete in the Highland Games, but the lords are soon outraged when Merida defies a sacred tradition. The clans fall back to their history of fervent feuding, which threatens the fragile peace of the entire kingdom.

The Stories of Scotland

The film’s setting in lush, wild Scotland was an essential source of inspiration. Recalls Director Mark Andrews, “We went to the highest part of Scotland and the lowest part of Scotland—and everything had a story.” 

Castle DunBroch

Castle DunBroch was deliberately designed to be almost part of the promontory on which it sits. “We didn’t want the castle to be a new castle,” says production designer Steve Pilcher.  “No way!  We wanted it to have been there a few hundred years before the film took place.”

The Highlands

Production designer Steve Pilcher says that the notoriously variable Highland weather was one of the most important elements to capture in order to convey the right sense of place. “Mist, rock, ruggedness, skies that are changing all the time with the rain, snow, big patches of sunlight moving over large landscapes…That’s what has to come across.”

Research Trips

Brave's creative team made multiple trips to Scotland, determined to get the details just right.  They returned with notebooks full of drawings and memories, and cameras filled with pictures—everything from majestic panoramas to careful studies of lichens and mosses.

The Standing Stones

Merida’s fate changes when will-o’-the-wisps lead her to a mysterious ring of ancient stones.  The Standing Stones, which became the film’s visual anchor, were inspired by the real-life Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. 

The Witch Hut

When Merida first enters the mysterious hut in the forest, the woman within claims to be no more than a simple woodworker—the Crafty Carver.  It doesn’t take long, however, to discover that she is rather more than she seems.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences (AMPAS) – Academy Awards

Best Animated Feature
Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Awards

Best Edited Animated Feature Film
Nicolas C. Smith, A.C.E.

ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards

Best Animated Feature Production

Animated Effects in an Animation Production
Bill Watral
Chris Chapman
Dave Hale
Keith Klohn
Michael K. O’Brien

Character Animation in a Feature Production
Dan Nguyen

Music in an Animated Feature Production
Patrick Doyle
Mark Andrews
Alex Mandel

Production Design in a Feature Production
Steve Pilcher

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Kelly MacDonald as Merida

Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Mark Andrews
Steve Purcell
Brenda Chapman
Irene Mecchi

Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
Nicholas A. Smith, ACE
Robert Graham Jones, ACE
David Suther

British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards

Best Animated Film

Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) -
Critics’ Choice Movie Awards

Best Animated Feature

Best Song
“Learn Me Right” – performed by Birdy
with Mumford & Sons/written by Mumford & Sons

Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Awards

Outstanding Achievement in
Sound Mixing – Motion Picture: Animated

ADR Mixer
Bobby Johansen

Re-recording Mixer
Tom Johnson

Re-recording Mixer
Gary Rydstrom, CAS

Scoring Mixer
Andrew Dudman

Foley Mixer
Frank Rinella

Golden Reel Awards

 Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects,
Foley, Dialogue and ADR in
an Animation Feature Film Nominee

GRAMMY Awards

“Learn Me Right” – performed by Birdy
with Mumford & Sons/written
by Mumford & Sons- Nominee

Hollywood Foreign Press Association
(HFPA) Golden Globe Awards

 Best Animated Feature Nominee

Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) Awards

 Outstanding Sound – Feature Film
Gary Rydstrom
Tom Johnson
E.J. Holowicki
Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Skywalker Sound

International Press Academy (IPA) Satellite Awards

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media Nominee

Original Song“Learn Me Right” – performed by Birdy

with Mumford & Sons/written by Mumford & Sons

Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards

 Favorite Animated MovIe Nominee

Producers Guild Awards

The Award for Outstanding Producer
of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

 Katherine Sarafian

Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards

Outstanding Animation in an
Animated Feature Motion Picture
Mark Andrews
Steve May
Katherine Sarafian
Bill Wise

Outstanding Animated Character in
an Animated Feature Motion Picture

Merida  
Travis Hathaway
Olivier Soares
Peter Sumanaseni
Brian Tindall

 Outstanding Created Environment in
an Animated Feature Motion Picture

The Forest  
Tim Best
Steve Pilcher
Indigo Quilez
Andy Whittock

Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation
in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Chris Chapman
Dave Hale
Michael K. O'Brien
Bill Watral

FILM CRITICS GROUPS

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ)

Best Animated Film

Best Animated Female
Merida  
Kelly Macdonald

Houston Film Critics Society

Best Animated Film Nominee 

Online Film Critics Society

Best Animated Feature Nominee

San Diego Film Critics Awards

Best Animated Film Nominee    

Toronto Film Critics Association

Best Animated Feature Nominee 

Washington DC Area Film Critics Association

Best Animated Feature Nominee