My lovely, lovely sister took me to see Brave this afternoon. For the record, I'm a big Pixar junkie. I've been hooked from the start. (Helloooo computer animation major.) So, I admit I was pre-set to love it.* And... wow. I wasn't disappointed. It was interesting how certain aspects of the film mirrored my own relationship with my mother. I was the wild-haired child who ran about with skinned knees, climbed trees, refused to wear dresses, fought pirates, and played football--not that I was any good at it, but my mother often said she wasn't sure whether her eldest was a daughter or a son. The older I got, the worse our differences got. OMG, that whole "sit still--be a lady--when did you brush that mop last?--stand up straight--stop fidgeting!" litany. LOL. That was me all over. Dad didn't give me a bow, but we certainly worked on cars together and fished. Anyway, mom and I were at one another's throats for years until one day I walked away and just stopped speaking to my family. (I needed the space to grow into myself, see.) Years later, I was lucky enough to get my mom back. That was a dark and dangerous journey all by itself, but it was made 100x brighter and better because she was right there when I needed her the whole time. We've been good friends ever since, and I love her so much. She's the world's best mom. I have to see Brave again with her. She'd totally dig it.

The film is well worth the cost of seeing it in the theater, btw. I laughed and cried and wow the hair animation has gotten AMAZING. It was interesting seeing the differences in the hero's journey as told from a female perspective. I've been thinking about that all afternoon.
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*A) Pixar. I love Pixar. B) Pixar's first film with a female lead. Huzzah! C) Celtic setting. Yeah. I know.