LRA writes: Disney/Pixar's Brave has a lot riding on its shoulders. Not only is it the first original, non-sequel film they have made since 2009 (yep, it's been a while), but it is also the first time the studio has had a female director on one of their features as well as a female lead character. Brave is also unfortunately saddled with the duty of restoring the Pixar name to its former greatness after last years abysmal merchandise tie-in cash cow, but artistically bankrupt Cars 2. That is a whole lot of pressure to be put on any film, but that was its fate which is ironically enough the main theme of the film itself. I had mild to high expectations for Brave, I wasn't looking for it to wow me or redefine animation. I just wanted it to signify that Pixar was back on track and that they were returning to what made their films so great in the first place, original and insightful stories coupled with state of the art animation and filled to the brim with memorable characters that would live on forever in the great tradition of every other Disney classic. Brave certainly lives up to most of those expectations but sadly stumbles a bit its execution. (Brave, Cinema) B-/A+