This particular heroine, however, is in good company on the broader movie landscape.

Its protagonists, with all their variety in species, shape and personality, have until now been exclusively male.

She is, after all, an adolescent princess, a staple character of children's movies for decades.īut Merida, with her flaming hair, impressive archery skills and feisty Scottish brogue, is both a departure for the studio that created her and a powerful addition to what is becoming a cinematic trend in 2012: a new wave of action heroines. Next to such a list, Merida does not look at first glance like a particularly adventurous choice of protagonist for 'Brave,' the latest film from hit machine movie studio Pixar. This weekend, a teenage girl joins the ranks of Pixar heroes - alongside an old man in a floating house, a superhero gone to seed, a robot, a car, a toy cowboy, a monster, an insect, a fish and a rat. Related article: Doug’s take: Pixar hits the bull’s-eye with ‘Brave’

Related article: Disney and Pixar’s new film ‘Brave’ is a story about family

Brave characters family