Latest 'Brave' trailer hints at deeper plotlines

Posted Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 3:49 PM Central

by John Couture

I'll admit, I've long held that I think Brave is just a female version of Braveheart. But, it seems that the latest trailer released for the upcoming Pixar film might just prove me wrong.

While the aforementioned Braveheart centered on one nation's quest for freedom and one man's quest for vengeance, it seems that Brave will share more story lines with Pocahontas than Braveheart. Ironically (?), Mel Gibson played the lead in both of those films.

Hmm, I'm beginning to spot a trend.

Instead, Brave seems to be a strong-willed woman who bucks the societal expectations thrust upon her as the King's daughter and sets out to seek her own destiny. So, it's a coming of age and female empowerment story all wrapped into one.

After last year's relative failure in Cars 2, it's good to see Pixar getting back to those elements that have been a staple for their movies since its inception, a strong story. While some have complained that the trailer below has too much going on, I personally think that it hints at deeper story lines that will resonate with audiences of all ages, another Pixar staple.

About the only thing that we haven't had revealed yet is the main villain. Maybe the main villain is predisposed expectation, but I have a sneaky suspicion that there's a traditional villain that we have yet to meet in the trailer. If so, kudos to Pixar for keeping him or her under wraps for so long.

Brave debuts in theaters on June 15.