Bravely empowered (by Esteban)

 Have you noticed Disney films' tendency to set up a princess who acts like a lady and waits for a man capable of rescuing her from any danger she faces? Probably, you will picture in your mind films like Snowhite, Cinderella or The Little Mermaid. For decades, Disney Animation Studios has been presenting princesses who are at the same time weak-minded. In the 21st century, however, there is a Disney-Pixar film that challenges this tendency. It is the case of the Oscar winning Brave, whose main character is part of the Disney Princess’ line-up.

This animated film takes place in the Scottish Highlands, during the Middle Ages, when Queen Elinor makes the preparation for her daughter’s betrothal. Princess Merida bravely rebels against her planned marriage and against her mother's traditional expectations about becoming an ideal royal lady. In the end, when the main conflict is fully developed, Merida ends up saving the day in her own way. While the aforementioned films portray absurd princesses, Brave challenges the stereotypical role of the princesses in these films.

From the very beginning, Merida is a strong-minded female character, who has nothing to do with the old-classic princesses. Differently from Cinderella or Snowithe, which portray ladies in trouble looking forward to marrying a prince and falling in love, Merida does not follow the line, which means that Brave stops romanticising marriage. Instead, the film introduces a princess who enjoys archery and adventures. During an archery competition in which the prize is to marry the princess, Merida is determined to participate and to defend her hand. Before starting to shoot she says: “I am Merida, firstborn descendant of clan DunBroch and I'll be shooting for my own hand.” She raises her bow, takes aim and gets three perfect bullseyes. This scene and these words not only show her lack of interest in marriage, but also her strength and determination to make her own decisions since she knows that happiness does not come from marrying a prince.

As Garcia (2019) points out, this film not only finishes Disney’s marriage tradition, but also breaks with princesses' musical performances. Films like Snowhite, The Little Mermaid or Cinderella make it visible that every princess sings or dances begging for love. Merida, however, challenges this tradition. She does not sing or dance, instead, she takes her bow and jumps into action. Take, for example, Brave’s soundtrack “Touch the Sky,” which is a scottish-celtic song. While the music is running, the different scenes describe one of many adventures in Merida’s life. She’s riding a horse, shooting with her bow and climbing a mountain. It’s not a coincidence that the lyrics of the song are “Chase the wind and touch the sky.” This actually demonstrates her empowerment and freedom since this princess does not need a male figure to solve any conflict. She takes charge and enjoys her life.

Definitely, Brave exposes a strong and independent princess whose determination to take charge of her life is present from the very beginning. In contrast to other Disney’s films, Merida does not act on the basis of romantic motivation and this makes her unique among other princesses. She knows that in order to be happy or to solve a conflict, she does not need to marry a prince.