( CNN ) -- Pixar has an unparalleled track record when it comes to family entertainment , even if they did hit a bump with `` Cars 2 '' last year . But like many other Hollywood studios , the company is guilty of ignoring the half of the population who are n't little boys at heart . At last , with `` Brave , '' it 's the girls ' turn to shine -- a bit behind the curve in this year of the Warrior Princess . The movie itself is no more than an agreeable lark . It 's not in the same league as `` Up '' , `` WALLE '' or the `` Toy Story '' films , but fun all the same . Set in sunny , ancient Scotland -- complete with warring clans , rampaging beasts , magical witches and supernatural will-o'-the-wisps -- the movie quickly checks off the expected sightings : kilts , haggis , caber-tossing and Billy Connolly . Nessie does n't make the cut , but I would n't be too surprised if she showed up in a sequel . Gallery : 'Brave 's ' Merida and other animated heroines . Merida ( voiced by Kelly Macdonald ) is the eldest child to Fergus ( Connolly ) and Elinor ( Emma Thompson ) . Headstrong , with cascading , blazing red locks , Merida is a tomboy . She 'd rather be riding horses , scaling cliffs or hunting with her bow and arrow than sewing , singing and accepting her mother 's mind on what behaviors befit a princess of their clan . Merida fits right in line with the dynamic damsels we have seen recently in warring `` Snow White '' films , `` John Carter '' and `` The Hunger Games . '' It 's refreshing that she 's also foolhardy and no wiser than most teenagers . Mother-daughter relationships are still at a premium in big-budget flicks , and `` Brave '' observes their squabbling with an affectionate , even-handed familiarity that 's nice to see . Merida 's independent streak stiffens to all-out rebellion when Elinor announces it 's time to marry . As tradition demands , the groom will be the son of a neighboring chieftain , whoever emerges victorious at the forthcoming games at the gathering of the clans . But Merida has her own ideas about that , and storms out in search of some means to change her mum 's mind . Pixar has played coy about what happens next . It 's the biggest and best surprise in a yarn that often feels a bit threadbare and shopworn , so we wo n't give it away here . Appealing as this left-field plot twist is , it 's also daft . It 's as if Merida has taken a stupid pill , and the plentiful coincidences that follow are almost as hard to swallow . Pixar likes to boast that it 's all about the story , but this tall tale has more holes than a draughty sporran . The time scale feels off , and King Fergus in particular is left dangling for too long . That 's not to say it is n't enjoyable . It 's just that we 've come to expect more from this brand . By anyone else 's standards , `` Brave '' stands as a crisp , lively frolic , brimming with texture and color ( all those follicles ! ) . It 's sure to appeal to the wee bairns -- and their mams too .
` ` Brave '' begins as a crisp , lively frolic , rich with light and color . Merida is right in line with the dynamic damsels we ' ve seen at the movies of late . Kelly Macdonald provides the voice to this warrior princess ; it is set in Scotland .