Betrothal and a planned life couldn’t be more unattractive to the orange-haired youth who wants to journey into the forest for adventure and archery practice. But defiant young princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) wants nothing to do with the games of competition that will decide her suitor from the three neighboring clans of Scottish warriors.

“A princess strives for perfection,” insists Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), a proper, respected leader trying desperately to curb her impetuous daughter’s mindset. It’s hopelessly average – made almost unforgiveable because of the quirky, bounding desk lamp that has become known in the industry as a proclaimer of animated masterpieces. “Brave” just doesn’t bring any of that to the table, instead being palatable and pleasant but never groundbreaking or awe-inspiring. For any other studio, it might have been enough to be cute and adventuresome, but for Pixar, audiences will demand emotional attachment, resourcefully funny humor, dramatic poignancy, and character development that begets unforgettable personas. This works against “Brave,” which is unfortunately a grandly mediocre accomplishment.

Ixar has set the bar so high for computer animated features that judgment against them is particularly strict.

Craig ferguson brave movie