History YMMV / Brave

** This wouldn't be the last time Pixar would make [[WesternAnimation/TurningRed a film]] about a FieryRedhead who is pressured by her mother's expectations which also involves a character being turned into a large furry animal and a mother-daughter conflict.

* SoOkayItsAverage: Most Pixar fans slap the film with this distinction, feeling that while it's not close the nadir of ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', but also doesn't reach the heights of a number of the studio's other works.

* MisaimedMarketing:
** A large chunk of the movie's Franchise/DisneyPrincess merchandise has Merida in the dress her mom forced her in and she practically suffocated in.
** The marketing department went out of its way to paint the film as an epic fantasy adventure, when in truth, it's a character-driven classically-styled fairy tale.

* PresumedFlop: This is considered one of Pixar's most divisive films and yet another work to come out during the company's well-known rough patch in the early 2010's, especially riding on the heels of the embarrassing reception of ''WesternAnimation/Cars2''. At the time, it was not only one of the highest grossing animated films of 2012, but it also garnered several awards, including an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward and a UsefulNotes/{{BAFTA}}.

** This is what happened to the marketing, which went out of its way to paint the film as an epic fantasy adventure when in truth, it's a character driven classically styled fairy tale.

** Elinor on the flipside too. Fans who didn't like Merida see her as a huge [[TheWoobie woobie]] dealing with a BrattyTeenageDaughter on top of her ForcedTransformation, others saw her as the one in the wrong and [[MyBelovedSmother keeping Merida down]] for being so over[[JustforPun bear]]ing to her before her CharacterDevelopment.

* FanworkOnlyFans: While it has his fans, ''{{WesternAnimation/Brave}}'' is one of the most controversial {{Creator/Pixar}} movies and has a SoOkayItsAverage reputation. [[ActionGirl But its main character, Merida?]] Extremely popular. As such there's a good portion of fans who don't really care about the rest of the movie and are more interesed in fan works involving her character. A major reason why she's a major [[CrossoverShip Crossover]] LauncherOfAThousandShips.

* FanworkOnlyFans: While it has his fans, ''{{WesternAnimation/Brave}}'' is one of the most controversial {{Creator/Pixar}} movies and has a SoOkayItsAverage reputation. [[ActionGirl But his main character, Merida?]] Extremely popular. As such there's a good portion of fans who don't really care about the rest of the movie and are more interesed in fan works involving her character. A major reason why she's a major [[CrossoverShip Crossover]] LauncherOfAThousandShips.

* FanworkOnlyFans: While it has his fans, ''{{WesternAnimation/Brave}}'' is one of the most controversial {{Creator/Pixar}} movies and has a SoOkayItsAverage reputation. [[ActionGirl But her main character, Merida?]] Extremely popular. As such there's a good portion of fans who don't really care about the rest of the movie and are more interesed in fan works involving her character. A major reason why she's a major [[CrossoverShip Crossover]] LauncherOfAThousandShips.

* FanworkOnlyFans: While it has his fans, ''{{WesternAnimation/Brave}}'' is one of the most controversial {{Creator/Pixar}} movies and has a SoOkayItsAverage reputation. [[ActionGirl But her main character, Merida?]] Extremely popular. As such there's a good portion of fans who don't really care about the rest of the movie and more interesed in fan works involving her character. A major reason why she's a major [[CrossoverShip Crossover]] LauncherOfAThousandShips.

* AccidentalInnuendo: Merida declares her intention to enter the betrothal contest for her "[[ThisIndexTouchesItself own hand]]".

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: A common complaint about the movie is that we're supposed to symphathize with Merida because she and her mother both have issues when it comes to the former's love for archery. While, yes, Elinor can be a bit of an over[[JustForPun bear]]ing [[MyBelovedSmother smotherer]] at times, the way Merida responds to it (i.e., acting like a whiny, unsympathetic BrattyTeenageDaughter, giving her mother a cake that she thinks will help her change her destiny, etc.), some people found it hard to root for her. It doesn't help that, even after she accidentally turns her mother into a bear, we're ''still'' supposed to root for Merida.

* AccidentalInnuendo: Merida declares her intention to enter the betrothal contest for her "[[ScrewYourself own hand]]".

* OffendingTheCreatorsOwn: A minority of Scottish people (many of them Scots-Americans) attacked the film for offensive ethnic stereotypes, despite the number of Scottish actors who enthusiastically took roles in and promoted it. Some also blamed it for the failure of the Scottish made CGI animated feature ''WesternAnimation/SirBilli''.

* AccidentalInnuendo: Merida declares her intention to enter the betrothal contest for her "[[ADateWithRosiePalms own hand]]".

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The work that was needed on Merida's hair was the hardest by far ([[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/06/pixar-brave-princess-merida-hair Pixar even had to develop a new software]] to animate the thing), and it beautifully shows given how gorgeous and lifelike that big ginger mane of curled hair is.

* CommonKnowledge: Merida is known for being a CelibateHero who shows no interest in romance, unlike the other Disney Princesses, except that this is never been the case in the film. Merida never shows any opposition to being in a romantic relationship in general (it never gets brought up), but rather, she is opposed to being in an ArrangedMarriage with a man against her will. ''Literature/{{Bravely}}'' would go on to shoot down the idea entirely by having her [[spoiler:get-together with the god Feradach]].

** "But mommmm ets jast mah ''booooooooooooooooooooo''"[[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/e0/00/b1/e000b175685423ea6e5f755ae85f4582.jpg]]

** When Merida is feeding [[spoiler:Elinor fish while the latter is turned into a bear, Elinor ends up ignoring her self-made "knife and fork" in favor for eating them predator-style. Was this a funny moment of her loosening up a little and realizing she's a bear for heaven's sake, she doesn't need table manners? Or was it a creepy, early hint of her turning into a bear on the inside?]] [[TakeAThirdOption Or perhaps both?]]

** One popular interpretation of Merida is that she's not interested in any of the male suitors because she's [[AmbiguouslyGay homosexual]] or [[UsefulNotes/{{Asexuality}} asexual]]. Though controversially, it still rules out her ''simply not wanting to get married''. This is only strengthened by ''Series/OnceUponATime'', which, while obviously not canon, does have some HoYay between Merida with Mulan, and to a lesser extent, Belle. Unfortunately for those who have this interpretation, the 2022 sequel novel, ''Bravely'', josses both interpretations by having a romance between Merida [[spoiler:and the masculine-presenting Feradach]].

** One popular interpretation of Merida is that she's not interested in any of the male suitors because she's [[AmbiguouslyGay homosexual]] or [[UsefulNotes/{{Asexuality}} asexual]]. Though controversially, it still rules out her ''simply not wanting to get married''. This is only strengthened by ''Series/OnceUponATime'', which, while obviously not canon, does have some HoYay between Merida with Mulan, and to a lesser extent, Belle.

** One popular interpretation of Merida is that she's not interested in any of the male suitors because she's [[AmbiguouslyGay homosexual]] or [[UsefulNotes/{{Asexuality}} asexual]]. Though controversially, it still rules out her ''simply not wanting to get married''.

** Merida has also been paired up with Jack Frost from ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'', Ralph from ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'', [[Film/TheAvengers2012 Hawkeye]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Flynn Rider]], [[WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet Jim Hawkins]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheLorax The Once-Ler]]. On the LesYay side, she's been paired with [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]], WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}, [[Film/TheHungerGames Katniss]], and [[Franchise/{{Frozen}} Elsa]]. This isn't even all of them.

** Archery-heavy stories in other media released in 2012: ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' and ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', for instance.

** This wouldn’t be the last time Pixar would make [[WesternAnimation/TurningRed a film]] about a FieryRedhead who is pressured by her mother's expectations which also involves a character being turned into a bear and a mother-daughter conflict.