Brave (2012)
Change your fate.
In the mystical Scottish Highlands, Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus and Queen Elinor. An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman and is granted an ill-fated wish.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 21 June 2012 |
| Genre | Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy |
| Director | Mark Andrews |
| Starring | Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly |
| Runtime | 93 min |
| Rated | PG |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes 78% · Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7/10 · Metacritic 69/100 · TMDB users 7.0/10 |
| Budget | $185 million |
| Box office | $539 million worldwide |
Where to watch Brave
Brave is streaming on Disney+ ($15.99 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Disney+ is $15.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 12 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Brave is a 2012 animated adventure set in the Scottish Highlands. It runs 93 minutes, which is plenty of time for a princess to make a very bad decision. Mark Andrews directs the story, featuring Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson, and Billy Connolly. It relies on an archer who breaks a sacred custom and then asks an old witch to fix it. That is not a great plan.
What the critics said
Brave landed in that comfortable middle ground Pixar often occupies. Rotten Tomatoes shows a 78% approval rating as of September 2026, with an average score of 7/10. Metacritic sits at 69 out of 100, which it categorizes as generally favorable. It is a rousing adventure, but perhaps not a groundbreaker.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3 out of 4 stars. He noted that while kids would love it, parents hoping for another original leap might be disappointed. Peter Debruge of Variety praised the tougher heroine and the resonant tribute to mother-daughter bonds. Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter, however, found the climax too conveniently wrapped up. The film is solid, just not revolutionary.
How it did with audiences
Brave cost $185 million and took in $539 million worldwide. That is a solid margin, though not the kind that makes executives weep with joy. In the United States, it earned $237 million. It ranked 13th among 2012 releases. TMDB users rate it 7 out of 10. The numbers suggest people wanted a sword, not just a crown.
What came next for the cast
Emma Thompson and Julie Walters both started in the wizarding world, then stepped into franchises that lean on nostalgia. Thompson traded Hogwarts for a talking bear and a crime boss; Walters swapped the dementors for a bear in a hat and a superhero movie. Billy Connolly moved from a samurai epic to a hobbit battle. Kelly Macdonald went from a western classic to a sequel about heroin. The timeline suggests these shifts happened around the same time. It does not prove the film caused them.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Brave.
Read more: Frozen
Sources
- Brave on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q126796 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Brave (2012 film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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