Merida (Disney)

Merida
First appearance	Brave (2012)
Created by	Mark Andrews Brenda Chapman
Voiced by	Kelly Macdonald Peigi Barker (young child)
Information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Occupation	Princess
Family	King Fergus (father) Queen Elinor (mother) Harris, Hubert and Hamish (younger brothers)
Nationality	Scottish

Princess Merida (Scottish Gaelic: Mèrida) is the main character from the 2012 Disney Pixar film Brave. Merida was added to the Disney Princess line-up as the 11th Princess and the first Pixar character on May 11, 2013.^[1] Merida is also a main character of the game Temple Run: Brave.

Background

Princess Merida is the sixteen-year old^[2] daughter of Queen Elinor who rules the kingdom alongside her husband, King Fergus. Queen Elinor's expectations of her daughter make Merida see Elinor as being distant while also causing friction between the two. Despite Elinor's desire to see Merida as a proper royal lady, Merida is an impetuous, quick-witted girl who wants to take control of her own destiny. Merida has greatly perfected her skill in archery, and is one of the most skilled archers ever seen. She is also incredibly skilled in spears, sword-fighting and racing across the countryside on Angus, her Clydesdale horse. Despite her outgoing, forceful personality, Merida does have a softness of heart, particularly when it comes to her younger triplet brothers, Harris, Hubert and Hamish. She is pampered but in no way spoiled, and even though she frequently argues with her mother, Merida shows her parents that she does care.

Appearance

Merida has long, wild, curly, fiery red mane of hair, blue eyes, a pale skin tone, and slender body. Her main outfit is a dark teal traditional gown, made of cotton, with stylish slits for movement during archery. When the Lords arrive for the games, she is dressed in a Medieval-style turquoise silk gown with long arms, gold trimmings, and gold beading, teamed with a white wimple to hold in her hair. She also appears in scenes wearing a navy/black cape with a gold buckle. Merida's bow is slung onto her back, over her shoulder, with arrows in a brown leather quiver around her waist. In the final scene, Merida is seen wearing a dark blue gown with light green patterns.

Development

The brainchild of original director, Brenda Chapman, Merida is Pixar's first female lead. Overall Merida has received good reports from critics, some saying she is "a breath of fresh air among the princesses, and from a culture Disney has not yet explored. She is a good role model for girls who want to get out there and do it. Merida is certainly no damsel in distress and isn't haughty; she is torn between doing what's expected of her and following her heart. The people of Scotland have to accept Merida."^[3]

Merida is voiced by Boardwalk Empire actress Kelly MacDonald. MacDonald was hired to replace Reese Witherspoon, the actress originally cast in the role.^[4]

Appearances

Brave

Merida lives in the mystical Scottish kingdom of DunBroch with her mother, Queen Elinor, her father, King Fergus, and her mischievous triplet brothers, Hamish, Hubert, and Harris. Elinor spends the beginning trying to convince Merida to be a perfect princess, but they are unfair to Merida, who enjoys riding through the Highlands on her horse, Angus, and practicing archery and fencing; she inherited those skills from her father.

At dinner one night, Merida receives news from Elinor that the king's allied clan lords are presenting their sons as suitors for their hand in marriage. Merida doesn't want to lose her freedom, so she refuses, even when Elinor tells her a story about a selfish prince who ruined his kingdom. All Merida wants is to convince her mother that she wants to be free to make her own decisions and follow her heart. The lords arrive with their sons, who are not her type, especially the arrogant young Macintosh. Merida chooses archery so she can win her freedom and wins the competition herself, which results in her and Elinor getting into a fight. Elinor warns Merida that feuding among the clans would occur if it isn't set right. Merida, angry about having to do always do as she is told, reacts by ripping a gash in the family tapestry between herself and her mother in a fit of rage. Elinor is so mad that she tosses Merida's bow in the fireplace.

Merida runs out of the castle on Angus, unaware that her mother is ashamed that she had ruined her daughter's bow and realized how much it meant to her. Will-o-the-wisps lead Merida and Angus into a dark forest where they come across a witch. Merida asks the witch for a spell to change her mother and her fate. The witch gives Merida a spell cake and she gives it to Elinor, but instead of changing her mind about the betrothal, the cake turns her into a giant bear. Merida realizes that she has made things worse. Ever since the menacing bear Mor'du bit off one of the king's legs in a battle when Merida was a child, Fergus had been hunting bears. Merida knows she must get Elinor out of the castle or Fergus would kill her, and with the aid of her brothers, she does so.

Mother and daughter arrive at the witch's cottage, where the witch leaves a message in her cauldron, saying that the spell will be permanent by the second sunrise unless she "mends the bond torn by pride."

The next day, Merida and her mother bond together as they help each other look for food. The wisps lead them to the ruins of an ancient castle, where Merida discovers that the prince in her mother's story was the same one who received a similar spell from the witch. The wicked prince had split himself from his brothers, ruined his kingdom, and became the dreaded demon bear Mor'du. As Mor'du attacks, Merida and Elinor escape, and Merida convinces her mother that if they don't break the spell, she'll become a wild bear forever like Mor'du. Merida realizes that "mend the bond torn by pride" would mean fixing the tapestry and the family bonds.

The two of them rush back to the castle, where they discover Fergus and the lords brawling over Merida, who steps into the great hall and stops the fighting. Guided by her mother, Merida makes a moving speech, convincing the clans that she must restore their bond and that the lords' sons should marry whomever they choose. The lords reluctantly agree and as they celebrate, Merida and Elinor climb up into the tapestry room to fix the torn tapestry. Fergus attacks Elinor, thinking she is Mor'du, but Merida blocks his path and Elinor escapes. In a desperate attempt to protect his only daughter, Fergus locks her in the tapestry room. The triplets, who have turned into bear cubs after eating the enchanted cake, arrive and set Merida free.

They rush after Fergus and the lords who have captured Elinor. Merida intervenes and saves her mother just before Mor'du appears and overpowers the clans. Just as the evil bear is about to devour Merida, Elinor breaks free, rescues her, and takes down Mor'du by smashing him against a menhir, which topples over and crushes him to death, releasing the prince's spirit. Realizing what the witch's riddle meant, Merida places the fixed tapestry over Elinor and reconciles with her mother. Queen Elinor is suddenly transformed back into a human along with the triplets and the family is happily reunited. Merida and Elinor make a new tapestry of the two of them together and say goodbye to the lords. The two of them ride on horses together, making their mother-daughter relationship even stronger and closer than before.

Temple Run: Brave

Merida appeared as the main character in the "endless running" video game, Temple Run: Brave, a spinoff of the game Temple Run. The games was released on June 14, 2012, a week before the movie was released.^[5] Merida is the only playable character of the game.^[6] The developers of the game, Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova noted, "We definitely had some surreal moments while working with them. They're Pixar! They do such a fantastic job of appealing to young audiences as well as adults. Their movies always span the whole range of emotions, from happiness to sadness, to everything in-between. Working with them, I think there was a couple of times where we just had to pinch ourselves and, you know, ask is this really happening?"^[7] The game received positive reviews from critics.^[8]

Other Appearances

Merida is currently making appearances at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, at character Meet N' Greets.^[9]

Reception and impact

The character of Merida has been well received by critics, as well as Macdonald's performance.^[10] The decision of Pixar to introduce a lead female heroine was praised by The Guardian.^[11] Empire described Merida as "feisty" and as "a modern girl in an ancient world."^[12] Merida was included on CNN's list of "Top Female Animated Heroines".^[13] She has been described as "a fairy-tale feminist", and has been praised for not needed to be rescued by a male love interest.^[14] She has been noted and applauded by feminists and critics for not needed a love interest.^[15] Entertainment Weekly called Merida, "A spunky Scottish princess with wild red hair, and clearly a lass built to entertain the audience for Twilight and The Hunger Games."^[16] Critics has also noted Merida's hair and how it is symbolic of her wild and independent spirit.^[17] Entertainment Weekly also referred to Merida as a "headstrong heroine".^[18]

Ophelia's Place, a charity dedicated to helping young girls, celebrated Merida for being a body image role model. The organization noted that, "Merida exemplifies strength in women because she is brave and independent. She isn’t the typical Disney princess or damsel-in-distress as portrayed by many female characters throughout children’s films."^[19] Time, however, criticized the movie and Merida for not fully embracing the concept of female empowerment. Author of the piece, Mary Pols also harshly criticized Pixar for firing Chapman, their first female director, halfway through production and for making Merida a traditional princess.^[20]

Controversy

In May 2013, Disney released a redesign of Merida in preparation for her coronation as Disney's 11th princess. The redesign of the character featured a slimmer waist, more revealing neckline and a sparkly dress. This sparked outrage from many fans and parents, who hailed Merida as a body image role model for their children.^[21] Feminist groups criticized the makeover for allegedly disempowering Merida. sparking outrage from mothers and feminist groups who saw the new Merida as "an overly sexualized pin-up version of her former self." Critics were also very critical of the makeover, saying it turned Merida into "just another princess".^[22] Creator and co-director Brenda Chapman fiercely criticised the change, calling it 'atrocious' and added that "Merida was created to break that mould."^[23][24] A Change.org petition was created to protest the Merida redesign, with female empowerment website A Mighty Girl arguing that "by making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in appearance, you are sending a message to girls that the original... version of Merida is inferior; that for girls and women to have value... they must conform to a narrow definition of beauty."^[25] The petition received over 20,000 signatures in seven days.^[26]

Shortly after the petition appeared, Disney removed the redesigned image from their official website, in favor of Merida's original film appearance.^[27] Disney later clarified the situation, assuring that Merida would remain in her original form.^[28][29] Disney also released the statement, "The artwork used on Merida’s official social media sites has always been the imagery from the movie – there have been no changes. We routinely use different art styles with our characters and this rendition of Merida in her party dress was a special one-time effort to commemorate her coronation. Merida exemplifies what it means to be a Disney Princess through being brave, passionate and confident and she remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired moms and daughters around the world."^[30]

References

External links

• Princess Merida at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Film Website