Brave?

I took all three of my daughters to see it, but they're 7, 9, and 11 years old. None of them had any problems with the movie or the plot and they're very sensitive. It was a fantastic movie, but had my 7 yr old been 5 yrs old I wouldn't have taken her to see it. That said, sensitive as she is, she's the child who sneaks zombie movies like Resident Evil so what do I know?

My 5 yo had no issues, although there's no way she "got" all of the plot. Any kiddo who's seen most of the Disney and Pixar movies is unlikely to be shocked by Brave.

That said, I was shocked how many 2 and 3 yos were in the theater. There is no way I'd take my 2yo. But that's more because she would not be able to sit through the darn thing!

My 5 year old loved it. And his cousin, who is 3 went with us and he loved it too. So we had a very good experience with the movie.

That's a shame! I'm sorry that your daughter didn't like the movie. My three kids (9,6, and 2) LOVED IT! My 2 year old was not really bothered; he thought the "bad bear" was a little scary but the "good bear" and the "baby bears" made up for it to him. I liked that it was not a love story and that it focused on family relationships. Most Disney Princesses don't even HAVE a mother, or they have an evil step-mother, so it was refreshing to see a positive mother-daughter dynamic that went through tough times and became stronger. I think it just boils down to individual tastes and temperaments. Personally, I didn't think Brave was all that scary, it is not nearly as scary and disturbing as The Lion King or Bambi.

We saw it opening night. Me, DH and my 17 year old daughter who is a Disney Pixar nut (she is an art student so this stuff totally floats her boat!)

The place was packed and there were many younger kids. When these parts you allude to started to occur, there were many in the theater having negative reactions. We saw a few leave (finally after several minutes of outright/crying screaming by their kids). At the end, there was a child way up front who was just sobbing. I would guess a 4-6 year old.

So yes, I would recommend it to older elementary kids, just so they understand whats going on and can deal with it. But like all Disney movies involving a princess (which she is) there is a "bad" guy element. For many kids this can be alarming. I do not want to give things away ..but will add a SPOILER ALERT that might make some understand why some kids were some kids were so alarmed.......these negative parts involve a witch, and scary stuff happening with the princesses Mommy. Kids probably have a hard time identifying with the Mommy part.

Please use your judgement and please do not make other movie goers suffer if your child needs constant calming down, talking to and discussion and chatting during the movie. I paid the same price to see the movie and that was not what I paid for (nor did I attend a childrens performance.) In 3D it would be more so. We never do 3D as I get motion sick at them.

Just because it says Disney, does not mean its preschooler safe. Do your homework and use judgement!

Best wishes.

ETA~ for us, with a teenager who is an art student, the art of it is a big deal. How realistic the water looks. That the characters actually BREATHE (this is a big deal in animation I guess). One scene where Princess Merida flumps herself down (in despair I suppose) on a bench/couch...you not only see her breathe, but you feel you could reach out and touch and feel the wool texture of her old time Scottish dress. Also the way the animals (especially the horse) looks so realistic, not cartoony). This is all a BIG BIG deal to us. This is a big reason we go see these movies. To appreciated the artistic advancements in them and thru the eyes of our artistic creative daughter who is a great authority on such topics. I love hearing her explain rendering, and frame by frame stuff to me!

I started checking reviews on www.commonsensemedia.org before letting my kids see certain movies. It says that Brave is good for 6y+. I took my 5 1/2y girl and 11y boy. They both liked it.

It's rated PG. Sorry but you shouldn't have taken her in the first place.

There are several web sites with movie reviews aimed specifically at parents, to help parents make choices about which movies to take kids to see. Next time check out some of those sites so you are fully informed.

When my daughter was four (and for a long time after) we restricted everything to G-rated movies and tended to get only things on video, so we could preview it, once she was old enough to watch some PG things. We still preview anything that we have doubts about, and she's 11.

I think the key thing is to restrict the commercial TV kids watch so they aren't exposed to tons of ads for things that may turn out to be advertised as child-friendly but truly are not. Sorry, but as someone else posted -- this is a PG film, and the ratings are there for a reason. I'd shift to videos instead of Disney channel, so she isn't constantly exposed to ads for things Disney wants to push to all ages. Disney is about getting kids and parents to pay them money; Pixar is about making films that tell good stories, and sometimes those two things clash.

Well Brave IS PG not G.
I can't wait to take my 7 and 10 yr old to this movie.
Try checking www.commonsensemedia.org next time before going to the movies.
A Disney or Pixar stamp on something does not mean it's going to be good for small kids. Toy Story 3 is an excellent example. That was an intense movie.

I'm afraid a lot of parents make the same mistake you did, they assume because it's a Disney/Pixar movie that somehow that makes it okay for even the youngest kids.
This one is rated PG, so that's your first clue it may not be good for a preschooler.
Here's a link to the review on my favorite parent movie review site. I like this site because it breaks movies down based on a number of things: language, sex, violence, positive message, etc. It's NOT religious, rather it gives you an idea of exactly what you may find objectionable before you go:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/brave

I am really surprised to hear that. My cousin took her 3 year old daughter who is afraid of EVERYTHING and she did fine with it.

I think that you never know what might set a kid off - I thought The Princess and the Frog had some REALLY dark scary scenes, but I know lots of preschoolers who love it.

I also am glad that things aren't all sweet and nice - gives kids the opportunity to learn how to cope with fear, and understand that that the world isn't all rainbows and butterflies without being personally immersed in it.

I am taking my 5 year old tonite with her 3 year old cousin and both have read the book already, so we will see how that translates to seeing it on the big screen.

I think it's always good to do your research pre-movie viewing.

DD is 6 & she had no problem understanding it. Yes, she got upset & cried at a pivotal part of the movie. I like the fact that there several really good messages in the movie.

Most kid's movies have scary/negative elements. In fact, I can't really think of one that doesn't, to be honest. Bambi, Toy Story 3, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, etc., etc., all had dark points during the movie.

It depends on the kid & their level of understanding & maturity, IMO. I wouldn't have made my kid stay at a movie if they weren't enjoying, though.

I saw it yesterday with my 5 yo son. Yep, it was pretty intense at points. Really enjoyable movie however! I am trying to think of a children's movie that has been on the big screen that doesn't have a scary part and having a very difficult time. Little Mermaid? Ursula was freaky! Snow White? The witch was scary. Sleeping Beauty? The dragon. Up? I don't have to point out what was scary there! Most have a scary point but when kids watch it in safety with their own parent(s) and see that good prevails it is usually all good at the end. Sounds like your daughter isn't quite ready for that yet. Give her a year or two more and she may still get scared but not get freaked out so much.

We took my daughters (ages 4 & 6) to see it. My 4 year old did okay, there were a few moments where she grabbed my arm tighter or kind of buried her head in my arm but for the most part she did fine. I didn't realize it was going to be so intense either. All in all it was a good movie and my kids liked it for the most part. I would've preferred that the mom not look like such an evil person but we all know Walt Disney clearly had mommy issues :) jk!!

A site that I have used is www.christiananswers.net. I like it because the reviews are pretty detailed and you can read parent reviews as well. Some people go a little overboard (imo) with their critiques and are overly protective (imo) but I like to have as much info as possible and make up my own mind. Another one is www.kids-in-mind.com.

I am glad you posted this. I was thinking about taking our 6 yo twins and hadn't gotten around to reading reviews. I think we will skip it. One has been having nightmares lately.

I have not seen the movie, but I did hear Michael Medved's review last week. I wish you had heard that before taking your daughter, because it might have given you pause like it did me. He said that while yes, there are many kids movies that have dark or scary elements, Brave goes too far with it. He also said that he felt like it needed to be PG-13, not just PG. He said under no circumstances should you take a child under 8. And he said while most movies resolve the issues in the end and you leave the theater feeling better, he did not get that feel good feeling with this movie. Once I heard all that, I didn't want to go see the movie, much less take my child. So sorry to hear that it upset your daughter.

My husband took our 4.5 year old son, he loved it. I honestly did not think anything about him going to a Disney movie, but I probably would have screened it or at least gone with them if I had read this first!

We all loved the movie, but our six-year-old daughter did cry at the end, when there was a big battle going on. She still came out of the movie liking it, though. This is definitely a more intense Pixar film, but I loved the messages it conveyed.

I think you can't always know in advance how a child will react. Nim's Island terrified my daughter and we only made it part-way into that movie. Not sure many kids found that one scary, but she did.

I think with any movie-going experience with a child, you have to go in hopeful your child will like it, but prepared to leave if it's just not working out.

Ha! Too poor to take toddlers to the movies... BUT I did watch Snow White with my 3 year old a couple of months ago and was horrorfied by the scene with the deer heart.

Glad to know Brave is a little scary. I'll keep that in mind when it comes out on DVD.

Every child is different! I took my 5.5 year old & my almost 4 year old. My little one was upset during part of the movie, when the fighting with the bears was happening. But by the end she was fine. That being said, she also got upset during Tangled. She looks away during certain parts of many movies - she is scared of the sharks in Nemo, etc. My 5 year ops used to be the same way. She has since said many times that she loved Brave. Even though she is sometimes scared by Tangled, she says it is her favorite movie. They are both scared of carious parts of many movies, depending on the day. We were also with another almost 5 year old girl who also loved it.

I check out Common Sense Media before seeing things. Knowing what things scare my kids & what things they are ok with helps me to decide what to take them to. For example, I only took my oldest to the Arrietty movie. Now you know your daughter is sensitive to certain things, so toucan look & avoid those things for a while!

When my sensational six were little like that I would always go to see movies twice. Once without them then again with them if they could make it through. I would then position the ones that may have issues with certain sceens closer to me so that I could distract them.

I did this for years. Until my son (the youngest) was about 7-8 years old. There were some movies I only took the older kids to while my son and the others closer to his age would go with my sister to another place while we did the movies.

Yes it was a pain but totally worth my effort.

Thanks for posting! I was going to take my three and six year old...I'm sorry I can't offer any good advice....but you now have inspired me to read reviews prior and make us think twice, so thank you.

S.

I took my (nearly) 13 yr. old, 9 yr. old and 4 yr. old son to see it. Other than having to get up mid-way to use the potty, my son was fine with it. He was a little fidgety here and there, but then we don't see many movies in the theater. I think the main storyline was a little mature for my 9 yr. old daughter, and not sure she grasped it but my 4 yr. old was fine. Sorry your little one had a rough time with it. In a way, the movie reminded my of Brother Bear.

Thanks for posting, I was thinking of taking my 7 yr old but he is not "brave".
I think it is good that our children do get upset by scary drama in movies and plays. It means they have not been desensitized by too much too soon.

We saw this movie last weekend and I took my D11 and D9. It was intense in some parts with growling bears and bears fighting. D9 didn't like it but she is a bit "young at heart" for her age. She didn't like the bears fighting and she didn't like the part when the princess goes into the forest and the whisps appeared. I guess the unknown made her nervous. D11 liked it just fine but thought it was a little intense as well. IMHO it should probably be geared towards 8 and up. Towards the end I was in tears and it was intense even for me! I may be PMSing idk but it did make me cry! lol Actually my neighbor is taking her D5 to it tomorrow and I've already warned her of some of the scary scenes. I wish I would have done more research on it before taking my girls and I probably would have had D9 stay with her dad. She's more into Chipmunks and Barbie etc. But that is just her maturity level right now. HTH!

My husband took our 5 year old and he did say it was pretty "dark." More of an intense story line that other princess movies. My daughter seemed to like it but hasn't mentioned it since. She doesn't seem to be that into it like she was with Rapunzel.

I watched Lady and the Tramp with my kids this weekend. I had forgotten a few things or missed them the 1st time around. That movie has some really off color messages! It is completely inapropriate for kids! And yet, it is a beloved classic. Wierd.