Behind the Plot: Brave

“The Time and attention to detail on the hair of Merida, the main character in Brave is more than just about making her look realistic on screen.” - PIXAR

Brave is an American film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It is 3D CGI computer-animated and falls into the genre of a fantasy, action, and drama film. It was released in 2012 and received positive box-office reviews, going on to win both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award. The film is the company’s first film that features a female protagonist. In total, the film earned (worldwide) $540.4 million, making it the 13^th highest-grossing film of the year. Brave received a rating of 78% (from 232 critics) on the well-known movie review website RottenTomatoes.

The film is set in Scotland during a Medieval period and follows the story of a young woman, Merida, who defies a custom in her kingdom, which eventually end up with her accidentally cursing her mother and turning her into a bear.

The plot follows Merida and her mother as she sets out to undo the spell herself. It is a story of a strong-willed, independent young girl and the bond between a mother and daughter. Mark Andrews (one of the two directors of the film) was inspired by a scenario that took place between his sons and 12-year old daughter. Andrews asked his daughter to give his boys some television watching time. She answered by replying “I can’t do anything. They get away with murder.” This was the moment that inspired him.

One of the most striking and confounding aspects of this animated film is the Merida’s fiery locks. The computer creation behind this striking feature was executed by the scientists and artists at Pixar. They used a total of 1,500 individual curls that were hand-placed onto Merida’s head to create her voluminous hair. Claudia Chung (one of the simulation supervisors) said, "There is this weird paradox where a 'spring' of hair needs to remain stiff in order to hold its curl but it also has to remain soft in its movement."

Her hair started as springs due to the curly nature of her hair. These springs were long, thin, wide, compressed, bouncy, stiff, and stretched. 

Once they placed the curls/strings onto her head they needed to make it ‘move’. The team of creators were said to have used a new technique called “core curve and points” which is said to be similar to a beaded necklace. The core curve is explained as the chain of the necklace and the points are said to be the beads (aka the springs). This produces the effect seen in the film. When Merida moves her head, her curls move along the curve while they keep their shape and still manage to maintain the look on her character.

Chung and her team were said to have also used a real-life wig to see a live model of what they were creating.

She says that it took them a total of three years to perfect her hair and they even spent two months on a specific scene that portrays the full volume of her hair. Chung said in an interview with a staff writer for Inside Science, "Everything we do is done to reinforce the character, we created these great individual 'breakaway' curls that really add to her wild spirit."