Pixar’s First and Only Disney Princess Movie Was Going to Have a Totally Different Title — Honestly, It Would Have Been So Much Better

When our favorite arrow-slinging, fiery-headed, bear-fighting princess rode onto the silver screen in 2012, it was an interesting and welcome departure from Pixar’s usual fare. Female-led and offering a more Disney fairytale-like feel, Brave proudly stood on its own within the production company’s repertoire. Even compared to her Disney compatriots, Merida (voiced by Kelly MacDonald) gave us a kind of princess we had never seen from the conglomerate, defying traditions in front of the most magical backdrop. Interestingly, when Pixar first announced this film, as far out as 2008, it was titled “The Bow and The Bear”. Like everything else about the film, the title was unlike what we had come to expect from Pixar — it probably would have served the movie better if it had stayed that way.

Why Was ‘The Bear and The Bow’ Changed to ‘Brave’?

Brave was one of Pixar’s first truly female-led productions in the beginning. Not only did it have a strong female lead, but it would have also given us Pixar’s first female feature-length director before Domee Shi, who directed Turning Red in 2022. However, Brenda Chapman, who wrote the story, was replaced by a male director during production, which is also around the time the title of the film was changed. During The Walt Disney Family Museum’s 2020 Happily Ever After Hours event, Chapman revealed the name change was due to catering to the company’s male audiences; they wanted to remove “anything with a female name or connotation.” The potential misinterpretation of the word “bow” led to this more suitable title to being cut.

Subsequently, Brave was born. This single-worded, more enigmatic name that gave us very little of what to expect from the movie aligns with Pixar’s filmography, from their very first animated film, Toy Story, to their latest original, Elemental. While this may make the film more “on brand” or “androgynous,” it strips it of the satisfying irony that “The Bear and The Bow” delivers, especially after you’ve watched the film.

‘The Bear and the Bow’ Suited Merida’s Story Better

A title is how a film introduces itself to an audience, subliminally setting up the tone of how we will approach the movie in terms of expectations or even just interest. Brave tells us it is just another Pixar animation; “The Bow and The Bear” immediately gives us more fairytale connotations. This is because the original title is modeled around titles you would usually see in traditional folklore. They generally draw upon significant iconography or symbolism in the tales and state them plainly and clearly in the title.

Considering Chapman’s inspiration for writing this story was a Brothers’ Grimm tale called Snow White and Rose Red, as per the aforementioned interview, choosing a title that reflects these origins feels more appropriate. “The Bear and The Bow” follows the tradition of embodying the two main forces we see in the film and immediately creates the folklorish feel that resonates throughout the mythical setting of Brave. The 10th-century, highland landscape in the film is so connected to the rich oral tradition in Scottish culture, making it feel like a crime that the title would be stripped of these ancestral and significant associations.

Merida Breaks Disney Princess Tradition

For all its connotations with tradition, what makes “The Bow and The Bear” such a powerful title for Merida’s story is the delicious irony that it brings once the film begins. Merida couldn’t care less about tradition; she was suffocated by it. Her characterization and arc depart drastically from what we had seen from Disney princesses in prior films. She is the one who carries the weapon and slays her own metaphorical dragon, all while exhibiting crude mannerisms that even the kind Cinderella would vaguely frown upon. The focus on the dynamics between Merida and her mother (Emma Thompson) is also practically unheard of in the Disney princess world, where biological mothers are often dead and replaced by evil step-mothers. In a personal piece written in The New York Times, Chapman talks about how the story was inspired by her own daughter, enabling her to create a rich tapestry of their relationship that is unprecedented in this realm.

“The Bear and The Bow” is a title that would have seemed like its own entity, engaging with the film in an interesting way while making the viewing experience for us more nuanced. It draws us in with its fairytale connotations, evoking sentiments of battle, adventure, magic and folklore. Then it is smartly upheaved by a headstrong red-head, valiantly fighting against tradition and finding a place in her family where she can be herself. Merida is truly a princess who stands on her own and should’ve been given a title that reflects that, irony and all.

Brave is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

Brave

Release Date

June 21, 2012

Runtime

1h 33m

Writers

Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, Irene Mecchi