‘Brave’ Gets PG Rating From MPAA

Shocking no one, Brave received a PG rating from the MPAA. After viewing the first half hour of the film last month, I had little doubt that it would be rated PG – characters are placed in significant danger and face scary situations. While we have come to expect a certain amount of intensity from Pixar films, Brave is one of the few to feature humans as the lead characters. What exactly did the MPAA cite as their reasoning for the rating – find out after the jump!

In the latest bulletin issued by the MPAA (and seen in the Kilt Featurette released yesterday), Brave has been rated PG “for some scary action and rude humor.” Judging from the brief appearances of kilt-lifting and a prominent bosom here and there, I think we have the rude humor covered. (UPDATE: I have now seen the film and it may be in your interest to know that the rude humor includes a few seconds of partial nudity – male butts to be specific.) The scary action likely comes from the film’s inclusion of the demon bear Mor’du, who director Mark Andrews was determined to make as monstrous as possible. Additionally, the forest, seen most recently in the latest trailer for the film, is an extremely eerie setting, even for a Pixar film.

The first Pixar film with a female lead joins The Incredibles and Up as the only feature films from the Emeryville-based studio to earn a PG rating. The major similarity between the three films? – they each star humans. In the well-known bizarre reasoning that runs rampant throughout the MPAA, it seems that you can have anything but humans placed in real danger, but once it is the human characters that face dire circumstances it is enough to warrant a PG rating. Cars 2, which had characters being killed and tortured, was rated G – replace those cars with humans and it would likely have been rated PG.

Andrews and producer Katherine Sarafian have stressed that the film has a certain “darkness” to it, which was essential to deliver the story that they wanted. Merida must face off against a bear, tradition, and most importantly, her mother. Her troubles with the latter will be at the forefront of the film’s story, with the mother-daughter relationship being a representation of the “heart” that Pixar’s films are so well known for.

Brave, rated PG (which may or may not be important to you), arrives in theaters on June 22.