See Jessica Chastain As Merida In Stunning New Photo (Updated With Video)

Annie Leibovitz is a famed photographer who has left indelible impressions with her images, from those of actors and singers to even the Queen of the United Kingdom. In 2007, Disney hired her to photograph celebrities made to appear as some of the iconic characters from the studio’s films. Out of that partnership, we have seen some gorgeous results, from Rachel Weisz as Snow White, to Penelope Cruz and Jeff Bridges as Belle and the Beast. Today, a new photo was revealed, and it is the first time a Pixar character has been featured. See actress Jessica Chastain transformed into Merida from Brave after the break!

The Disney Parks Blog revealed the photo of Chastain, who has done some fantastic work in films such as Zero Dark Thirty and The Tree of Life. The actress is seen here wearing Merida’s princess gown while also fashioning a bow and arrow and riding a horse (Angus in the film). It is the latest stunning photograph from Leibovitz, who has overall captured the Pixar character’s nose for adventure.

Merida’s red hair, which is her trademark visual, is toned down a bit in the photo, but pushing it close to how it appeared in the film would likely have overwhelmed the image. Still, I think we can all agree that Chastain makes a great Merida. Below is a behind-the-scenes video shot by Entertainment Tonight (via Stitch Kingdom):

It will be fun to see the next character to receive the Liebovitz treatment. Since most of Pixar’s characters are not human (or human-like), it would be difficult to photograph them. However, now that we have broken through into the land of Pixar, it would be great to see The Incredibles or Buzz and Woody brought to life.

UPDATE (1/13/14): The Disney Parks Blog has released a lengthier behind-the-scenes video of the photo shoot. Watch the fun video in HD below: