What do you think?
Rate this book
The Art of Brave
Brave is Pixar's thirteenth feature film, but it marks two big firsts for the award-winning animation studio. It's Pixar's first feature film driven by a female lead and its first set in an ancient historical period. Against a backdrop of castles, forests, and highlands, Brave follows the fiery Merida as she clashes with the duty of her royal life and embarks on a journey through the rugged landscape of the dark ages of Scotland. At once epic and intimate, the latest Pixar masterpiece weaves a story of magic, danger, and adventure and the fierce bonds of family.
Featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the film's many artists and filmmakers, The Art of Brave showcases the gorgeous concept art that went into the making of this movie, including color scripts, storyboards, character studies, environment art, sculpts, and more. A Foreword by Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews, the film's directors, and a preface by Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter shed light on the creation of this landmark film.
Featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the film's many artists and filmmakers, The Art of Brave showcases the gorgeous concept art that went into the making of this movie, including color scripts, storyboards, character studies, environment art, sculpts, and more. A Foreword by Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews, the film's directors, and a preface by Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter shed light on the creation of this landmark film.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2012
22 people are currently reading
1715 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
September 27, 2024
Muchos consideran a Mérida una de las princesas Disney más feministas; el guion contiene empoderamiento femenino, pero lo cierto es que la historia de la realización de este filme es todo lo contrario al feminismo; ya que esta película pudo ser la primera película de Pixar en ser dirigida por una mujer; pero, no lo fue, pues se consideró que Pixar aún no estaba preparado para que una mujer dirigiera una de sus películas; pese a todo, me ha gustado mucho este libro de arte.
May 25, 2019
I enjoyed Brave so much and this book was like an injection of art into my veins, which is also a seed of inspiration for nore art and the book has a lot of detail and I didn't feel frustrated when I finished it (some Art Of books have barely any helpful info about the making of and the art and everything, this one had enough that I wasn't discontent, I also am aware that it won't be enough until I have every little piece but that's a hard ask)
April 25, 2025
"Mend the bond torn by pride, lest the outside become the inside."
I loved it 😍
I loved it 😍
June 16, 2015
This book was a gift from my wife for our third anniversary earlier this year. It's been sitting on the coffee table for several weeks, and I looked through it a few times, but now I finally took the time to sit down and examine it more closely and read the text. When we saw Brave in the theaters I wasn't blown away exactly, but I think I'll like it better the second time (DVD currently also sitting on the coffee table), and whatever its story or character faults, I couldn't possibly deny that the artwork was just beautiful.
Disney's awesome "Art of" books have been around for a while, and they're such a great resource to see the inside scoop on the creation of some the best animated films ever made, and this one on Brave is generally no exception. The books corresponding to some of the latest movies (like The Art of Tangled or The Art of The Princess and the Frog) haven't been quite as hearty as books for some of the previous movies (like The Tarzan Chronicles and The Art of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Art Of Pocahontas), but it still has a lot of great stuff. As expected, it includes art from every stage of production (concept sketches, set and prop design, environments, character design, storyboards, color scripts) and every department (hand-drawn sketches, digital art, sculptures, story, character). There's a lot of art from production designer Steve Pilcher, as well as a lot of great work by Steve Purcell, Matt Nolte, Noah Klocek, and even some surprises from Mike Mignola. The conceptual character art is always the highlight for me, and this book does include a lot of that, though for these characters I felt like a lot more could have been featured. It seemed to get really quickly through the characters so they could spend more time on environments and LOTS of storyboards, which are interesting and valuable, it just seemed like the balance of content was a little off. As far as the text, it seemed to be just the right amount, though it did have a little bit of a veneer over the whole studio and project, making everything look like it ran smoothly and perfectly (just like Pixar wants you to think it did, ha ha), but I guess this was an Art of book, not a Making of book, so I appreciate that there wasn't a lot of artistically irrelevant material. It was nice to read some of the insight that went into developing this family-centered story and creating such a unique cast of characters (and yes, there's copious mention of a mane of fiery red hair, and also a world rich in texture and forests and castles and fantasy mixed with reality), and also to get a look at some abandoned concepts and story ideas that would have been really beautiful (not that the end product wasn't). It made me want to watch the movie again, which is a good result of a book like this.
One note though, this book included some pretty heavy spoilers, though I imagine most people reading it will have seen the movie already anyway. Just always good to know.
This is a great, glossy "Art of" book, and is a nice companion to Pixar's latest animated film. Fans of not only the movie and/or studio, but also Scottish/Celtic/Viking/European art will especially appreciate it. Though I wasn't thoroughly amazed by the movie itself in general, the art is undeniably beautiful, and though this book seemed a little unbalanced in some of its contents, it still contained some wonderful artwork. The work of many talented artists is featured, and it's always interesting to read about the process of development and creation and occasional difficulties that go into creating the rich visual world and characters of an animated film. It turned out to be perfect timing too, to finish reading it on Brave Day, just in time to re-watch the movie.
Disney's awesome "Art of" books have been around for a while, and they're such a great resource to see the inside scoop on the creation of some the best animated films ever made, and this one on Brave is generally no exception. The books corresponding to some of the latest movies (like The Art of Tangled or The Art of The Princess and the Frog) haven't been quite as hearty as books for some of the previous movies (like The Tarzan Chronicles and The Art of the Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Art Of Pocahontas), but it still has a lot of great stuff. As expected, it includes art from every stage of production (concept sketches, set and prop design, environments, character design, storyboards, color scripts) and every department (hand-drawn sketches, digital art, sculptures, story, character). There's a lot of art from production designer Steve Pilcher, as well as a lot of great work by Steve Purcell, Matt Nolte, Noah Klocek, and even some surprises from Mike Mignola. The conceptual character art is always the highlight for me, and this book does include a lot of that, though for these characters I felt like a lot more could have been featured. It seemed to get really quickly through the characters so they could spend more time on environments and LOTS of storyboards, which are interesting and valuable, it just seemed like the balance of content was a little off. As far as the text, it seemed to be just the right amount, though it did have a little bit of a veneer over the whole studio and project, making everything look like it ran smoothly and perfectly (just like Pixar wants you to think it did, ha ha), but I guess this was an Art of book, not a Making of book, so I appreciate that there wasn't a lot of artistically irrelevant material. It was nice to read some of the insight that went into developing this family-centered story and creating such a unique cast of characters (and yes, there's copious mention of a mane of fiery red hair, and also a world rich in texture and forests and castles and fantasy mixed with reality), and also to get a look at some abandoned concepts and story ideas that would have been really beautiful (not that the end product wasn't). It made me want to watch the movie again, which is a good result of a book like this.
One note though, this book included some pretty heavy spoilers, though I imagine most people reading it will have seen the movie already anyway. Just always good to know.
This is a great, glossy "Art of" book, and is a nice companion to Pixar's latest animated film. Fans of not only the movie and/or studio, but also Scottish/Celtic/Viking/European art will especially appreciate it. Though I wasn't thoroughly amazed by the movie itself in general, the art is undeniably beautiful, and though this book seemed a little unbalanced in some of its contents, it still contained some wonderful artwork. The work of many talented artists is featured, and it's always interesting to read about the process of development and creation and occasional difficulties that go into creating the rich visual world and characters of an animated film. It turned out to be perfect timing too, to finish reading it on Brave Day, just in time to re-watch the movie.
January 13, 2020
Se lleva mis cinco estrellas! Un libro precioso, en el que te cuentan como se hizo la película de Brave, todo el trabajo de directores, productores, guionistas... Etc que hay detrás de una pelicula tan bonita. Las ilustraciones son una maravilla y me a encantado ver los bocetos, los primeros, y como con los años iban cambiando hasta ver a los personajes como los vimos en la película. Este libro es parte de una colección, no la e echo entera pero iré poniendo los que me e cogido a medida que me los vaya leyendo.
April 24, 2021
It is amazing to see the level of thought and effort that goes into creating these stylized but believable worlds. Brave's setting in Scotland demands respect, and the animators and story artists behind its creation worked so hard to bring it to the screen. I love that the inspiration for the standing stones in Brave is none other than the Callanish stones which are also used in Outlander, the show!
January 12, 2014
A beautiful look at the art and the making of the movie Brave. Not my favorite of the Art Of books, but still definitely worth a pick-up nonetheless.
Favorite piece was:
and this one too:
Favorite piece was:
and this one too:
March 6, 2020
What it says on the tin, yeah? Lots of nice pre-film sketches, I was interested to see Mike Mignola had participated in that.
April 4, 2020
Precioso libro para descubrir los entresijos de esta maravillosa película. Algunas ilustraciones son increíbles y sirve para entender todo el trabajo que hay detrás de una película de animación. ❤️
March 3, 2013
"Brave" is a beautiful movie, so of course a lot of the art in this book is beautiful as well. The art of the Scottish highlands was pretty awesome, as were the photographs taken when the team went to Scotland to study the place, and there were a few fun concept drawings of the characters. I also liked the overall design of this book more than I did the art books for "Tangled" and "The Princess and the Frog."
The text, on the other hand, bored me a little and had me skimming through at times. The last third of the book was made up mostly of storyboards and information about how technically difficult it is to do water/layers of clothing/whatever in CGI animation. And while I have a lot more respect for the amount of work that goes into the process now, I wish the book had more information on the characters and the story and less on the technical process of how to make a CGI film. I also wish there had been more concept art and far, far fewer pages of storyboards. Storyboards are great and interesting, but, man, this book had a lot.
The text, on the other hand, bored me a little and had me skimming through at times. The last third of the book was made up mostly of storyboards and information about how technically difficult it is to do water/layers of clothing/whatever in CGI animation. And while I have a lot more respect for the amount of work that goes into the process now, I wish the book had more information on the characters and the story and less on the technical process of how to make a CGI film. I also wish there had been more concept art and far, far fewer pages of storyboards. Storyboards are great and interesting, but, man, this book had a lot.
January 12, 2020
The Art of Brave - Jenny Lerew, John Lasseter (Preface), Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews (Forewords)
Rating: ★★★★
Brave is one of my favourite Pixar movies. My trip to Scotland was still fresh in my mind when I stepped into the theater to see it for the first time and the mother-daughter relationship at the center of the story resonated deeply with me (I might have shed a tear in the dark). Acquiring this artbook for my collection was inevitable.
Pixar's thirteenth feature film
First drawings in 2004!
Two research trips to Scotland
"Snow scenes such as these were part of the film's early development. As the story evolved, the winter setting was lost and is no longer used in the final film." p.42
Several pages of storyboards (Merida shooting at the games, Merida and Elinor's quarrel, introduction of the three lords, family dinner, opening scene Merida shooting and climbing, the witch making the spell, fishing scene, exploring the ruins, final fight against Mor'du, final transformation and more)
"Mum-Bear"
Celtic designs throughout the book
Rating: ★★★★
Brave is one of my favourite Pixar movies. My trip to Scotland was still fresh in my mind when I stepped into the theater to see it for the first time and the mother-daughter relationship at the center of the story resonated deeply with me (I might have shed a tear in the dark). Acquiring this artbook for my collection was inevitable.
Pixar's thirteenth feature film
First drawings in 2004!
Two research trips to Scotland
"Snow scenes such as these were part of the film's early development. As the story evolved, the winter setting was lost and is no longer used in the final film." p.42
Several pages of storyboards (Merida shooting at the games, Merida and Elinor's quarrel, introduction of the three lords, family dinner, opening scene Merida shooting and climbing, the witch making the spell, fishing scene, exploring the ruins, final fight against Mor'du, final transformation and more)
"Mum-Bear"
Celtic designs throughout the book
October 18, 2020
3.5-4 ⭐️
Me encanta la película, me parece una “princesa” de armas tomar! Quiere controlar su vida, su propio destino.
La valentía de Mérida es tener el valor de pedir perdón por cometer un error; es una de las enseñanzas. 🥰
“Restaura el vínculo que el orgullo rompió. Para cambiar el destino, busca en tu interior.”
Ya lo he dicho en otras ocasiones pero estos libros se me quedan cortos, ya que lo que más me gusta es ver el proceso de dibujo. Lo que me quieran contar las personas que han trabajado en el me parece correcto, pero ponme más bocetos 😥
Me encanta la película, me parece una “princesa” de armas tomar! Quiere controlar su vida, su propio destino.
La valentía de Mérida es tener el valor de pedir perdón por cometer un error; es una de las enseñanzas. 🥰
“Restaura el vínculo que el orgullo rompió. Para cambiar el destino, busca en tu interior.”
Ya lo he dicho en otras ocasiones pero estos libros se me quedan cortos, ya que lo que más me gusta es ver el proceso de dibujo. Lo que me quieran contar las personas que han trabajado en el me parece correcto, pero ponme más bocetos 😥
March 26, 2020
Brave is one of my all-time favourite films and seeing all the work people have put into it only made me love it even more. This book is about how Brave came to be what it is, but also about all the people, ideas, decisions and hours of work which make up this masterpiece.
August 28, 2020
Lovely book with beautiful art. I´m just a bit sad that I did not love Brave the film as much as I thought I might when it was first announced. I have to watch it again and see what happened... The book is great anyway.
March 8, 2015
Loved the movie, loved the art-book.
February 5, 2020
He aprendido mucho de este libro y me he dado cuenta de todo el trabajo que lleva una película como esta detrás. Aún así me ha faltado algo más de texto y explicación y menos fotos.
July 9, 2023
I would have given this a higher rating, if the storyboards hadn’t gone on for pages and pages.
March 5, 2024
[…] That she’s able to say ‘I was wrong’ is incredibly brave. She faces killer bears, and her father, and so many other obstacles, but the hardest thing is being brave in her heart.
Whew. I devoured this book. Which is ironic, because I briefly picked it up no less than seven years ago, and almost immediately put it down. I was too immature to appreciate it, I guess. Everything I wanted, back then, was ‘the frilly princess in the pink and purple castle with pointy towers’, to quote this book. But I’m glad I know better now. Truth be told, I’m having a ‘Brave’ phase right now, and I’m suddenly, inexplicably obsessed with everything about this movie. Must be because the relationship with my mother has deteriorated in recent years. Ha!
For starters, this movie has one of the best premises ever. A woman at Pixar’s, Brenda Chapman, loves her daughter SO MUCH, she is SO EAGER to know what she will become, that she convinces an entire crew of artists and filmmakers to make a movie about her. If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is. Secondly, this woman loves Scotland so much, that’s where she decides to set her movie. We have magic, nature and fighting - Brave is packed with feelings and passion, that kind of passion that makes you who you are and that can make literal miracles happen. Designing the organic elements of the Scottish environment with the limited CG technology they had back then was, in fact a miracle - something that makes you wish this movie had more recognition than it actually does. Boy, I’m so glad I picked this book up. The crafting process of Brave really does open your eyes on aspects of the movie you overlooked on before. I wish the winter setting was kept - the concepts for it are truly stunning - but I trust this team enough to know that switching it was the best decision. What else is there to say? Go watch Brave right now - you’re missing out on it BIG TIME!
Whew. I devoured this book. Which is ironic, because I briefly picked it up no less than seven years ago, and almost immediately put it down. I was too immature to appreciate it, I guess. Everything I wanted, back then, was ‘the frilly princess in the pink and purple castle with pointy towers’, to quote this book. But I’m glad I know better now. Truth be told, I’m having a ‘Brave’ phase right now, and I’m suddenly, inexplicably obsessed with everything about this movie. Must be because the relationship with my mother has deteriorated in recent years. Ha!
For starters, this movie has one of the best premises ever. A woman at Pixar’s, Brenda Chapman, loves her daughter SO MUCH, she is SO EAGER to know what she will become, that she convinces an entire crew of artists and filmmakers to make a movie about her. If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is. Secondly, this woman loves Scotland so much, that’s where she decides to set her movie. We have magic, nature and fighting - Brave is packed with feelings and passion, that kind of passion that makes you who you are and that can make literal miracles happen. Designing the organic elements of the Scottish environment with the limited CG technology they had back then was, in fact a miracle - something that makes you wish this movie had more recognition than it actually does. Boy, I’m so glad I picked this book up. The crafting process of Brave really does open your eyes on aspects of the movie you overlooked on before. I wish the winter setting was kept - the concepts for it are truly stunning - but I trust this team enough to know that switching it was the best decision. What else is there to say? Go watch Brave right now - you’re missing out on it BIG TIME!
June 10, 2018
What an amazing book. It was extremely detailed, it didn't repeat itself (ehem, Art of Moana) and the attention to detail, the renditions of the early versions of each character and the amazing and numerous storyboards made it perfect, everything an Art of... book should ever be.
It adds to an already magnificent film, and it's the perfect companion.
It adds to an already magnificent film, and it's the perfect companion.
December 28, 2019
No se tarda nada en leer estos libros. Te hablan sobre como se ha hecho la película y lo primero que quieres hacer al terminar de leerlo es verla otra vez. Este en concreto también me ha producido muchas ganas de ir a Escocia. Y este a diferencia del de Frozen tiene fotos de escenarios en los que se ha basado lo cual es un gran punto a favor.
May 17, 2020
This is one of my favourite animated films. I've always felt a strange emotional connection to Scotland, so when Brave was released I was overcome with tears from the sheer beauty of the animation. This book was a beautiful companion to that animation and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves art and/or loves this film
October 8, 2020
This was a beautifully written art book and taught me so much about what went into the making of this movie and how passionate about the film all the people involved in making it where. Not to mention the artwork in it is absolutely stunning I recommend for all those interested in art or who love Brave
November 24, 2020
Just, amazing. This book contains a lot of illustrations, information about the movie and references from Scotland scenery, character creation, sketches, curiosities...I really love this movie so obviously I need this book in my shelving with my other amazing books from "The art of..." and others. I really recommend it.
May 3, 2021
A beautiful book which follows - roughly - the process from the core idea to the final product. The transition from sketches to the fully rendered version seems smooth while focusing on character design and storyboarding. A heart-warming addition to your coffee table for pixar fans and a great lesson for artists.
March 14, 2017
Set in the Scottish Highlands, Brave tells the story of a young princess and her refusal to enter into an arranged marriage.
The 2012 film is Pixar’s first fairy tale. It's also the company’s first film with a female protagonist in the starring role. This turned out to be a success, with Brave winning the Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.
Jenny Lerew’s The Art of Brave details the research trips to Scotland taken by the film’s director, producer and development producer, as well as set and story artists, designers and editors.
The team went all over the country to research colloquialisms and traditional songs, as well as aspects of Scottish scenery. The Ii>Art of book compiles photographs the artists took while in the country, which showcase Scotland’s architecture, landscapes and weather. The book focuses on capturing the land; the essence and feeling of the Brave’s setting.
This is underlined by the many artistic experiments of the Brave art team. They tackled the task by putting together environment concept boards, Celtic inspired graphics and experimenting with different paintbrush strokes and textures. They had to take countless things into account – detailing the weave and fraying of cloth, capturing the running rivers of Scotland and demonstrating how the stones of a castle wall had been intricately layered.
This is all complimented by stunning watercolour and acrylic paintings. The Art of Brave has the perfect balance of text and illustrations – the design development of the film’s characters is well flushed out and detailed by artworks made with various media. Merida, Brave’s main character, has four pages filled with sketches and paintings, alongside the reasoning behind her design.
The book also features clay cast sculptures of each of the characters in Brave. The figures are beautifully detailed and add a sense of realness to a story that is filled with other-worldliness.
The art book does an incredible job of capturing the themes of Brave and bringing them to life. Much like the film itself, The Art of Brave is filled with an undeniable magic.
The 2012 film is Pixar’s first fairy tale. It's also the company’s first film with a female protagonist in the starring role. This turned out to be a success, with Brave winning the Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.
Jenny Lerew’s The Art of Brave details the research trips to Scotland taken by the film’s director, producer and development producer, as well as set and story artists, designers and editors.
The team went all over the country to research colloquialisms and traditional songs, as well as aspects of Scottish scenery. The Ii>Art of book compiles photographs the artists took while in the country, which showcase Scotland’s architecture, landscapes and weather. The book focuses on capturing the land; the essence and feeling of the Brave’s setting.
This is underlined by the many artistic experiments of the Brave art team. They tackled the task by putting together environment concept boards, Celtic inspired graphics and experimenting with different paintbrush strokes and textures. They had to take countless things into account – detailing the weave and fraying of cloth, capturing the running rivers of Scotland and demonstrating how the stones of a castle wall had been intricately layered.
This is all complimented by stunning watercolour and acrylic paintings. The Art of Brave has the perfect balance of text and illustrations – the design development of the film’s characters is well flushed out and detailed by artworks made with various media. Merida, Brave’s main character, has four pages filled with sketches and paintings, alongside the reasoning behind her design.
The book also features clay cast sculptures of each of the characters in Brave. The figures are beautifully detailed and add a sense of realness to a story that is filled with other-worldliness.
The art book does an incredible job of capturing the themes of Brave and bringing them to life. Much like the film itself, The Art of Brave is filled with an undeniable magic.
June 22, 2018
this was a beautiful book. I think that this is one of my most favorite Disney movies. I love to see how an idea comes to finality. I wish that I could own this book, but I got it through my library. I think that I am going to have to find this.
August 12, 2024
“You can look at tons of photos of the countryside, and it all looks
very lush and green, but then getting out there in the woods, you
realize that the moss and the grass aren’t solid. You can sink in up to
mid-calf.”
Loved every single drawing and painting.
very lush and green, but then getting out there in the woods, you
realize that the moss and the grass aren’t solid. You can sink in up to
mid-calf.”
Loved every single drawing and painting.
April 7, 2018
Its so pretty, and interesting, I love this book :)
April 27, 2018
A beautiful bit of film concept art.
October 24, 2019
Uma leitura rápida, mas necessária para o TCC. Mesmo tendo lido uma primeira vez muito rápido, vou voltar a olhar o texto e as imagens, para poder usar o livro como estudo de caso para o meu TCC.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews