THE woman behind Disney Pixar's new animated film, set in Scotland, has revealed she has a "soft spot" for the country due to her Scottish ancestry.
American writer and animation director Brenda Chapman said she has a "strong gene" pulling her to Scotland, which also led to the decision to set the fairytale there.
The story of rebellious Princess Merida is based on Chapman's own experiences with her daughter. Chapman, co-director and writer of Brave, also wanted to create a strong role model for young girls, in contrast to the more traditional Disney princesses.
She said: "Mainly, it was inspired by my relationship with my daughter. I have this daughter who is very strong-willed, very independent. We butt heads and we're both control freaks, but the intensity of my love for her is a constant thing.
"I wanted to do a story about a mother and a daughter and what that relationship is like, the struggle.
"I love fairy tales and I wanted to do one that wasn't a spoof – something with contemporary, modern women and families. It wasn't just the mother and daughter, but a contemporary kind of family set in an olde-worlde fairy tale.
"I also have a soft spot for Scotland, I think it's mainly because I have some ancestry and a strong gene that pulls me to Scotland."
She added: "I was tired of the message of waiting around for your prince to show up and you'll live happily ever after.
"Because of marketing, little girls gravitate towards princess products, so my goal was to offer up a different kind of princess, a stronger princess that both mothers and daughters could relate to, so mothers wouldn't be pulling their hair out when their little girls were trying to dress or act like this princess."
Chapman said the film – Pixar's first fairy tale – was originally going to have a "generic, northern European feel" but was soon whittled down to a Scottish setting.
She said: "We just kept honing it down until we thought, 'Oh, to heck with it, let's just say it is Scotland'. I kept going back to the images from Scotland and I wanted Billy Connolly for the father. So we decided to stop beating around the bush."
The writer had been working on Brave for several years before presenting it to Pixar, which began work on the film in 2008. However, she stopped working on the film in 2010 due to "creative differences" and is now working on other projects with Pixar.
Chapman was replaced by director Mark Andrews, who visited Scotland with other crew members on two research trips to study the landscape. They also studied the art of sword fighting and archery.
Andrews said: "We were inspired by all the stories that are already there [in Scotland]. There are stories about every landscape and every tree and every rock. It was inspiring to try and fuse that idea of how it connects us all."
Producer Katherine Sarafian added: "We have our own take on Scottish lore. It's really Pixar lore, but it's set in Scotland and it's inspired by Scottish storytelling and designed to be a story that's perfectly set in that landscape."
The film is due to be released in the UK in August. The European premiere of the film will be part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June.
IS AN ANIMATED BLOCKBUSTER ABOUT A SCOTTISH PRINCESS THE ANSWER TO REINVIGORATING SCOTLAND'S TOURIST INDUSTRY?
THE multi-million pound magic of Disney is set to cast its spell on Scotland – and it looks like it could be rather lucrative.
Businesses around the country are making plans to capitalise on the latest venture by Disney Pixar – the £150 million animated film Brave, set in Scotland.
Directed by Mark Andrews,who cut his teeth on films like The Incredibles and Cars, Brave tells the story of a Scottish princess called Merida – voiced by Kelly Macdonald – and her fight to save herself from a Celtic curse. Production company Pixar, which also made Toy Story and Finding Nemo, has 26 Oscars to its name.
Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson voice Merida's parents, while other stars voicing characters include Kevin McKidd, Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson and Julie Walters.
VisitScotland claims the movie, set in the Highlands, will boost tourism in Scotland for decades and have three times the impact of Braveheart on the country's economy.
The tourism body has teamed up with Disney to promote the film and Scotland in the first partnership between Disney and a country – with planned TV and cinema advertising across the UK, North America and Europe.
VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay said: "The whole of Scotland is set to benefit. We're already working closely with the likes of the Forestry Commission, Scottish Natural Heritage and the National Trust to ensure everyone is primed to make the best of the opportunities Brave helps to create.
"There is clearly an opportunity to engage with the family market and for tourism businesses to use the film as a hook to encourage families to their properties by creating family friendly offers and packages.
"Offering children's activities and menus and creating themes, trails or events around the storyline of the movie will all help."
He added: "Partnership working will be crucial. For example, accommodation providers working closely with wildlife parks, museums and play centres to utilise the film."
Colin Borland, of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Scotland, said businesses across the board, not just those in tourism, would benefit.
"The retail sector will receive a boost as a lot more people will be shopping," he said, "People from the States and Australia, who have Scottish ancestry, will be looking to do a bit of genealogy, and businesses in that field will also see a boost.
"The transport network will also benefit as more people will be travelling to and from, and around, the country."
The film, due for release in August, will premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), said the film will also help Scotland's licensed trade.
He said: "We've been in this position before with Braveheart when there was a definite knock-on effect. Obviously, everything depends on the success of the film, but if it's as successful as other Disney Pixar films, a lot of people are going to see it worldwide.
"Frankly, the tourism and licensing trade in Scotland needs all the help it can get at the minute. "
The team behind the film took inspiration from locations throughout Scotland, including castles, forests, lochs, mountains and glens.
According to VisitScotland, Brave offered more scope than other films for imaginative marketing, as it was an animated movie, and not based on any "real" area of Scotland.
Cantlay added: "This is a great opportunity. We're still seeing the benefits of Braveheart some 20 years after the film was released. Given that we expect Brave to have two or even three times the impact of Braveheart, the boost to tourism could be felt for many, many years to come."
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