It’s been a couple of months since we’ve had anything to share on Disney/Pixar’s Brave. Today we have a couple of new images, just as lush and colorful as everything else we’ve shown you. Did you know that it apparently took two years to get the precise amount of frizz and curl in that riotous red mane of Merida's?

Merida is a Scottish princess and Brave is her story. Merida defies her parents by pursuing an interest in archery, but inadvertently jeopardizes her father's kingdom in the process. And Disney/Pixar want you to she’s not your ordinary animated princess and her story, the first for the studio to feature a female protagonist, is not your ordinary  animated fairy tale.

Merida’s bow and arrow, of course, get her into big trouble with her parents King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) when she defies custom and enters a tournament, which in turn brings calamity to the whole of the Scottish highlands, where she lives. On her mission to right the wrong, Merida tangles with some Scottish lords (Craig Ferguson, Kevin McKidd and Robbie Coltraine) and seeks guidance from a mysterious crone (Julie Walters).

Co-director (with Brenda Chapman) Mark Andrews told the LA Times, "We didn't just want to do another fairy tale or another princess movie. Her being a princess is just part of the stakes, an element of her character. It's more about this teenager transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Merida is this outdoorsy, courageous, actiony girl whose mom wants her to be the way her mom wants her to be. Merida wants to decide for herself who she is, not be who the world wants her to be. Facing who she really is, that's the true definition of bravery."

Brave charges into theaters in the US and Canada on June 22 and in the UK on 12^th  August.

We've got a lot of little tidbits that have been coming in lately, like great new images from flicks we've been talking about.

Here's a new Image from One for the Money with Katherine Heigl and Daniel Sunjata. Apparently she's impressed with the size of  his gun. Heigl plays Janet Evanovich's popular character, Stephanie Plum. The film opens Jan. 27 in the US and 24 Feb. in the UK.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the story of a nine-year-old amateur inventor, jewelry designer, astrophysicist, tambourine player, and pacifist searches New York for the lock that matches a mysterious key left by his father when he was killed in the September 11 attacks. Thomas Horn plays Oskar, Sandra Bullock plays his mother. The film gets a limited release December 25.

The Iron Lady is a look at the life of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power. It gets a limited release December 30.

I'm really looking forward to Red Tails. A crew of African American pilots, the "Tuskegee Airmen", having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard. The aerial shots look amazing. The film opens January 20 in the US.

Here's a first look at Matthew McConaughey in Mud, a drama centered on two teenage boys who encounter a fugitive and pact to help him escape from an island in the Mississippi. Also starring Reese Witherspoon and Michael Shannon and directed by Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), it's not due out until 2013.

In one of the two versions of Dickens' Great Expectations now in production, Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) stars as Pip, alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.   Mike Newell directs. It's out sometime in 2012.

Last, but not least, we have a great new image from Disney/Pixar's Brave, featuring Lord MacGuffin, who will be voiced by Kevin McKidd. Set in Scotland in a rugged and mythical time, Brave features Merida, an aspiring archer and impetuous daughter of royalty. Merida makes a reckless choice that unleashes unintended peril and forces her to spring into action to set things right. It's out June 22.

Tis the season for animated and “family” (which usually means “kiddie”) oriented fare, with the holidays soon upon us.  We’ve seen or will see in the next few weeks, the likes of Arrietty, Puss in Boots, Happy Feet 2, Arthur Christmas and  The Muppets. Even Martin Scorsese’s Hugo could arguably go into this category. As much as I loved Puss, as much as I’m looking forward to the others, there is an animated film that I am really excited about and it’s still months away.  Disney Pixar’s Brave, features Pixar’s first female heroine, Merida, the wee lass with the masses of flame ginger hair and an indomitable spirit.

Brave is almost certain to be visually stunning. We’ve seen a teaser and a few images, all of them as breathtaking as any travelogue for the Scottish Highlands. Here are three new images, two of which give us glimpses of some of the characters we can expect to see: King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), as well as who I can only assume are Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltraine) and Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd)

The story is this: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.

Brave opens June 22 in the US & Canada and not until 17 August in the UK (although surely a premiere in the north of Scotland is in order before then.)

This post is going to make a lot of ladies and men happy because Pierce Brosnan is in the house!  Pierce is at the New York premiere of ‘Percy Jackson And The Olympians – The Lightning Thief, an adventure/fantasy that is set to open February 12:

A teenager discovers he’s the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods. Based on the book by Rick Riordan

Also starring in the movie and at the premiere, Grey’s Anatomy Dr. Hunt me down and let’s get our freak on Kevin McKidd.  Ladies (and gentlemen) don’t underestimate the sexiness of a redhead.  That’s all I can say on the subject.

Uma Thruman and Rosario Dawson are also in the film but are not pictured at the premiere.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Photos:  WENN

John Mayer took time out from Twitter (or maybe he was Twittering at the party..I haven’t checked) to attend  ‘One Splendid Evening’ sponsored by Carnival Cruise Lines and benefiting VH1 Save The Music Foundation held on the Carnival Splendor at Port Of Los Angeles, California.

Also attending:  Jordin Sparks, Gavin Rossdale, Sara Bareilles, Kevin McKidd, and Erin McCarley

More Pics after the break

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