Pixar, that famed oasis of wit, wonder, and imagination, stumbled slightly this summer with Cars 2, the studio’s first movie ever to get beaten up by the critics. But it still made over half a billion dollars (a.k.a. "Jay-Z money") and everybody assumes Pixar will get its swag back with the next one. Which is Brave, a magical Scottish adventure in which the King’s rebel daughter battles some big-time hexes and curses. This is the first Pixar movie to feature a female lead and was conceived by animation OG Brenda Chapman, who was inspired in part by her relationship with her own daughter. Chapman spent six years on the project as director — until she was fired last spring owing to creative differences. She was then replaced by a dude, Mark Andrews. Even without Chapman, though, Brave will still feature a female protagonist and POV. If it’s good, Brave can still be the barrier-busting Bridesmaids of animation.