Pixar's Brave: New Photos

Disney/Pixar has released a few new images from Brave, the studio's summer 2012 offering.  Expectations are high for the film, which is Pixar's first original movie since 2009's Up, and it looks like it will easily remove the bad taste Cars 2 left in many critics' and moviegoers' mouths (as for me, I really enjoyed Mater's international antics).

Brave centers on a feisty Scottish princess, Merida (Kelly Macdonald), who defies tradition and sets the kingdom into a fury.  The voice cast also includes Julie Walters, Craig Ferguson, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, and, of course, John Ratzenberger.  Pixar's first fairy tale, Brave represents a darker direction for the studio, as evidenced by the teaser trailer that released earlier this year, and not so much by this fun batch of screens, which make the film look like a cousin of How to Train Your Dragon.  I'm perfectly fine with that.

Behold:

Brave hits theaters June 22, 2012.