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Brave

Nominees: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
Box office: $237.2 million*
What Lisa Schwarzbaum said: ''Brave…makes headlines first of all because the movie applauds the heroics of a female person for a change: a Scottish princess named Merida (voiced with irresistible authenticity by Macdonald). And second of all because Merida is defined by a huge unruly tumble of long bright-red curls that, in its refusal to be combed, let alone pinned down, signifies the opposite of ladylike passivity. Her untamed tresses are a Samson-like manifestation of her strength and independent spirit. ''
What Andrews said: ''Merida just happens to be, by default, in the society of a princess. We don't really call her Princess often in the movie. And she's trying to reconcile this difference between how the world wants her to be, and how she sees herself. Ultimately, she's going to have to look inside herself, and what she finds in the mirror is not exactly what she expected. That's kind of our definition of 'brave' in the movie — looking inside yourself and coming to grips with who exactly you are.''

*BoxOfficeMojo.com estimated domestic total as of Jan. 24, 2013

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Image Credit: Pixar/Disney