Disney and Pixar’s Brave broke all kinds of new ground. For the first time, audiences were presented with a strong female character who defied the mold of the “standard” Disney Princess .
The film is positively littered with subtle allusions and clever Easter Eggs as well.
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Have a look and check out these 10+ hidden details in Brave fans didn’t notice!
1. Does that horn sound familiar to you?
Pay attention as the giant bear’s head horn is sounded through the village.
You likely won’t recognize it at first (unless you’re really into Pixar) but that horn is the identical sound that the ants in A Bug’s Life made to warn the colony about the grasshoppers.
2. Did you spot the hidden Mickey head?
This happens right before the triplets make their descent from the top of the tent to steal the tray of pastry.
As they prepare to lower down, take a look at the rope on the ground.
Do you see it?
3. Yes, John Ratzenberger makes a cameo.
John has been in every single Pixar film since Toy Story ( he played Hamm). The studio considers him to be a bit of a good luck charm, as they tell it.
In Brave , John plays Gordon the Guard!
4. Knock, knock, knocking on death’s door.
Watch closely as Merida approaches the witch’s cabin. If you look at the door knocker fastened to the outside, it’s in the shape of a Black Widow spider.
This is a well-known death symbol, therefore Merida is literally knocking on death’s door.
5. Whittling around the witch’s cabin.
The Pizza Planet truck is one fo the most endearing and longstanding Pixar Easter Eggs.
If you look closely while Merida is inside the cabin with the witch, you’ll notice that the old hag has carved the truck from a block of wood!
A carving of Sully from *Monsters Inc.* also appears!
So why is Sully there? Well, it could be one of two things. The most obvious, is a reference to Monsters University , which was released immediately following Brave .
Another explanation is that the witch is a grown up version of Boo caught in a time-warp!
6. A113 is carved above the door frame in the witch’s cabin.
This one is tough to spot, so you’re going to want to make sure that you have the remote close by in order to pause. You can see it right above Merida’s head and A113 is written as ACXIII.
In Roman Numerals , C is 100, X stands for 10 and I represents 1.
7. There’s a wooden carving of the Luxo ball inside the witch’s cabin!
My goodness — the witch’s cabin is a hotbed for Easter Eggs! You can spot the ball right before Merida presents the silver necklace to the witch for payment.
It’s just behind her left shoulder in a dish.
8. The Luxo ball is painted on a shield.
This is one of the more violent scenes in the film, so be warned! Watch right before one of the clansmen slams his pair of shields like a drum symbol.
The Luxo ball design is painted on the inside.
9. The witch is channeling the spirit of Michelangelo
This is an image from arguably the most famous painting in the world, “The Creation of Adam.” It was painted by the great Renaissance painter, Michelangelo , in the year 1508.
It’s meant to symbolize the moment that God gave Adam intellect.
10. Remembering Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs, among his many accomplishments, was also the co-founder of Pixar and served as CEO until his untimely death. He’s given a special thanks in the post-credits.
Steve was remembered as being a “Mentor and a friend.”
The characters Lord Macintosh and Young Macintosh share his legacy.
Macintosh is a reference to Apple Computers’ first successful working model.
It revolutionized the tech industry and helped introduce the concept of a personal computer to the world at large.
11. A reference to William Wallace.
Take a look at the warpaint that Lord Macintosh wears. It bares an eery resemblance to yet another Scottish highlander — William Wallace.
The makeup is a clear nod to Mel Gibson in Braveheart .
12. A long lost Pixar reference.
That’s not any old salamander in the witch’s hand. That’s actually a reference to Newt , an as of now abandoned Pixar project.
Many years ago, Pixar was going to make the film but for reasons unknown, the project was scrapped.
13. The wisps are actually real!
Remember the blue wisps? At certain times they both help and hinder Merida. This is because, in Scottish folklore, the wisps help lost travelers who they like and hurt those whom they do not.
The blue wisps are actually caused by a chemical reaction of gas leaking out of the ground.
