Disney

So apparently the suits at Disney have given up and are like, "Fiiiiine, we'll make Merida an un-hot ginger."

The controversy, which first reared its head earlier this week when a more slim-trim/glammy Merida from "Brave" was unveiled for her coronation as a Disney World Princess, has resulted in fan outcry that ultimately led the Mouse House to tell Inside the Magic that the redesign was strictly a "one-time stylized version" that will only be used on a "limited line of products" for Target.

While the studio claims the backlash was "blown out of proportion," it's fair to say that when the lady who won an Oscar for "Brave," Brenda Chapman, is calling you out for sexism it might be time to prick up your ears.

Fans have a history of anger at the first sign of change in an iconic character (see Bat nipples in "Batman and Robin," or the lack of Super underwear in "Man of Steel"), but the sexification of Merida was particularly odious given that the whole intention behind the Scottish lass was to break the mold of size 0, hourglass heroines who have to be rescued by Prince Charming.

""When little girls say they like it because it's more sparkly, that's all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy 'come hither' look and the skinny aspect of the new version," Chapman told her hometown paper, the Marin Independent Journal. "It's horrible! Merida was created to break that mold — to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance."

Although representatives from Pixar have not commented on the situation, we hope they'll use their creative autonomy to really piss off the Disney brass by making "Brave 2" with a much older, braver Merida proudly rocking a FUPA.

Disney/Pixar

There was a certain fist pump-ery involved with the wily little heroine Disney and Pixar drew up for "Brave." Merida was a lot more rough-and-tumbling Katniss Everdeen than airy-fairy Cinderella, and the world dug it ... to the tune of more than a half billion smackers worldwide. Some of us sensed a new, bolder, more "with it" direction for the House of Mouse's idea of a Princess — one that didn't need a Prince Charming to kiss away the spell but who could get out there and handle business her own dang self.

Yeah, but that didn't last long did it? Saturday, Disney unveiled a shinier, supposedly prettier and definitely thinner variation of Merida at Walt Disney World when it inducted the character into the Disney Princesses line-up. Barf.

Naturally, the virtual vitriol began almost immediately, and joining in on the pitchfork raising was none other than the movie's own canned director Brenda Chapman, who'd been Pixar's first female director before she was let go from the project (she went on to share an Academy Award for the film with Mark Andrews).

"There is an irresponsibility to this decision that is appalling for women and young girls," she said to the Marin Independent Journal. "Disney marketing and the powers that be that allow them to do such things should be ashamed of themselves."

Then she really let 'er rip and said, "They have been handed an opportunity on a silver platter to give their consumers something of more substance and quality — THAT WILL STILL SELL — and they have a total disregard for it in the name of their narrow minded view of what will make money."

"When little girls say they like it because it's more sparkly, that's all fine and good but, subconsciously, they are soaking in the sexy 'come hither' look and the skinny aspect of the new version. It's horrible! Merida was created to break that mold — to give young girls a better, stronger role model, a more attainable role model, something of substance, not just a pretty face that waits around for romance," she continued.

"I forget that Disney's goal is to make money without concern for integrity. Silly me."

As for what Disney had to say for themselves in response to all the outrage, the statement given to Yahoo! was pretty ubiquitous. "Merida exemplifies what it means to be a Disney Princess through being brave, passionate, and confident and she remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired moms and daughters around the world."

Yeah, we're talking about Jennifer Lawrence falling down the 2013 Oscars. (Well, and J-Law's tumble, but we'll get to that.)

Since this is NextMovie and we're not really the type to come at things head-on, we knew that we wanted to recap the Oscars, but how? The only way we know: With a game of Eff, Marry, Kill.

This isn't a hot-or-not, more  of a thoughful, mature look at the night that was. (Cough.) Our trusty FMKers ranked the three surprises from the night that shocked us most — Ang Lee's win for Best Director in a wide-open field, "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall" tying for Best Sound Editing, and, of course, Jennifer Lawrence falling ass-over-Dior on her way up to accept her Best Actress statue — and DTR. What shocks can we live with? What do we sneaky love? What gets the knife?

Before you read our panelists' picks and rationale below, please vote in our poll and explain yourself in the comments. Now grab your ballgowns and join us for Eff, Marry, Kill: Oscar Surprises 2013 Edition!

Christopher Rosen, Huffington Post Entertainment editor

Apologies in advance to the long, flowing locks of "Zero Dark Thirty" sound editor Paul N.J. Ottosson and "Skyfall" sound editor Per Hallberg, but you've got to kill that tie in the Best Sound Editing category. Tying at the Oscars is cool when it happens to Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn, not two guys from the "Game of Thrones" convention.

That leaves Ang and J.Law: I'll eff Lee's Best Director win, if only because it's the kinky kind that only seems to happen when Lee is nominated: the Best Director Oscar without a corresponding win for Best Picture. (Lee turned this trick in 2006 with "Brokeback Mountain," the last time those two categories split.) That leaves Lawrence's stumble as my blushing bride, the type of spontaneous moment that happens so rarely at the Oscars. It's the best thing ever, but not because lol Jennifer Lawrence fell down; it's the best thing ever because Jennifer Lawrence fell down and it was maybe the sixth greatest thing she did on Oscar night? Lawrence introduced Adele, won Best Actress, joked about falling down, wished Emmanuelle Riva a happy birthday, flipped off the press, batted away advances from Jack Nicholson and basically took over Hollywood. The only thing that stopped her was her dress. Girl is on fire.

Eff: Best Director
Marry: Lawrence's fall
Kill: Sound editing tie

Brooke Tarnoff, NextMovie senior editor

How can I not want to kill Jennifer Lawrence's stumble? What kind of monster do you take me for? That beautiful girl and her big moment, thwarted by the cruelty of fate and a super long dress — I want to terminate it in the face. I'd gladly eff the rare occurrence of a tied vote; it's special, and who doesn't want to be with something special, if only for a night? Of course, I'm going to marry Ang Lee winning Best Director; I didn't see it coming, and his fellow nominees were plenty deserving, but the man is crazy talented and his "thank you, Movie God," speech was cute as a genius' button.

Eff: Sound editing tie
Marry: Best Director
Kill: Lawrence's fall

Kase Wickman, NextMovie staff

When Jennifer Lawrence ate it on those stairs, the crowded room of people I was watching the Oscars with collectively gasped, then fell dead silent. Mortifying. Mortifying. But I feel like there's only one thing to do about taking that kind of stumble, which is exactly what I feel like my girl J-Law decided to do: Eff it.She stumbled, got up and moved on with being awesome. I can only hope to do the same, except wearing, you know. Flat shoes and non-couture outfits. That's just my style though. I don't do Dior well.

And then there were two. The dueling editing wizards: dead. Sorry. Wizrds never really die anyway, so it's really a win-win. Which leaves us with Ang "Adorable Adorable" Lee. You guys. You guys! Just think of how much he loves his wife, and how much I will love his smiley acceptance speech, and wish us well. A blessing upon our house. That's all I want.
Eff: Lawrence's fall
Marry: Best Director
Kill: Sound editing tie

What do you think? Be sure to sound off in the poll and comments, and hit us up on Twitter.

Warner Bros.

In "Beautiful Creatures," Lena Duchannes traipses into the damp, small town of Gatlin, South Carolina with the sole intention of remaining a good witch. There are those in her lineage who want nothing more than for her to join the dark side upon turning the dreaded age of 16, but the gal's got eyes for a little human boy named Ethan and just wants to play nice, for crying out loud.

Most of her predecessors in cinematic spell-casting, however, were not quite so noble. In fact, a lot of them would just do some downright effed up stuff. Let's review some of the worst.

"The Craft"

Warner Bros.

Four high school goth girls (Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk and Rachel True) learn to exercise earth's darkest magic against the bullies who trash their social lives, and they dish out some pretty messed up orders. One induces a heart attack on her redneck stepfather, for instance, while another charms the local dreamboat (Skeet Ulrich) into falling madly in love with her. The bitchiest of all paybacks hits the prom queen (Christine Taylor), though, whose lovely head of hair starts falling out in random chunks. Gross. To be fair, she totally had it coming.

"Practical Magic"
The poor Owens sisters (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) get one hell of a tough break with their family inheritance. Not only are they raised by the quirkiest broads on the block - their indiscreet caster aunts - but they're forbidden to fall in love, lest their special someone find himself turning up toes.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
If it'd followed the book to the letter, the most twisted moment of magic in "Half-Blood Prince" might've come along when Professor Dumbledore freezes Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) from being able to save him, but alas, it's Harry's use of the slicing spell Sectumsempra on Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) which stings most. Bloody fierce, that one!

"Sleeping Beauty"
Oh, Maleficent, you cruel, cruel witch. Angelina Jolie might be trying to give you a new face, but we know what you did. At the christening of little Princess Aurora, Maleficent dooms the girl to die at 16 after pricking her finger on a spinning wheel spindle, and while the good fairy Merryweather is able to take the curse down a notch, the beauty is still made to sleep until her Prince can arrive and kiss away those eye boogers.

"Hocus Pocus"
The three Salem witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) in this modern Halloween classic can be accused of many, many ills upon the townsfolk, but none pisses everyone off more than their annual ritual of sucking the life force out of virginal children on All Hallow's Eve to stay young.

"Thinner"

A widowed gypsy executes his own form of justice against a small town lawyer for running over his wife by cursing the man to lose pound upon pound of body weight until there's nothing left. That's some ice cold revenge.

"Labyrinth"
So, technically David Bowie's eccentric spell-slinger is a Goblin King, but he definitely still has a way with making magic dance. All poor Sarah does is recite one little passage and poof, baby bro Toby disappears into the night.

"The Gate"
Sometimes we just want to yell "stop what you're doing right now, you moron!" to this movie character or that, and the main kid in this 1987 shrieker was one of those cases. Reading random incantations might just open up an entry way to hell, dummy.

"Brave"
Merida's mum gets the raw end of the deal in Disney and Pixar's latest animated adventure when she eats a slice of magic cake delivered by her own daughter straight from a witch in the woods and turns into a friggin' bear. Teenagers are seriously the worst sometimes.

"Drag Me to Hell"
The housing market slump hits an all-new low when a loan officer on the rise denies an old woman a much-needed payment extension, and she responds by cursing the poor chick with three days of torture and a trip straight to the netherworld. Lopsided shot of comeuppance, that.

"Witches of Eastwick"
Three women share a bed with the devil until things get out of hand, and they can only get rid of him by setting up one brutal voodoo doll stabbing and burning ritual. Yow!

"The Witches"
A birthday trip to the beach goes miserably wrong when a little orphan boy named Luke is turned into a squirmy mouse by the square-footed convention of witches down the hall. What's worse is that the meanies are posing as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Yeesh.

"Big"

Warner Bros.

The world started looking at those curbside fortune telling machines a little different after this flick came out. A little boy wishes to become a big boy, and voila! He wakes up a man (Tom Hanks) and has to learn to hack it in the dreaded real world. On the bright side, he also gets an early sneak peek at the perks of manhood.

"Dark Shadows"
Unrequited love never lasted quite so long as between Angelique (Eva Green) and Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp). The brokenhearted enchantress turns the poor chap into an everlasting gobstopper vampire to suffer in eternal isolation. Way, way harsh.

"Bewitched"
Bewitching a woman into signing divorce papers and shipping herself off to Iceland is certainly one way of taking care of the ex-wife.

"Blair Witch Project"
Whether the supposed Blair Witch in this mockumentary is even a thing in this story is questionable, but somehow the video explorers finds themselves hopelessly and irretrievably lost in the Burkittsville woods. The actual witchery is never spelled out, but our imaginations filled in the gaps. Somehow, teeth were involved, and that's enough for us.

"Chronicles of Narnia"
The witch in the wardrobe is one cold mother. She keeps all of Narnia in a subzero state of winter and turns her enemies into stone - which is pretty much the very definition of hardened punishment. Medusa, scoot over. The White Witch (Tilda Swinton) is taking your mean seat.

Disney

The 40th annual Annie Awards, which recognize excellence in animation, were held last night and according to Film.com, Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" dominated the proceedings, earning five Annies including Best Animated Feature.

The win follows "Wreck-It Ralph's" victory at the Golden Globes last month and cements the film's status as the frontrunner for the Best Animated Feature award at this year's Oscars. Pixar's "Brave," meanwhile, did manage to take home two Annies, but the one time presumed frontrunner now seems doomed to be an also-ran at the Academy Awards.

For a full review of this year's Annie Awards, including wins by "ParaNorman" and "Rise Of the Guardians," head to Film.com.

Getty Images

Oscar might be the word of the day, but for some folks, their own names were what rung loudest and proudest during this morning's 2013 Academy Award nominations read-out. Sure, some of them were just as baffled by some of the snubs as the vociferous folks of the Twitterverse, but they couldn't complain too much because, hey, they just got a chance at the most elite prize in the biz.

So, in the day's spirit of actors and such talking about actors and such, we've gathered here the nominees' various reactions to this year's nods. You can probably read between the lines on a few of these.

Best Actresses

Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook": "I'm so honored and grateful for this nomination and to be in the company of such talented actresses. Having the fortunate opportunity to work with David O. Russell was an extraordinary gift and I am so thrilled for my fellow cast members Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver who are all nothing short of amazing. This was a labor of love that we all poured our hearts into and could not be more thankful to The Weinstein Company and Harvey Weinstein for their unyielding support of the film" (ET Online).

Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour": "I am truly happy, touched, and honored to receive, today in New York, a nomination for the role of Anne in AMOUR by Michael Haneke. For me, it is an immense gift, at this stage of my life, to be chosen by my sisters and brothers, for what I do as an actress. I never thought,  while working throughout the years in Europe and France, that one day, I would cross the Atlantic Ocean, come to the United States, and be nominated. It is quite surreal for me.  Shooting AMOUR with Michael Haneke was a complete joy for me, as I felt an absolute trust in him and we were in complete synch. Michael is the very music of his own film" (Awards Daily).

Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild": "Everyone who made 'Beasts' happen is so happy! Thank you to all you Oscar folks, from me, my mom and my dad. Meeting all these great new people is one of the best parts for me. I want to thank my family, friends, fans and everyone so much. Beast it!" (MTV).

Naomi Watts, "The Impossible": "I am so thrilled and humbled with this morning's wonderful news. The journey of telling Maria Belon's miraculous story of survival has been an incredible experience and I am so grateful for this acknowledgement of our film. I am truly honored."

Best Actors

Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook": "To be a part of this group of actors who have put forth incredible performances this year, and for the movie to be recognized by the Academy the way it has been this morning with nominations for Bob, Jen, Jacki and David O!!! It's a moment I'll cherish and never forget" (HitFix).

Hugh Jackman, "Les Misérables": "I hadn't planned to listen live to the announcements, but when I got into the car this morning to go to work, the driver had the nominations streaming as they were being broadcast. To be honest, it's very exciting but all a bit surreal, and it hasn't fully sunk in yet. This is a brilliant awards year that has been defined by an eclectic list of stories that have been told by incredibly talented and courageous filmmakers, and it's an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as the other nominees in the Best Actor category. Having hosted the show, I have seen so many different sides of the Oscars, but to be an actual nominee is something I never would have dreamed possible" (The Australian).

Denzel Washington, "Flight": "'Flight' was one of the most challenging roles I've ever had in my career, and it was an honor to be directed by Robert Zemeckis. It’s always nice to be asked back to the show, and it will be fun to share the evening with our nominated screenwriter John Gatins."

Best Supporting Actresses

Amy Adams, "The Master": "It is such an honor to receive this recognition from the Academy. Working with Paul Thomas Anderson was a unique and wonderful opportunity that I am so grateful for. I’d also like to send congratulations to the other nominees and to my co-stars Philip and Joaquin."

Sally Field, "Lincoln": "I'm spinning and beyond thrilled on so many levels. To be included in this amazing group of extraordinary craftsman and exquisite talents has been an honor in itself. But now for us all  to receive so much recognition from the Academy I'm deeply appreciative and overwhelmed, and basically, I still can't believe I got the role."

Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables": "The first thing I did was just breathe. I almost hyperventilated because I realized I had been holding my breath for a couple of months. I started crying and I started laughing, and then doing both at the same time. And then the calls and the texts starting coming in" (New York Daily News).

Helen Hunt, "The Sessions": "I was deeply deeply asleep when the news came in this morning and the dog was the first one to get celebratory love from me and my boyfriend! I’m really really happy and feel this is a good sign that people like the spirit this character embodies. This film is definitely counter-programming to a lot of the pain and harshness in the world. It's too bad that John [Hawkes] wasn't recognized, but that doesn't take away from the brilliance of his performance one bit" (The Hollywood Reporter).

Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook": "I am completely over the moon by this morning's news. To be nominated twice now is incredible, and to be a part of this wonderful film and amazing cast makes things even sweeter. I am so happy for David O. Russell and could not be more thrilled."

Best Supporting Actors

Alan Arkin, "Argo": "I am of course very excited about the nomination this morning. Ben Affleck is an amazing director, and I am so happy that 'Argo' was recognized in seven categories!"

Robert DeNiro, "Silver Linings Playbook": "I am very pleased that the Academy has chosen to honor the many individuals who were a part of 'Silver Linings Playbook.'"

Best Directors

Michael Haneke, "Amour": "I am very happy and gratified by the Oscar nominations that 'Amour' has received today, and that the voting members of the Academy have taken the film so strongly to their hearts. It is fulfilling to discover that a film has found the audience and critical acclaim that 'Amour' has garnered.  I have been very fortunate on both those fronts, but it is especially rewarding to discover that a film has found favor among one’s industry peers who know, in particular, the effort that goes into getting a film – any film – made.  I am also especially happy for all the people who made 'Amour' with me.  It is a joyous occasion for us all.  Many thanks."

Ang Lee, "Life of Pi": "I am deeply honored and frankly a little overwhelmed by all of the nominations that 'Life of Pi' has received this morning. So many talented people gave everything they had to this film, both in front of and behind the camera, and to see all of them receive this kind of recognition is something I am incredibly grateful for."

David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook": "I'm beyond grateful, since I didn't know what to expect. I'm especially over the moon for my actors. The fact that Bob and Jacki Weaver were nominated is amazing" (The Hollywood Reporter).

Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln": "We are absolutely thrilled and astonished with the 12 nominations. It is such a tribute to the work of those who joined us in this 12-year journey to bring 'Lincoln' to the screen. We humbly thank the Academy members who honored so many of us."

Benh Zeitlan, "Beasts of the Southern Wild": "I feel like my house just crashed on the yellow brick road and everything just turned color. So proud Quvenzhane and Lucy and of my whole ragtag band of warriors. I got to especially thank the members of the Academy for coming out for a movie made about as far from Hollywood as you can get. I think it's a beautiful thing for independent filmmaking and for creative freedom everywhere" (HitFix).

Best Animated Pictures

Mark Andrews, "Brave": "We are incredibly honored by today's Academy Award nomination. 'Brave' has been an adventure from the beginning -- starting with our research trips to Scotland, the crew embarked upon a journey that inspired us all and forever changed our fates. Thanks to the Academy from all of us here at Pixar."

Tim Burton, "Frankenweenie": "'Frankenweenie' is a very personal film for me. The idea of telling a feature-length version was in the back of my mind for many years. Stop Motion was the perfect medium for this project, and one I've always loved for its expressiveness and dimensionality. I've worked with so many incredible artists: animators, cast members, set builders, and puppet makers, all who have helped bring this film to life one frame at a time. I'm so honored that the Academy has recognized this film as one of its nominees."

Sam Fell and Chris Butler, "ParaNorman": "We are overjoyed that our movie has been Oscar-nominated! We made it with the unending support of brilliant producers and an amazing crew at LAIKA, a unique and cutting-edge studio. On behalf of all of them, we are so proud that the enduring craft of stop-motion has been acknowledged by the Academy -- and that the individuality of Norman himself is being celebrated."

Peter Lord, "The Pirates! Band of Misfits": "This is amazing! We tried to do something a little different with 'The Pirates,' in terms of tone and comedy, and it’s just brilliant that the Academy has responded to it in such a wonderful way."

Rich Moore, "Wreck-it Ralph": "To have the 'Wreck-It Ralph' team's passion and years of hard work acknowledged by the Academy is an honor like no other. We are so proud, so grateful - I can't wait to congratulate everyone in-person."

Etc.

Mark Boal, "Zero Dark Thirty": "Thank you to the Academy for these incredible honors. And thank you to the writers who have honored me today with their generosity and to the academy for the Best Picture nomination. None of us would be so honored today without the genius and remarkable talent of Kathryn Bigelow, and to her we are forever grateful."

Harvey Weinstein: "I am blown away! I can't say thank you enough to the Academy for their support of our films. We have a tremendous group of actors and film makers who we had the pleasure of working with this year and I am so happy that their achievements are being recognized."

Adele, "Skyfall": "Oh my god I feel like Meryl Streep!! Thank you x" (Twitter).

Seth MacFarlane, "Ted": "First an Oscar nomination, then I find a basically brand-new queen mattress on my drive home. This is an incredible day."

Pixar

This week: Pixar churns out another animated blockbuster with "Brave," featuring the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Waters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson and many more.

Also new this week is Oliver Stone's "Savages," the sci-fi comedy "The Watch" with Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill, and the glorious Blu-ray debut of "Lawrence of Arabia."

'Brave'

Disney DVD

Box Office: $236 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% Fresh
Storyline: Set in the Highlands of Scotland, Pixar's latest animated adventure follows a different kind of princess named Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald). The strong-willed archer defies a sacred custom of her people and unleashes chaos in the kingdom, forcing Merida to use all of her resources — including her triplet brothers — to undo a beastly curse and discover the true meaning of bravery.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray have two additional animated shorts. There is also a kingdom's worth of Blu-ray exclusives, including making-of featurettes, an art gallery, extended scenes, an alternative opening and more. To explore a brave new dimension, "Brave" is also available in a Blu-ray 3D combo pack.
We Say: There are enough fairy tales and Disney movies about a princess who needs rescued by a dashing prince, so it's refreshing that "Brave" has a female protagonist that is headstrong and can take care of herself. The story might not be meaty enough for older viewers, but everyone can appreciate the latest Pixar film's clean and eye-popping animation.

'Savages'

Universal

Box Office: $47 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 51% Rotten
Storyline: Oliver Stone's latest film follows two best friends (Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson) whose lucrative marijuana business based in Laguna Beach, California has attracted the unwanted attention of the Mexican Baja Cartel, headed up by the ruthless Elena (Salma Hayek). Benicio Del Toro leads Elena's pack of thugs, John Travolta plays a crooked drug enforcement agent and Blake Lively plays the free-spirited hippie chick who is held hostage by the cartel because she's the shared object of desire of both Kitsch and Johnson.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray have a commentary track by Stone but only the Blu-ray has a five-part making-of feature called "Stone Cold Savages" filled with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew.
We Say: Both the R-rated and unrated cuts of the film are violent and sexy, like any good Oliver Stone picture should be. The best elements of this drug war opus are Hayek, whose maternal instincts are her only vulnerability, Del Toro's scary turn as a trigger-happy enforcer and Travolta as the slithery DE agent who will do anything to save his skin. The weakest links are Lively as the narrator/perma-baked California girl who is passed between the two lead guys like an old joint and the film's double ending that favors fantasy over gritty realism.

'The Watch'

20th Century Fox

Box Office: $35 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 17% Rotten
Storyline: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade star as four residents of the otherwise peaceful Glenview, Ohio who start a neighborhood watch and discover an alien threat to destroy the Earth.
Extras! Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain deleted scenes, a gag reel, "Alien Invasions and You" and "Casting the Alien." Exclusive to the Blu-ray are "Jonah Alternate Takes" and "Watchmakers."
We Say: The promising set-up leads to some intermittent mild giggles, but the funny leads are mostly wasted in this juvenile male-bonding flick with R-rated potty humor. Stiller seems angry at his agent as he chases around day players dressed in rubber suits, Vaughn's nervous chatter grates on the nerves and Hill phones in a performance that is pretty similar to the character he already played in "21 Jump Street." This is a sci-fi comedy in which the aliens can only be destroyed by being shot in the penis  (where their brains are), which should tell you all you need to know.

'Lawrence of Arabia' Blu-ray

Sony

Box Office: $45 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% Fresh
Storyline: This 1962 epic based on the life of T.E. Lawrence won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is considered one of the most influential films ever made. Peter O'Toole stars as the titular British officer assigned to Arabia during World War I who unites the warring Arab factions into one cohesive guerrilla front and leads them into victory over the ruling Turkish Empire.
Extras! The 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition comes packaged with a handsome 88-page coffee-table book, a soundtrack CD and an authentic 70mm film frame. The Blu-ray itself has exhaustive supplemental features, including a picture-in-picture graphic track, advertising campaigns, a never-before-seen deleted scene, an all-new interview with Martin Scorsese about the film, archival interviews, a making-of documentary, newsreel footage of the New York premiere and much more.
We Say: One of the greatest films of all time gets the royal treatment for its Blu-ray debut and, while watching, it's sometimes difficult to believe the movie is a half-century old due to the near-flawless transfer that makes it look like it was filmed yesterday. The epic film is a butt-challenging 228 minutes, which makes it ideal for home viewing as the Blu-ray can be removed from the player in the middle of the movie and, the next time the disc is inserted, the player remembers exactly where you stopped to take a breather.

Also New This Week:

"2 Days in New York"
"Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" Blu-ray
"Vamps"
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" 10th Anniversary Special Edition Blu-ray
"Watchmen" Collector's Edition
"Nitro Circus the Movie"

Sony / Warner Bros. / Universal

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This poll will close on Aug. 30, 2012, at 12 p.m. ET

This Friday will kick off the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, and though our old Revolutionary War adversaries might be our allies now, that doesn't mean the U.S. of frickin' A. isn't ready to bring the thunder.

Using our powers of make-believe and fantasy, we've assembled athletic champions from the entirety of movie history to give us a clear advantage towards the race for Olympic glory in every sport of the XXX Olympiad.

Archery

This year, the team events will be presented in single elimination format, with each archer shooting a total of 72 arrows from a 70-meter distance. Representatives from our women's team include District 12's Katniss Everdeen of "The Hunger Games" whose chief competitor for the gold is Scotland's Princess Merida of "Brave." The Men's team shall attempt to defeat Middle Earth's Legolas Greenleaf from "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" with our boys consisting of Hawkeye on loan from "The Avengers," and, just for the hell of it Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," who couldn't hide that Yank accent anyway.

Basketball

Coach Norman Dale of "Hoosiers" will be leading the Americans, including Sidney Deane and Billy Hoyle of "White Men Can't Jump," hirsute player Scott Howard, also known as "Teen Wolf," and the team's equally hairy MVP Buddy, a.k.a. "Air Bud."

Boxing

Paramount

The U.S. has assembled a strong Men's team this year, improbably led by 66-year-old "Rocky Balboa" of Philadelphia, former "Raging Bull" Jake LaMotta, Lowell, Mass., native Mickey Ward of "The Fighter," Todd Howard from "Teen Wolf Too," and robotic pugilist Atom from "Real Steel." The Women's team is equally robust, with Diana Guzman of "Girlfight" and Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald from "Million Dollar Baby," the latter hoping to recover from the recent setback of a neck injury in the ring.

Canoeing

Our entry for the Men's 200m canoe race are Lewis Medlock and Bobby Trippe from "Deliverance," who will make the competition squeal like a pig. Disney's Native American princess Pocahontas, along with her faithful raccoon companion Meeko, will do us proud in the Women's 200m.

Cycling

Leading the Men's BMX is one of Bloomington, Indiana's favorite "cutters," Dave Stoller from "Breaking Away," although he gets a powerful assist from the light bike of "Tron" lead Kevin Flynn, and the flying bike of Elliott and his basket partner "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." The team's main threat comes in the form of French cyclist Champion from "The Triplets of Belleville," though Flynn recently commented to the press that Champion poses no threat since "He's, like, a cartoon, man."

Equestrian

Jockey Red Pollard, who bears a startling resemblance to Spider-Man, will ride championship horse "Seabiscuit" to victory in individual eventing if his teammate Harpo Marx of "A Day at the Races" doesn't distract him by honking horns or playing his harp out on the track.

Fencing

Lucasfilm

"Return of the Jedi" hero Luke Skywalker, who hails from a galaxy far, far away, will lead our cunning swordsmen, lightsaber in hand, as Westley of "The Princess Bride" tries to win gold in individual épée events while individual sabre should prove a lock for Captain Jack Sparrow from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" mega franchise. Only Asgardian Fandral the Dashing of "Thor" could possibly foil their plans to dominate this year. Get it? Foil? It's a fencing joke.

Football

West London's 18-year-old Punjabi Sikh Jesminder Kaur "Jess" Bhamra and her best friend Juliette "Jules" Paxton from "Bend It Like Beckham" seem pretty unbeatable on the field, but one of our star basketball hopefuls, Buddy, starred in another little movie called "Air Bud: World Pup." Now you're getting the picture. Olympic committees should not have a problem with the male inclusion since he's also a dog.

Handball

If Jonathan E can somehow transfer his "Rollerball" skills (the non-remake kind of Rollerball) he should be able to have the edge on the court, assuming that lousy, cheating ponce "Harry Potter" doesn't fly in on his Quidditch broom and steal the bloody show.

Gymnastics

Dreamworks

Peter Parker, also known affectionately in his hometown of New York as "Spider-Man," should prove formidable in Men's vault, floor, pommel horse, rings, parallel bars, and horizontal bar. Our Women's entries include acrobatic human resistance fighter Trinity from "The Matrix" bringing her talents to the balance beam, and beautiful-but-deadly android Pris from "Blade Runner" should take to the uneven bars the same way her midair flips and clamping thighs almost crushed Harrison Ford's head. Buffy Summers and Rancho Carne High School's own Missy Pantone are sure to "Bring It On" for the all-around. As for Rhythmic Gymnastics, we're tapping the one and only Frank Ricard from "Old School."

Judo

When he spoke to the press recently, England's secret agent Austin Powers, the "International Man of Mystery," had only this to say about his United States competition: "Judo chop!" He then followed that with eight hours incessantly repeating the phrase "Yeah, baby, yeah!" while fondling various female members of the media.

Rowing

After placing 6th at 2008's Beijing Olympics, it is still unknown at this time if twins Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss of "The Social Network" will be able to compete since they are currently embroiled in a lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg for falsely accusing them on Facebook of molesting Jesse Eisenberg.

Sailing

Semi-successful "Jaws" shark hunters Chief Martin Brody, Matt Hooper and Captain Quint from summer resort town Amity Island will be joined on their Star class vessel Orca by Bob Wiley from "What About Bob?," who after being tied to the mast exclaimed, "I'm sailing! I'M SAAAAIIIILING!"

Shooting

Anyone who's seen our action movies knows America is home to some talented practitioners of the deadly arts, which makes our qualifiers for the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions competition extra exceptional. You're likely to hear sniper Private Daniel Jackson of "Saving Private Ryan" quoting scripture like Psalm 25 while lining up a shot, while Gunnery Sergeant Bob Lee Swagger of "Shooter" supports him. In the Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol William "Will" Munny from "Unforgiven" will likely take a snort of whiskey before doing away with his targets, alongside killing machine Jason Bourne of "The Bourne Identity" backing him up. Their biggest competitors this year will be expert French marksman Leon, a.k.a. "The Professional" and two-handed Hong Kong gunman Ah Jong, also known as "The Killer."

Swimming

Disney

This year the Olympic committee allowed each country to enter up to two qualifying swimmers per event, which is good news for both the gilled, own-urine drinking Mariner from historical flop "Waterworld" as well as the title character from classic Universal monster romp "The Creature From The Black Lagoon." For the women's relay events we have the adorable Dory from "Finding Nemo" as well as Tom Hanks' love interest Madison from "Splash," who narrowly beat "The Little Mermaid" star Ariel after an intense hair pulling underwater catfight. We think Madison's lack of a seashell bra gave her the advantage.

Table Tennis

He achieved victory competing against Communist Chinese teams on a goodwill tour, but Alabama native/shrimp company magnate/long-distance runner "Forrest Gump" told President Obama that life is still like a box of chocolates, and he is hopeful he can best his Olympic competitors right after he "goes pee."

Taekwondo

North Carolina's fourth-degree black belt/dojo owner Fred Simmons of "The Foot Fist Way" will compete in the Middleweight (80 kg) competition alongside his childhood hero, Alexander "Alex" Grady from "Best of the Best" and its far-superior sequel "Best of the Best 2." Said Simmons, "Tae Kwon Do is terrific for keeping in shape, but it's also a deadly serious killing system."

Tennis

After his meltdown during the last open he played, former child prodigy Richie Tenenbaum of New York's family of geniuses "The Royal Tenenbaums" will hope for a comeback against British pro Chris Wilton of "Match Point," who is still dogged by rumors that he murdered his brother-in-law's fiancé.

Track

Our superheroic entry into the four lap/10 km (6.2 mi) run is Dashiell Robert "Dash" Parr from Pixar's "The Incredibles," who won't have to hold back against the formidable competition this time. He'll be running against 1924 Olympians Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell of the UK's "Chariots of Fire" and Admiral General Shabazz Aladeen, "The Dictator" of the Republic of Wadiya known for his signature move of bringing a handgun onto the track.

Volleyball

Paramount

LT Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and the entire Navy Fighter Weapons School of "Top Gun" always have some absolutely, totally straight, non-gay fun whenever they play volleyball. With the help of their own secret weapon, Buddy the dog, this time from "Air Bud: Spikes Back," there's no way they won't come out on top. Yes, there's an "Air Bud" for every occasion.

Weightlifting

Our three entries into this competition somehow all won six consecutive Mr. Olympia championships in the '70s. Coming in at 235 lb (107 kg) is Conan of "The Barbarian" and "The Destroyer" fame, the notorious T-800 from "The Terminator," and the more lighthearted and likeable Julius Benedict from "Twins," the latter of whom will go for the gold with the help of personal trainer Danny DeVito.

Wrestling

New Jersey's Kyle Timmons of "Win-Win" will be tag-team partners with fellow Garden State canvas guy Randy "The Ram" Robinson from "The Wrestler," who has denied use of steroids, cocaine, or strippers. Their chief competitor is Mexican luchador Ignacio from "Nacho Libre," who if he wins will dedicate his victory to the children of his monastery.

Disney/Pixar

13 was a lucky number for Pixar at the box office this weekend as according to Film.com, "Brave" became the 13th straight Pixar film to open at number one with an impressive $66.7 million debut.

While "Brave" was able to change its fate at the box office, however, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter's" efforts to change American history itself ended up falling flat. The action epic brought in a disappointing $16.5 million in its opening weekend, landing it in third place behind returning blockbuster "Madagascar 3."

For a full look at the weekend box office, including figures for "Prometheus" and "Snow White and the Huntsman," head to Film.com.

Disney/Pixar

There are very few things in this life you can count on, but one of them is that when the folks at Pixar make a movie, chances are they'll hit it right out of the damn park.

The CGI animation division of Disney has the best track record in the business and is known for retaining a story-centric level of quality control as intricate and precise as the Sistine Chapel -- but with more talking animals.

As Pixar's latest, "Brave," hits theaters, we decided to gird our loins and compile all the facts you'll ever need to know about the studio. Read on to learn the secret of Pixar's success, or at least to overload on the almost embarrassing amount of success it's had.

13 - Total number of feature-length movies.

13 - Number of feature voice appearances by "Cheers" mailman John Ratzenberger.

22 - Total number of short films.

9 - Feature films with a 95% or above critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.

26 - Number of Academy Award wins, including shorts.

Disney

20 - Number of prominent current/former stand-up comedians in major voice roles (Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Penn Jillette, Denis Leary, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, George Carlin, Patton Oswalt, Janeane Garofalo, Brad Garrett, Jeff Garlin, Kristen Schaal, Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Izzard, Craig Ferguson).

5 - Pixar feature films directed by co-founder/chief creative officer John Lasseter.

$5 million - Amount Steve Jobs paid George Lucas for the Pixar offshoot unit of Lucasfilm in 1986.

$7.4 billion - Amount Disney paid to acquire Pixar in 2006. Mama mia! That's a spicy meat-a-ball!

3 - Number of Pixar films with a human being as the central character ("The Incredibles," "Up" and "Brave").

6 - Number of Pixar movies scored by Randy Newman, with 8 Oscar nominations including 2 wins for Best Original Song ("We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3" and "If I Didn't Have You" from "Monsters, Inc.")

4 trillion - Estimated number of collective audience tears shed during dead wife montage in "Up."

26 - Years in existence.

4 - Films overhauled by replacement directors after troubled starts ("Toy Story 2," "Toy Story 3," "Ratatouille," "Brave").

Disney

45 - Approximate number of minutes devoid of dialogue at the beginning of "WALL-E."

3 - Number of former "Simpsons" animators who have directed and/or written a Pixar movie, specifically David Silverman (co-director of "Monsters Inc."), Brad Bird (writer/director of "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille") and Jim Reardon (co-writer and storyboard supervisor on "WALL-E").

2.36 million - Approximate number of Google search results combining the phrase "A Bug's Life" and the word "communism." Just thought we'd point that out, not that we're suggesting anything. Nope. Nothing at all.

374 - Number of Hawaiian shirts John Lasseter keeps in active rotation for his wardrobe. Counting those in storage, altogether he claims to own "well over a thousand."

0 - Number of Pixar films that have NOT been a huge, sweeping success.

Originally published June 22, 2011.

Getty Images

Disney and Pixar's latest creation, "Brave,"takes place in the beautiful, mystical Scottish Highlands. So who better to lend her voice to the rambunctious teenage princess Merida than Kelly Macdonald, just about the hottest Scottish actress today?

While she may have already had the accent down, acting for an animated movie was completely foreign to Macdonald. In an interview with Film.com, the "Boardwalk Empire" actress talked about the difficulties she faced while making "Brave."

"I definitely sort of found that everything has to be more, you can’t get away with subtlety," Macdonald says in the interview. "I use my face a lot to tell stories or emote, and to not be able to do that, it’s like learning a whole new process. It was difficult."

Macdonald also spills on her surprising lack of preparation for the role, the timeless quality of "Brave" and what her mother thinks of the movie. Head over to Film.com to read the full interview. Scottish accent not included.

Pixar

So you call yourself a movie fan, huh? You frequent our site to catch up on the latest. You know all the taglines. You can recite what's coming out when and impress your friends by throwing down film quotes on cue. Well, boy, have we got something for you!

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In it, you'll race the clock to fit puzzle pieces together and knock down line by line. Every level you get through – they get more challenging and more rewarding as they go – reveals an awesome new movie image.

Wanna see a new shot of Kristen Stewart, "The Hunger Games" or your favorite superhero? Then get to work.

Oh, and each Thursday, we'll update the game the latest images, so you'll definitely want to drop back in each week to unlock the latest ... that is, if you're not already playing it 24/7 like us.

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Disney/Pixar

In the UK, redheads or "gingers," once considered evil demonic spawn, are regularly insulted and abused. But we in America have a long-standing love affair with strawberry locks, so much so that many blondes and brunettes have dyed their hair to become famous fiery redheads, a la Lucille Ball, Nicole Kidman and Emma Stone.

In honor of Pixar's new "Brave" heroine Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), we've assembled our list of favorite cinematic gingers -- and by that we mean the characters were redheads, not necessarily the actors. Yes, they're all ladies, but we'd love it if more actors like Damian Lewis, Michael Fassbender and Kevin McKidd let their ginger flags fly high. Rupert Grint can't be the only one to represent, guys.

9. Giselle in 'Enchanted' (Amy Adams)

Disney

A mashup of all the fairest of princesses, Giselle (like the actress who portrays her) is so adorable, it's impossible not to smile when she's twirling around Central Park encouraging guys not to take the ones they love for granted. As the great Bruce Springsteen puts it, "It takes a red headed woman to do get a dirty job done," and Giselle can make anything sparkly clean with her can-do spirit. That's what the Boss meant, right?

8. Rose in 'Titanic' (Kate Winslet)

Paramount

Is there a more romantic movie image than the sight of Rose standing in Jack's embrace "on top of the world," the ocean breeze fluttering through her auburn curls? We think not. High-born Rose may have worn her hair in a tightly controlled up-do at the beginning of the film, but by the time she's pledged herself to steerage's passionate Jack Dawson, her red hair blazes free and wild, just like their love.

7. Black Widow in 'The Avengers' (Scarlett Johansson)

Marvel/Disney

We adore women who can kick butt, and Black Widow (aka Natasha Romanoff) is precisely the sort of beauty you should never mess with -- ever. Look beyond the skin-tight uniform (we know it's hard) and spectacular display of fighting skills and see how vulnerable she is whenever Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is mentioned. Tasha may be a mysterious badass, but she's no ice queen. We can't wait for her crimson-haired heroics in "Avengers 2."

6. Vivian in 'Pretty Woman' (Julia Roberts)

Buena Vista

If this were a list of our nine favorite movie streetwalkers, Vivian would top it. Roberts rocked her iconic role as the hooker with the heart of gold who wanted the fairy tale, not just a rich john. Give in to the pull of Roy Orbison's classic theme song and picture Vivian's Rodeo Drive makeover, dazzling smile and infectious laugh, and it's obvious why Richard Gere gave her everything.

5. Leeloo in 'The Fifth Element' (Milla Jovovich)

Columbia Pictures

It would be easy to dismiss Leeloo as just a sexy alien wearing an intergalactic bikini, but she's actually an extraterrestrial heroine, people, not just Jovovich stuffed into four strips of cloth. There's a lot of exposed skin, but this is Jovovich at her best -- a femme fatale who knows what she has to do to save our skin. Cheers to the redheaded rescuer of humanity who can rock a teeny-tiny costume for two hours.

4. Ariel in 'The Little Mermaid' (Jodi Benson)

Disney

We could've gone with the more predictable (not to mention red-hot) Jessica Rabbit, but there's something magical about Ariel. The irresistibly sweet mermaid princess is desperate to be part of the world above, and she sacrifices her one talent -- her voice -- in exchange for legs just to meet with her crush, Prince Eric. Disney infused Ariel with unmatched beauty and a transcendent voice that, along with the Oscar-winning soundtrack, gave "The Little Mermaid" legs.

3. Little Orphan Annie in 'Annie' (Aileen Quinn)

Columbia Pictures

Leapin' lizards! Annie is the most delightful ginger of the bunch. The character's signature red curls were a comic-strip legend long before she ever hit the silver screen, but Quinn brought the cute and scrappy orphan to life in the cherished '80s movie musical. Annie's the ultimate underdog, and with her sheer optimism -- even in the face of a hard-knock life – she helps audiences young and old realize that no matter how gray and lonely things get, there's always "Tomorrow."

2. Olive in 'Easy A' (Emma Stone)

Screen Gems

If Molly Ringwald is the epitome of the angst-ridden middle-class girl wondering if she's worthy, Stone's Olive is the embodiment of what we wish we'd been like in high school: confident, whip-smart, daringly subversive and unapologetically close to her awesome family (we want Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as parents). Olive's "Scarlet Letter" experiment is at once a brilliant feminist statement and a comically misguided teen stunt, but through it all, Olive remains ridiculously lovable.

1. Molly Ringwald in Any '80s Movie

Universal

Ringwald will forever be known as the queen of '80s teen flicks. Her collaboration with writer-director John Hughes led to the Me Decade's most unforgettable suburban high-school movies, and she managed to make us believe that a swoon-worthy guy could fall for someone other than the busty blonde cheerleader. Ultimate props go to her fashion-forward misfit Andie in "Pretty in Pink" and her adorably insecure sister-of-the-bride Samantha in "Sixteen Candles."

Bonus Male Ginger: Ron Weasley in the 'Harry Potter' Movies (Rupert Grint)

Warner Bros.

We've already bemoaned the fact that there aren't enough redheaded guys in showbiz (and no, we aren't going to count Carrot Top, Chucky or the Lucky Charms leprechaun), but we can pay tribute to the ultimate male ginger: Ron Weasley in the seven "Harry Potter" films. He may not be the hero of the story, but Ron is more than just comic-relief sidekick: He saves Harry, faces his biggest fears, destroys a horcrux AND gets to finally snog the witch of his dreams.

Disney/Pixar

It's clear at this point that Pixar's track record is the best in the business, so why fight the fact that you want to see "Brave" so bad?

Yeah, it's about a princess, but did we mention that Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) of the Scottish kingdom of DunBroch is an arrow-shooting, bear-battling badass of the highest caliber? She ain't bad lookin' neither, especially if you dig redheads. Let this latest animated masterpiece cast a spell on you with these four clips.

1. King Fergus (Billy Connolly) tries to comfort his queen (Emma Thompson) in the most boorish way possible.

2. We can safely say, without fear of rebuttal ... BULL'S-EYE!

3. Princess Merida displays a little more panache in her storytelling skills.

4. Some of these Scottish accents are thicker than a heaping plate of haggis.

Disney

Disney and Pixar's latest feature "Brave" is about to hit theaters, and we're giving away some prizes that are sure to bring out your inner child.

"Brave" follows the hardheaded teenage Princess Merida as she takes charge of her own destiny and shows some true bravery to save her kingdom. The movie is inspired by the Scottish folklore tradition, so it's only fitting that Merida's adventures live on past the movie in literary form.

Five lucky fans will each receive a "Brave: One Perfect Day" hardback book by Steve Purcell and download code for the "Brave" Storybook Deluxe app to pass down the legend of Merida from generation to generation.

If you're thinking this is just for kids, think again. Just like the Pixar films that have come before, the movie's stunning graphics and inspiring tale will captivate moviegoers of all ages. Even though it may have been a while since you've read anything in the vein of "Goodnight Moon," the beautiful watercolor illustrations by Matt Nolte in "Brave: One Perfect Day" and interactive fun of the "Brave" Storybook Deluxe app will keep you mesmerized from page to page.

So check out "Brave" in theaters June 22, and let Merida inspire you to take a chance on this giveaway.

To enter, just shoot us an email at NextMovie@MTV.com and include your name, address, birthdate and be sure to copy and paste the following statement:

"By sending this email, I accept and agree to: (1) the Official Rules of the 'Brave' Book Giveaway and (2) MTV Networks’, a division of Viacom International Inc., NextMovie.com Terms of Use and Privacy Policy."

The contest runs from now until 2 p.m. ET on Monday, June 25, 2012. Entrants must be at least 13 years old and reside in the U.S. Click here for complete rules and further details.

As an added bonus, all entrants will be signed up for the fun and useful UpNext newsletter. As an UpNext subscriber, you'll receive weekly updates on the hottest releases, events and merch from the world of movies.

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Columbia Pictures / Warner Bros.

'Tis the season for massive explosions and people running from them.

Summer movies are coming, and iconic superheroes will dominate as "Dark Knight Rises," "Avengers," and "The Amazing Spider-Man" duke it out for box office supremacy, while the sci-fi derby includes fresh takes on the "Alien" saga ("Prometheus") and Philip K. Dick ("Total Recall"), plus a return visit to MIB headquarters.

Of course, it's not all grenades and gunshots. Just see a shirtless Tom Cruise in "Rock of Ages" and everythingless Channing Tatum in "Magic Mike" representing for the ladies this summer.

We count down the biggest and best blockbusters for beating the summer heat.

30. 'Battleship'

Universal

Release Date: May 18
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna
The Scoop: "John Carter" sank, but this feature version of the perennial Hasbro board game may be just the ticket to keep Taylor Kitsch's career afloat. The decision to go sci-fi with invading aliens as the heavies is clearly the filmmakers' attempt to capitalize on the success of "Transformers," but with costars Liam Neeson and singer Rihanna in tow, this could be one unsinkable "Battleship." | Watch the trailer

29. 'Bel Ami'

Magnolia Pictures

Release Date: June 8
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci
The Scoop: R.Pattz is a beautiful friend indeed to the many lovely ladies in this 19th-century romp. The "Twilight" superstar plays Georges Duroy, a French libertine using his cunning and sexuality to broker his way from one powerful woman's bed to another. Based on the novel by Guy de Maupassant, this one's sure to get the more literary-minded audience's home fires burning. | Watch the trailer

28. 'Sparkle'

TriStar

Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Cee Lo Green
The Scoop: Whitney Houston's swan song is a remake of the 1970s cult classic, which she adored as a child. The late singer was set for a big-time comeback, including a soundtrack produced by R. Kelly, before her tragic death in February. Houston and "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks are "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," and audiences will be floored. | Watch the trailer

27. 'The Expendables 2'

Lionsgate

Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Scoop: A second helping of brawny, gun-totin' geezers was inevitable after the mighty $275 million haul their pyrotechnics brought in two years ago. Stallone has ceded the director's chair to Simon West ("Tomb Raider," "Con Air") but returns as writer and star, playing mercenary Barney Ross, who leads his team into a trap in which one of them gets whacked. They recruit new members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) to get some of that sweet, tasty revenge we like so much. | Watch the trailer

26. 'What to Expect When You’re Expecting'

Liongate

Release Date: May 18
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker
The Scoop: The go-to chick flick of the summer is based on the classic baby manual and follows five couples as they navigate the ups, downs and hormones of pregnancy. Oh, and don't worry, guys, because Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Thomas Lennon, Rob Huebel and Matthew Morrison will be on hand for some much-needed bro time. | Watch the trailer

25. 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'

Paramount

Release Date: June 29
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki
The Scoop: Because one just wasn't enough. The Joes are back, but this time those Cobra scumbags have hatched a scheme to get their kung fu grip on the White House and eliminate America's last line of defense. Tatum returns as Duke, but it's Johnson as Roadblock and Willis as the original "Joe" who are running the show this time around. Did we mention ninjas swordfighting off a cliff face? POW! | Watch the trailer

24. 'People Like Us'

DreamWorks

Release Date: June 29
Starring: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Jon Favreau
The Scoop: You might know the name Alex Kurtzman as one of the kings of franchise screenwriting with "Transformers," "Mission: Impossible" and "Star Trek" under his belt. Instead of making a splashy debut as a director, he wrote this grounded drama (along with partner Roberto Orci) about a man named Sam (Pine) who has to deliver $150,000 to a 30-year-old alcoholic sister he's never met. He encounters her troubled 12-year-old son and probably learns something about himself, too.

23. 'Katy Perry: Part of Me'

Getty Images

Release Date: July 5
Starring: Katy Perry
The Scoop: This concert documentary chronicles the life of the world's biggest female pop star, from her humble beginnings as a gospel singer to when she kissed a girl and liked it. If you really want to have fun, try hopping back and forth between the theater showing this film and another one showing ex-hubby Russell Brand's "Rock of Ages." | Watch the trailer

22. 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'

Focus Features

Release Date: June 22
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Adam Brody, Derek Luke, Connie Britton
The Scoop: Here's a perfect 2012 comedy for the Mayan-minded. With an impending asteroid about to smush the Earth into a pancake, a man teams up with a neighbor to road-trip across an apocalyptic U.S. and reunite with his childhood sweetheart. We'd never have thought to cast Carell opposite Knightley, but that unlikely chemistry might just prove magical, especially given the unconventional nature of the script. | Watch the trailer

21. 'ParaNorman'

Focus Features

Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: (voices) Casey Affleck, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
The Scoop: From the 3-D stop-motion geniuses at Laika -- the very patient animators who brought us "Coraline" -- comes this slab of spooky fun revolving around an outcast kid named Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who communicates with the dead to protect his sleepy New England town from a horde of ghosts, witches and zombies. The trailers are awesome, with some incredible puppet animation and a hilarious "Monster House" vibe to the story.

Also Check Out: Summer Movie Polls

20. 'Men in Black 3'

Columbia Pictures

Release Date: May 21
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, Alice Eve
The Scoop: Call it cautious optimism, but despite some clunky-looking effects and tales of production woes (delays, unfinished scripts), we're still amped to see Will and Tommy back in black. With Josh Brolin doing a so-dead-on-it's-scary Tommy Lee Jones impersonation as a '60s-era Agent K, this will indeed be like walking into a time machine. | Watch the trailer

19. 'To Rome With Love'

Sony Pictures Classics

Release Date: June 22
Starring: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page
The Scoop: Woody Allen made box office magic with last summer's "Midnight in Paris," so let's see if he can strike gold twice in a row. The Woodman continues his globetrotting (London, Barcelona, France) with this trip to the boot of Europe as famous Italians (Benigni) mix with American tourists (Baldwin, Eisenberg, Page) in four interconnected comedic vignettes. Throw in an Academy Award-winning Spaniard (Cruz) and Allen himself, and you've got yourself a heaping plate of laughs al dente.

18. 'Magic Mike'

Warner Bros.

Release Date: June 29
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer
The Scoop: Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody ("Juno") remarked on an episode of "WTF with Marc Maron" that when she released her stripping memoir, it resulted in criticism and controversy, and she wondered if this film -- based on Channing Tatum's teen experiences takin' it all off in Tampa, Florida -- would bring the "21 Jump Street" star equal scorn. Only one way to find out, as Steven Soderbergh directs a beefcake wonderland eager to please. Tatum is, to put this tastefully, the Jedi stripping master, while Pettyfer is his Padawan disciple, and the ladies should look forward to some red-hot "lightsabers." | Watch the trailer

17. 'Moonrise Kingdom'

Focus Features

Release Date: May 25
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman
The Scoop: With Ed Norton as a cigarette-smoking Boy Scout troop leader, Bruce Willis as a sheriff with translucent glasses and Bill Murray as a disenchanted father, this couldn't be anything but a standard-issue Wes Anderson affair. The director of "The Royal Tenenbaums" always has something delightfully eccentric up his corduroy sleeves, and his tale of two young kids in a runaway romance will not disappoint. | Watch the trailer

16. 'Rock of Ages'

Warner Bros.

Release Date: June 15
Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise
The Scoop: Tom Cruise likes his old-time rock 'n' roll Bon Jovi-style as he belts out "Wanted Dead Or Alive." Word on the street is Cruise brings down the house, but for backup you've got pros Russell Brand and Mary J. Blige waiting in the wings to make sure this Broadway musical takes it to the next level. Adam Shankman ("Hairspray") directs. | Watch the trailer

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New Line

It's almost hard to believe, but with the conclusion of Sunday's Academy Awards, this year's awards race is now officially over -- and the race to the 2013 Oscars has officially begin.

While it's obviously premature to guess who will be walking up to the podium next year to accept their golden man, we figured you'd like an idea of the likely contenders. If these films we've assembled as our early (way early) 2013 Oscar predictions are anything to go by, next year's race promises to be a solid one. Bring them on!

Also Check Out: 2012 Oscar Winners List

'Argo
'

While his acting career has yet to peak, Ben Affleck's directorial career is flourishing. His last two films, "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town," were critical darlings that each garnered Academy Award nominations, so expectations are riding high on his next one, "Argo," to deliver. The true story chronicles the covert operation to rescue six Americans during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Bryan Cranston)

'Anna Karenina'

Academy members are suckers for a good period romp with stellar source material, so they'll no doubt lap up this epic adaptation of the historically acclaimed novel. It also helps that the film's helmed by Oscar-nominated director Joe Wright ("Atonement"), and that he cast his muse, Keira Knightley (an Oscar nominee herself) as the doomed heroine.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Knightley), Best Supporting Actor (Jude Law)

Pixar

'Brave'

After misfiring with the critically panned "Cars 2," Pixar looks to be back on track with "Brave," a sure-to-be stirring tale about a Scottish princess who sets out to undo a curse that could ruin her kingdom. If the trailer is anything to go by, this will be the animated film to beat come Oscars time.
Possible Nominations: Best Animated Feature

'
Cogan's Trade'

While Andrew Dominik's last film, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," didn't draw a crowd, it was a hit with the Academy, garnering two Academy Award nominations. His latest reunites the director with "Jesse James" star Brad Pitt for a crime story about a professional enforcer (Pitt) hired to investigate a mysterious heist. It sounds grim, but the talent behind the project is stellar.
Possible Nominations: Best Actor (Pitt)

Warner Bros.

'The Dark Knight Rises'

Fans cried foul when "The Dark Knight" wasn't nominated for Best Pictures despite critical approval, so chances are the Academy won't turn a blind eye this time around. With Christopher Nolan at the helm and all the regular players back, this final installment of the new Batman trilogy is destined to thrill. How can the Academy ignore Nolan & Co. this time around?
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Hardy)

'Django Unchained'

Quentin Tarantino has never been one to play it safe, and his latest, "Django Unchained," has the promise to be his most controversial work yet. Despite the Academy's aversion to controversy, it's been welcoming to Tarantino's films in the past, so chances are they'll embrace his new thriller. Oscar winner Jamie Foxx plays the titular hero who sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Foxx), Best Supporting Actor (DiCaprio)

'The Gangster Squad'

An Oscar contender from the director of "Zombieland"? By the looks of "The Gangster Squad," it seems likely. The proof lies in the casting. Director Ruben Fleischer has assembled one of the best ensembles in recent memory for his period crime picture. Among the cast members along for the ride: Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Anthony Mackie, Josh Brolin and Giovanni Ribisi. The star power alone will no doubt impress.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn), Best Supporting Actress (Emma Stone)

'Gravity'

Sci-fi is a genre the Academy usually ignores, but with Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men") at the helm and a cast fronted by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, chances are the Academy will go against the grain this time around. "Gravity" stars Bullock as the lone survivor of a space mission gone wrong, who tries to return to Earth and reunite with her daughter.
Possible Nominations: Best Director, Best Actress (Bullock)

Warner Bros.

'The Great Gatsby'

Although Baz Luhrmann's last epic endeavor, "Australia," flopped, don't count the Australian auteur out of next year's race. If anyone's poised to do great things with a 3-D rethinking of "The Great Gatsby," Luhrmann's the guy. The director's grandiose style is perfectly suited to the classic tale, and so is the cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (DiCaprio), Best Actress (Mulligan), Best Supporting Actor (Maguire)

'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

The Academy has rewarded each of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films with Best Picture nominations, and by the looks of this prequel, history will likely repeat itself. With Jackson back at the helm and Ian McKellen returning as Gandalf, "The Hobbit" is poised to do killer business and reap a slew of nominations.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (McKellen)

'Kill Bin Laden'

Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow follows up "The Hurt Locker" with another war film, this one about the hunt for Osama bin Laden -- talk about a match made in war-movie heaven.  Couple that with the cast Bigelow has assembled (Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton and Kyle Chandler), and "Kill Bin Laden" has the makings of a real contender.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay

Getty Images

'Les Miserables'

Let's face it, folks. If  "Les Miserables" is any good, it's the film to beat next year. For starters, it's a film adaptation of one of the most beloved musicals of all time. Did we mention it's directed by Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech"), stars two Oscar hosts (Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman), and features Oscar winner Russell Crowe belting his heart out?
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Crowe), Best Actor (Jackman), Best Supporting Actress (Hathaway)

'Life of Pi'

Director Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain") has long been a favorite among Academy voters, so look for his latest, an adaptation of the beloved best seller "Life of Pi," to earn a lot of recognition. The film's an ambitious one for Lee; it concerns an Indian zookeeper's son who finds himself stranded at sea with a group of zoo animals. If Lee pulls this off, "The Life of Pi" will be something truly special.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director

'Lincoln'

It's a well-known fact that when Steven Spielberg goes period on the Academy, he's rewarded with a nomination. His "Lincoln," which chronicles the life of our sixteenth president, will no doubt hit a soft spot with voters. And in Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis, Spielberg couldn't have chosen a better actor to bring the icon to life.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Day-Lewis), Best Supporting Actor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley), Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field)

'The Master'

Anything from the mind of Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will Be Blood") is bound to be great, so expect to hear a lot more about "The Master" as its release date nears. Anderson has assembled another great ensemble (Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Laura Dern) for a 1950s-set drama about an enigmatic cult leader. One thing's for sure -- Anderson knows how to stir the pot.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Phoenix), Best Supporting Actor (Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress (Adams)

'The Silver Linings Playbook'

Bad-boy director David O. Russell follows up his Oscar-winning crowd-pleaser "The Fighter" with something altogether different – a drama about a teacher (Bradley Cooper) with a troubled past who moves back in with his mother. Russell knows his way around actors ("The Fighter" netted Best Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor Oscars), so we can't wait to see what he wrings out of his new ensemble. Along for the ride with Cooper are Robert De Niro, Julia Stiles, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Tucker.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Cooper)

Sundance Film Festival

'The Surrogate'

If Sundance buzz is anything to go by, then expect to see "The Surrogate" on the nominees list come next year. The moving drama stars Oscar nominee John Hawkes as a disabled man who hires a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt) to help him lose his virginity. The film premiered in Park City to rave reviews, with many critics saying it could be the indie to beat.
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Hawkes), Best Actress (Hunt)

'Trouble With the Curve'

The last time Clint Eastwood acted in a film he didn't direct was way back in 1989's "Pink Cadillac." The legend's got nothing left to prove, so he must have good reason for signing up to act opposite Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake in "Trouble with the Curve," a drama by first-time feature director Robert Lorenz. Eastwood stars an as an ailing baseball scout who takes his daughter (Adams) along for one last recruiting trip. How can the Academy resist?
Possible Nominations: Best Actor (Eastwood), Best Supporting Actress (Adams)

Pixar

In the trailer for the upcoming Pixar film "Brave," the movie's plucky animated heroine ventures forth to face the menace of a terrifying mystical bear monster. It's huge, ferocious and deadly, with teeth so big you'd need crampons to climb them. But as intimidating as it is, it's got nothing on the power of the new menace Pixar and "Brave" are facing today: Chipper Jones?

Okay, so maybe that doesn't make sense to you, but it makes sense to somebody, as Stitch Kingdom is reporting that the Atlanta Braves -- the baseball team -- is suing Pixar for trademark infringement over the use of the word "brave."

Well, why not.

The Atlanta Braves, of course, are one of the highest profile teams in baseball and not just because of the massive success stars like Jones have given the team over the past two decades. Thanks to the fact that they had a national TV deal with TBS from 1973 to 2007, whole generations of fans across the country have grown up watching Braves baseball. They're kind of a thing.

Now, though, they think they should be the only thing when it comes to the word "brave." Specifically, they're charging that people identify the word with the baseball team so much that Pixar is going to confuse people into thinking the movie is about America's pastime instead of a Scottish girl who fights medieval monsters. And that in turn could damage the Braves brand, because if "Brave" doesn't succeed at the box office... well, who knows, maybe their shortstop will make a throwing error or something?

The good news is that Disney and the Braves (the team, not the mystical bear-fighting girl, sorry to confuse you) are currently hard at work trying to negotiate a settlement, so it's unlikely the dispute will endanger the movie's release -- or, more importantly, spring training. And frankly, we think the Braves should be a little more careful about challenging Disney over a trademark.

After all, when two of your most famous players are named Chipper and Dale (Murphy), well, these things can be a two way street, capiche?

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Pixar

It's one of the most buzzed-about films of 2012: A daring young woman throws off social constraints and, taking up her bow, engages in a life or death contest to gain her freedom. But we're not talking about "The Hunger Games" -- we're talking about Pixar's latest animated feature, "Brave."

And as the brand new trailer proves, Katniss Everdeen isn't the only spunky girl who knows how to put up a fight.

Set in the highlands of ancient Scotland, "Brave" follows the story of Merida, a princess who longs to break free of societal norms to become her own -- free -- woman. When tradition calls for the male firstborn of each clan to prove their worth, though, Media sees a "Mulan"-style chance to kick some ass and make a name for herself.

Oh, and there's also a giant angry spirit bear monster... thing. Just where that figures into the story we're not quite sure yet, but we do know one thing: You'd have to be pretty brave yourself to bet against Pixar.

Check out the new trailer, courtesy of Apple Trailers and see for yourself what all the fuss is about:

Marvel

Forget Comic-Con, because geekdom's biggest movie event of the year took place this weekend -- and we have all the highlights from the D23 Expo to prove it.

The name sounds like some kind of futuristic multi-vitamin, but D23 is actually the annual convention for Disney fans, which means huge movie announcements from not just Disney but also Pixar, which announced two brand new films, and Marvel Studios, which dropped the convention's biggest bombshell during its "Avengers" panel.

To quote Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man: "We have a Hulk."

As you may recall, superhero fans were disappointed when Marvel decided not to host an "Avengers" panel at Comic-Con. Now, however, we know why: because they were getting ready to blow your minds at D23. And according to Hollywood.com, it's mission accomplished thanks to brand new footage (introduced by Downey Jr. in person, along with several of his co-stars) that not only showed the Avengers facing off against Loki -- the villain of this summer's hit film "Thor" -- but also gave fans their first look at the brand new CGI version of the incredible Hulk.

Marvel wasn't the only branch of Disney putting on a show this weekend, though, as Pixar also made news of its own by announcing two brand new films. Unfortunately, neither of them yet have actual titles, but thanks to ScreenCrave we know that "The Untitled Pixar Film About Dinosaurs," which takes place in a world where dinosaurs never died off, is scheduled for the 2013 holiday season, while "The Untitled Pixar Film That Takes You Inside the Brain" will debut in the summer of 2014.

And not to be outdone, Disney itself made waves thanks to Jason Segel, who was on hand to screen some brand new clips from his upcoming comedy "The Muppets." That was the highlight of a live action panel that also presented new footage of the sci-fi epic "John Carter," the nature film "Chimpanzee" and a trailer for "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," which was introduced by star Jennifer Garner.

More importantly for animation fans, though, Disney reaffirmed their commitment to traditional (which in this case just means "non-Pixar') animation by showing off footage of their new animated feature "Wreck-It Ralph," which features Jack McBrayer ("30 Rock") as a video game villain looking for a little pizzazz in his life. Best of all, the producers of Tim Burton's stop-motion film "Frankenweenie" were also on hand to discuss how the legendary auteur is expanding his classic 1984 short to feature-length.

Disney also announced a new straight-to-video spinoff of "Cars" called, appropriately enough, "Planes."

Muppets, Hulks and Frankenweenies. One thing is clear: If the D23 Expo didn't have it, you don't need it.

Disney

Considering all the critical acclaim, fan love and billions of dollars Pixar has made over the past two decades, you would think that at this point, there's pretty much nothing the studio hasn't done.

But there is, in fact, one bit of uncharted territory left for the world's leading animation force: they've never made a movie with a female lead.

Until now, that is.

Those shouts of joy you hear coming from the theater next door? They're not for "Cars 2" -- they're for the brand new teaser trailer for Pixar's next epic effort, "Brave." And we have the clip right here.

The quick scoop: set in the highlands of ancient Scotland, "Brave" tells the story of Merida, a feisty princess who defies custom in order to try and claim her own destiny. When things go wrong, though, it's up to her to save the land from the terrible curse she has unleashed.

Got all that? Good, because there's a decent chance that once you see the breathtaking animation in this short clip, you'll forget everything up to and including your own name. But if you're "Brave" enough, here's the new trailer, courtesy of Disney/Pixar:

Pixar

"Brave" heroine Princess Merida might be royalty, but she's no shrinking violet. And now we have the photographic evidence to prove it.

Pixar has released its first official still from the film, which will be released next summer, and it features the fiery Scottish redhead aiming her bow and arrow right at the camera. Duck and cover! Merida's interest in archery is discouraged, of course, and after a rebellious tussle with the 'rents, some unknown horribleness descends upon her daddy's kingdom.

We're hoping that means it's up to her to save the day and not some dorky prince dude with a butt chin.

Merida is a brand-new Disney leading lady, and there's been some considerable backstage drama leading up to her debut. "Brave" was originally titled "Bear and the Bow" and was written by Brenda Chapman, who was initially tapped to direct. Although she co-directed "The Prince of Egypt" and has an extensive history as a writer for animated Disney films, she was replaced by Mark Andrews, who has considerably less experience. There was a lot of talk about "Brave" being Pixar's first film directed by a woman, with a femme-centric twist, so although the former has been ditched, we have high hopes that there will still be plenty of the latter.

"Brave" boasts quite a fancy cast, too. Merida is being voiced by the superlative Kelly Macdonald ("Boardwalk Empire," "Choke," "No Country for Old Men,"), and her mother, Queen Elinor, will be played by Emma Thompson. Supercool Billy Connolly is lined up to voice King Fergus, and we can hear his magnificent rolling accent already! Julie Walters of "Henry Potter" fame is acting as the local wise woman, always a handy type of person to have around, while Hagrid himself (Robbie Coltrane) will also have a role as Lord Dingwall. The inimitable Craig Ferguson is on board as Lord Macintosh, while Kevin McKidd will be voicing Lord, uh, MacGuffin.

With the exception of Macdonald and Walters, the rest of the cast is actually Scottish and will no doubt be wearing kilts during their voice-over duties.

Even Emma Thompson. Yes. Bet on it.

Disney/Pixar

Pixar should feel pretty comfortable doing what they'd like from atop their movie studio throne -- over 15 years they've pocketed 26 Academy Awards and critic raves across the board -- but even they like a challenge. For their next project, the animation masterminds have taken a page from Papa Disney's playbook, tackling their very first fairy tale, "Brave."

Entertainment Weekly has a first look at production art for Pixar's 13th film, which is set in the Scottish Highlands and tells the tale of a princess, Merida, who defies her parents' sacred rituals and sends the kingdom into a shambles.

The details of Merida's adventure are scarce, but we do know that she's a skilled archer and will run into a host of characters. Included are a Wise Woman, who will grant her a important wish, and a couple of funny Lords who live in the kingdom. When it was first announced a few years ago the film was titled "The Bear and the Bow," so perhaps we'll see a few Scottish Grizzlies in there too (do they have those in Scotland?). The cast includes Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane and Kelly McDonald, who voices Merida.

EW's images suggest a varying tone then the brightly colored films of Pixar's past -- swamps drowning in mist, dim sunsets and vibrant, yet earthy tones -- reminiscent of Dreamworks' "How to Train Your Dragon," but still in tune with the studio's artistic craft. The paintings are all concepts of what the finished project may look like, but it's safe to say the Pixar isn't worried about venturing out of their mold a bit.

"Brave" has been in gestation for quite awhile, with the recent announcement that director Brenda Chapman ("The Prince of Egypt") had been replaced by Pixar-insider Mark Andrew (the short "One Man Band"), but both filmmakers will see their names on the final product. The switcheroo is notable if only that Chapman was set to be the first female director at the studio, while now only seeing co-director credit. At least the film still has a female lead!

"Brave" is set to debut on June 22, 2012 and we might be seeing our first look at actual footage sometime around the release of "Cars 2," which hits theaters June 26, 2011.

See the rest the pictures over at EW.