Staff Writer| Florida Times-Union
"Brave" is Pixar's 13th feature film, but the first to have a female as the lead character. But that's not to say there haven't been strong females in Pixar's other dozen movies.
TOY STORY (1995)
Bo Peep (Annie Potts) is the only toy who stands by Sheriff Woody after he pushes Buzz Lightyear out the window. She also directs the rescue effort when Buzz, Woody and RC are trying to catch up with the moving truck.
Quote: "What would you say if
I get someone else to watch
the sheep for me tonight?
A BUG'S LIFE (1998)
Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) and Dot (Hayden Panettiere) are daughters of the ant queen (Phyllis Diller). Atta, who has an on-again, off-again relationship with Flik, the dreamer ant, is the heir apparent to her throne. Dot, too small to fly, is nonetheless fearless and stands up to the marauding grasshoppers who want to destroy her colony.
Quote (Dot): "You're weird, but I like you."
Quote (Atta): "You see, Hopper, nature has a certain order. The ants pick the food, the ants keep the food, and the grasshoppers leave!
TOY STORY 2 (1999)
Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl (Joan Cusack) doesn't take guff from any cowpoke. She's brave and loyal, but has commitment issues due to being abandoned by her original owner.
Quote: "Well, aren't you just the sweetest space toy I ever did meet!"
MONSTERS, INC. (2001)
Boo (Mary Gibbs) is a pigtailed cutie who doesn't realize she's supposed to be scared by the staff of Scare Floor F. She's willing to whack one of them with a baseball bat when he threatens her beloved "Kitty."
Quote: "Mike Wazowski!"
FINDING NEMO
(2003)
Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) is a blue tang with virtually no short-term memory. That leads to some pretty hysterical moments but also makes Dory fearless and loyal as she helps a distraught clownfish find his lost son in the vast ocean.
Quote: "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."
THE INCREDIBLES (2004)
Helen Parr (Holly Hunter) is a harried mom with a secret past - she was the superhero known as Elastigirl. When her superpowered husband gets in some super trouble, she doesn't hesitate to call in some old favors and rush to his rescue.
Quote: "Either's he's in trouble,
or he's going to be."
CARS (2006)
Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), a Porsche 911 with "a little pinstriping tattoo," is the town attorney of Radiator Springs, the owner of the Cozy Cone Motel and has a dream that one day the town will be returned to its former glory.
Quote: "Even here, in Hillbilly Hell, we have standards."
RATATOUILLE (2007)
Colette Tatou (Janeane Garofalo) is the lone woman in a kitchen full of egotistic male chefs, and probably the most competent of the bunch. But she's baffled at how a seemingly clueless kitchen worker can whip up masterful dishes (hint: there's a rat in his hat).
Quote: "I am the toughest
cook in this kitchen! I have worked too hard for too long to get here, and I am not going to jeopardize it for some garbage boy
who got lucky! Got it?"
WALL-E (2008)
EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) is a slick and deadly reconnaissance robot who initially views WALL-E as a pest but later joins in his quest to bring life (and people) back to Earth. It's a central premise in science fiction that robots feel no emotion, but at its heart, "WALL-E" is a love story.
Quote: "WALL-E!"
UP (2009)
It's tempting to select the giant tropical bird, Kevin, who is fiercely protective of her young. But Ellie (Elie Docter), whom we first meet as a child, is the inspiration for Carl to tie a bazillion balloons to his house and float off to Paradise Falls. Ellie is in the movie for only the first several minutes, but those are some of the most bittersweet minutes in Pixar history.
Quote: "South America.
It's like America, but south."
TOY STORY 3 (2010)
Barbie (Jodi Benson) is not the plastic airhead she appears to be. When she moves into Ken's Dream House at the day care center, leaving behind her friends, all seems well until she learns of Ken's treachery and returns to rescue them. In the end, she reconciles with Ken and makes it a "cool and groovy" place for toys.
Quote: "Authority should derive from the consent of the governed, not from the
threat of force!"
CARS 2 (2011)
Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) is a Jaguar XJR-15 tricked out with all the best spy-gear accessories, but with virtually no field experience. She proves to be an invaluable aide - and faithful friend - to Mater, an innocent tow truck caught up in spy business.
Quote: (Sprouting wings) "They're standard issue now."
