App Review: Brave: Storybook Deluxe - A First Trip to Disney World

Reviewed by Diane – With dual BAs in English and Computer Science and a Master’s in Communications from Northwestern University, Diane’s professional background includes Instructional Design, Human Factors Testing, Training and Marketing. She has authored a children’s book that explored how a computer works and has provided training services for Preschool through High School students. Currently Diane is a full-time mom to 3 young people ages 7 through 16.

Details

Brave is a combination storybook, game, and video experience of the new Disney PIXAR movie by the same name. This app includes a storybook, (with options to follow along, turn narration off, and record your own voice), 6 coloring sheets, 6 puzzles, and two interactive games. The first game is an archery challenge, with Merida, the main character, riding her horse through a woods full of targets. To shoot, the user touches the target, earning a prize if enough targets are hit. Three levels of difficulty make this an entertaining game for many ages. The second game is a scavenger hunt through the book itself to find special arrows for Merida.

The storyline provides a valuable message about growing up and the importance of family. Princess Merida protests the stereotypical princess image by competing for her own hand in a competition hosted by her parents to find her a suitable husband. Not surprising to anyone with teenagers in the house, Merida decides that in order to be happy, she must change her mother’s opinions and mind. After a trip to the local witch’s cottage, Merida accidently turns her mother into a bear. To complicate matters even further, her triplet brothers are also turned into bear cubs. After returning to the witch’s house, Merida is challenged to mend that which was broken by pride. Will Merida save her family? Will her mother continue to be overbearing? Will there be a happy ever after for this princess? Read and enjoy the adventure to find out.

What Diane Liked

Brave is unlike any app I have seen before. Part video, part storybook, this app provides a 20-30 minute adventure through the Brave story. Experiencing it is like taking your first trip to Disney World without the long lines. The graphics, music, and animation stunningly bring the words to life. The videos are woven skillfully and seamlessly into the storyline. While some apps include videos, Brave blends them into the story, completely captivating our 7-year-old and 13-year-old daughters. Text highlighting is great for young and emerging readers, who I suspect will be reading this story many times. As if a breathtaking story is not enough, Disney provides two fun, high-quality games.

Suggested Enhancement

The only real downside of this app is that quality requires space. At over 700 MB, this is an app that we will have to store on iCloud and rotate with other larger storybook apps onto our iPad. However, I do suspect this one will become a favorite.