Scots stars attend Brave premiere

Tuesday 19 June 2012

A new animated film set in a mythical Scotland has had its world premiere in Hollywood, with some of Scotland's best known stars in attendance.

Brave, created by Disney/Pixar, features the voices of actors including Billy Connolly, Robbie Coltrane, Kelly Macdonald and Craig Ferguson.

It opened the Los Angeles Film Festival at the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard last night and First Minister Alex Salmond walked a special green carpet - to reflect the landscape of Scotland - at the premiere.

Read Alison Rowat's Brave review Officials hope the film will attract extra visitors from around the world and boost the country's economy by £140 million. Mr Salmond said: "This is a fantastic film, it's great fun and a terrific showcase for Scotland across the world. It features an incredibly talented cast - many of them Scots themselves. "Millions of people are going to see Brave and they're going to see for themselves an animated vision of our beautiful country. "To make the most of that, VisitScotland is launching its biggest ever worldwide tourism campaign and the Scottish economy can look forward to a boost of around £140 million. "I know how impressed people are with Scotland after seeing Brave and we have the chance to reap some of the benefits of that after people see this beautiful film." Set in the Highlands, the film follows the journey of Merida, a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Merida is voiced by Macdonald, who described her character as "an adventurous tomboy and a happy young woman" but who struggles to take on adult responsibilities. Chat show host Ferguson also voices a character and was blown away by watching the film on the big screen. He said: "The movie, I think, is a beautiful story and it's an amazing thing to look at as well, it's a visual treat. "It's quite dark in places and is like a dark fairy story. The press in America are making a big deal about the fact it's a female heroine, but I don't think that's such a big deal, a hero is a hero no matter what their gender is." Scotland's national tourism body VisitScotland has launched its largest-ever global advertising campaign to coincide with the release of the new animation and is spending £7 million on the project, which is expected to reach about 80 million people worldwide. Chairman Mike Cantlay said the film, which will be shown in 72 countries across the world, represents a "great opportunity for Scottish tourism". He said: "This will be the first time we've been able to run a television advert out here in North America for 10 years. In total, around the world, it should touch 80 million people. "This is a great opportunity on the back of the movie to try and encourage people, once they've seen it, to hopefully come and see us in Scotland. "The pictures are stunning and America's going daft for this movie. The first thing I saw when I flew into Los Angeles was a great big billboard for Brave and we hadn't even landed. "I think the really special thing is how the Scottish character is depicted and the acting talent have done such a wonderful job to explore that." The campaign will showcase Scotland through the TV and cinema advert, a new website and marketing in countries such as France and Germany, as well as in the UK. The film will arrive in UK cinemas in August, although its European premiere will be held later this month on the closing night of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

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Scots stars attend Brave premiere

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