2. Brave
It's true to say that we've been spoiled by Pixar; they make ever other animation studio seem inferior by comparison, and their home run of three amazing pictures recently - WALL-E, Up and Toy Story 3 - made it seem like they were untouchable. Then along came Cars 2, ruining Pixar's run of outstanding films, and Brave delivered the follow-up punch, even if it's nowhere near as bad as the Cars sequel. Brave is basically too ordinary a film for Pixar to make; it feels like something another studio would develop, with a little hint of Disney sprinkled over the top. While it begins well, with a clear-cut tale of female emancipation, things take a turn for the worse once supernatural elements creep in and the protagonist's mother is turned into a bear. From here it becomes an overly silly, minimalist tale that doesn't have the requisite Pixar wit, and resolves itself exactly as one expects it will. Sure, it looks fantastic, and it's a great film for mothers everywhere to weep at, but it feels like such a let-down given the potential of the idea, a resolutely meh film that could have been a masterpiece and instant classic.