It's unlike most fairy tales where mother figures are either absent ( The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) or of the evil stepmother variety ( Cinderella, Snow White).

Not just one where a princess must undo the horrific-though unintended-consequences of her impetuous actions, but also one in which the princess's relationship to her mother is the central focus. Yes, this twist turned off many moviegoers, but I enjoyed it, as it offered a story unlike I'd ever seen before.

'Her mother turned into a bear!' moaned The Huffington Post's Mike Ryan, with a rattling tenor of profound disappointment.

And in all this squabbling one moment was repeatedly harped upon. The debate continued on down the escalators to the lobby, out theater's doors, through the crowds of Times Square and even onto the subways back to our respective boroughs.

Following the press screening here in NYC, I stumbled out of the theater, brushing tears from the corners of my wide, satisfied grin, only to hear some of my fellow critics bellowing about what a 'miss' and 'failure' Brave was.

Brave movie bear