Disney Gives Pixar’s ‘Brave’ Princess Merida a Makeover, Turns Her into Scottish Barbie

Raise your hand if you're surprised - apparently Disney didn't think that the tomboyish Merida from Pixar's 'Brave' fit the Disney princess ideal and gave her a makeover. The result: a barrage of arrow-tipped criticism.

Yes, I intentionally left the word 'Disney' off the company's official name. Do you really think Pixar would have done the lame Cars 2 if it wasn't because Disney wanted it?

Disney released a new image of Merida that includes a Barbie-sized waist, sexier eyes, more skin and no bow and arrow. To make matters worse, she is outfitted in the same dress she detested in the movie.

To say that the outrage has been, how do I say it, unbearable (hey, go see the movie if you don't catch the reference) is an understatement.

According to a story on Yahoo! Shine, a petition to get Disney to change Merida back was begun on Change.org (Disney: Say No to the Merida Makeover, Keep Our Hero Brave!) and it already has over 56,000 signatures.

Disney has released the following statement to Yahoo! Shine: “Merida exemplifies what it means to be a Disney Princess through being brave, passionate, and confident and she remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired moms and daughters around the world.”

My 14-year old daughter would agree. A bit of a tomboy herself - trying to get her to comb her hair and wear a dress is about as challenging as Merida's climb up the cliffs - she saw Merida as the first 'princess' she could identify with.

So, what do you think? Should Disney change Merida back?