Yes. I know she lived in an oppressive environment and her mother constantly tried to change her as well, but that does not justify for Merida using magic to change her mother's free-will. She should at least have tried to reason with her mother first.

But I like her as a character.

I don't get along very well with my dad, in fact he's a lot like Triton, but I wouldn't change him, I would just want him to listen to me and understand. Merida should have asked for a spell that would make her mom listen to her and understand or at least be more specific on what she meant by "change" her mom, especially to a bear obsessed witch. Although Merida never explained why she thought the whole thing was unfair, she just said it was "unfair" without explaining.

^It was unfair because... she was going to be married against her will?

It was a selfish and stupid thing to do. But, I don't really have a problem with it because, honestly, if I was in the same situation I would have done the same thing, even if I was aware of how selfish I was being. I'm not excusing her actions because I know it's something I would do, it was still wrong, but that's why I don't really have a problem with her doing it. I'm also not being biased because she's my favorite princess. This is actually why she's my favorite princess, because we're so similar.

(I feel like I'm going to get judged for saying this but that's how I feel.)

I love my mom. She's the person that I'm closest to on the entire earth, so that alone kind of already turns me off. I do see that Merida did try to persuade her mom as much as she could and I don't know how Elinor could've changed without, but trying to change someone's mind is never right.

^I understand you. I'm close to my mom, too.

I love my Mom too. She's my best friend. And we are complete opposites just like Merida and Elinor.

That is an extremely low blow. Who is she to decide upon herself to change someone else just so she can get what she wants? That is disgusting, selfish, cowardly, and pitiful. NOTHING justifies someone trying to change another.

I actually think what she did was more foolish than anything else. She obviously just wanted a spell that would make her mother change her mind, not herself, but Merida should have made sure of that. And even with the fact that I know she didn't MEAN harm, I still have huge problems with that decision.

I do, but I don't completely condemn her for it.

She learns better by the end, so I'm not going to judge her pre-character development actions as though her post-character developed self never learned, apologized, or amended.

^ Very well said!

She just wanted to change her mom way of thinking, her mom wanted her to marry someone she didn't love, she was not interesting in it so basically her mom was forcing her to do so. I'm sure she only wanted to change her way of thinking toward that situation not her whole self.If i was around 15 or 16 and my dad tells me that i have to get marry with someone i don't love, i would try to change his way of thinking toward that,if not i would run away and i'm sure that's what Merida would have done.In Merida's situation i would had done the same thing she did but just been more specific,not sit there and just keep my mouth shut like yeah ok am going to let my mom decide for me who to marry, who to love and be sad for the rest of my life.

It does kind of irk me that was the only way to get her mom to see, but I do not hold it against her. I admire her apologetic ways, and I do love her a lot for that.

Disagree with Tygers_Eye, she learn her mistake in the scene when she's distracting her father and the man on the castle room so her mother could go up stairs she was going to agree on the idea of her getting marry because she knew that everything happen since she didn't listen to her mom so then Elinor learn that she was wrong too about it, that's why she helps Merida with the speech about letting people decide who to love and who to marry that it would happen when the time's right. At that point of the movie both of them have change their way of thinking already.

I agree with KataraLover

Agree with Tygers_Eye :)

I have a problem with it kinda but Ariel did basically the same thing and I still love her
Plus I feel this poll is really saying 'do you hate Merida because she changed her mother'
Because I don't hate her simply because the did that to her mother though I don't like Merida that much
I find her admirable

I don't see how Merida was selfish for wanting to change her mother. Her mother was forcing her into marriage and if I was was in that situation, I would've done the same thing as Merida. Plus, she just wanted to change the way that her mother thinks, she didn't even know that her mother was going to turn into a bear.

Actually what I think was stupid is that she wanted to "change" her mother, but she didn't know what to change her into...