From the NYTimes comes confirmation that Pixar has removed director Brenda Chapman from the Emeryville-based studio's upcoming girl-centric feature Brave. Chapman, who wrote the screenplay, would have become the first woman to direct a feature for the Pixar, had they not replaced her with director Mark Andrews. The Emeryville studio has also taken some flak for relying mainly on male characters and the film itself, a fairy tale about a headstrong princess in mythic Scotland, was expected to be the one that would place a Pixar character in the pantheon of Disney Princesses. While there's no doubt that we will still see Brave-themed trick-or-treaters in 2012, feel free to lament the lack of professional and/or fantasy female role models appropriately.

[NYTimes]