“Brave” opens to a worldwide audience tommorow, and like every Pixar film, not very many people will see it. Or, everyone and their brother will see it. It’s one of those two…

We all know that 3D animation can be a trying task for all of the digital artists involved. Luckily, they make the big bucks for their efforts, but how difficult can it really be. If the production notes and DVD commentary are a good indicator, they are nearly impossible. Every little detail must be accounted for to insure the audience stays in the moment and continues to suspend disbelief.

The bushy, fiery red hair of the films protagonist, Scottish princess Merida, is one of those instances where everything had to be perfect, even if that meant rendering 1,500 individual curls of hair to make it look believable. That’s what The Wall Street Journal is reporting. We also found some interesting tid-bits (courtesy of Holy Kaw!) about some of the other obstacles that had to be overcome in past Pixar films. Here’s a hint – Hair can be really tricky.

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Individual animated hairs on the Lots-o-Huggin Bear from Toy Story 3

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Individually animated hairs on Sully in Monsters, Inc. It took 11 to 12 hours to animate a single frame featuring Sully.

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Types of food created for Ratatouille.

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Individual hairs rendered on Ratatouille’s hero, Remy

From the looks of Brave, all that extra effort and attention to detail was well worth it. These trailers are gorgeous to behold.