It's finally here. The vampire battle royale is about to begin as "Breaking Dawn Part 2" wraps up the mammoth "Twilight" saga with the fifth and final film. Also this week: Pixar's lively "Brave" hits home video, the American Music Awards rock out.

Summit Entertainment

The final "Twilight" battle begins this week.

TUESDAY: 'Brave' on DVD

It may not be top-level Pixar a la "Toy Story," but this year's "Brave," the story of a flame-haired Scottish princess whose fight with her queen mother turns bad, is definitely worth seeing.  Redheaded Merida is a dynamo, and her curls fly around like fireflies. The story drags a bit once a witch's spell changes the mother-daughter relationship, but this film is still a hit for kid-centered homes with parents dying for a new movie to watch 93,564,274,052 times in a row. (Out on DVD and Blu-ray Nov. 13.)

FRIDAY: 'Breaking Dawn Part 2'

"Twilight" fans and foes, your moment is here. If you hate the uber-popular vampire saga, rejoice, because this is the last movie in the five-film series, and you soon won't have to hear about Team Edward and Team Jacob any more. If you're a fan, you're not reading this because you're already camped out on the street waiting to be the first on your block to see "Breaking Dawn Part 2." "Part 1" was family focused, with Bella and Edward finding first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Bella with a half-vampire infant in a baby carriage. Renesmee is growing up fast, and her very existence has set up a giant vampire brawl for it all, with the royal Volturi coming from Italy to try and destroy the child. Good luck with that. (Opens Nov. 16.)

SUNDAY (NOV. 18): American Music Awards

The American Music Awards may not be the Grammys, but the live show will have plenty of star-studded moments anyway. Christina Aguilera will be among the performers, and Nicki Minaj and Rihanna top this year's nominees. There'll also be a new electronic music category introduced -- naturally, Skrillex is nominated. (Nov. 18, 8 p.m., ABC.)

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Pixar

There's a famous Shakespearean stage direction -- "Exit, pursued by a bear." Scottish princess Merida is the star of the new Pixar movie "Brave," but a bear plays an important role too.

REVIEW: As a mother of a young daughter, I've been eagerly awaiting Pixar's "Brave" for months. Who can resist those breathtaking trailers, as Scottish princess Merida's flaming curls whirl around her head like butterflies while she takes aim with her bow and arrow?

"Brave" has a promising start. Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) is obviously beloved by her parents -- goofy giant dad (Billy Connolly), who loses a leg to a legendary giant bear, and queenly mum (Emma Thompson). They give her a bow and encourage her to learn archery and lose herself in wild afternoons riding her giant Clydesdale, Angus.

But she's still a princess, and when Merida gets older, she's expected to marry one of the three heirs to the other Scottish kingdoms. Man, are they losers. As you've probably seen in the trailer, Merida bests them all in the archery contest, even splitting the arrow of the one hapless prince who accidentally managed to hit the bullseye. But when even that won't convince her parents she's not ready to wed, Merida turns to witchcraft.

And then things start to get kind of dull. A curse is put on the queen, and daughter and queen drag each other around the castle and the woods trying to hide things from Dad and the visiting heirs and their entourages. This part of the film kind of goes on. And on. And on. There are some touching bits, as Merida and Mom realize they really need each other, but there are none of the tender Woody-and-Andy moments that make "Toy Story" so wonderful.

You feel like the film wants to deliver a touching message about how moms and daughters need each other, or perhaps about how girls aren't possessions to be married off without their consent. But when the second half of the film is mostly clowny slapstick, it feels like the script pages with those messages got left behind in the editing room.

The rest of the film has all the Pixar outward charm with little of its heart. Merida's redheaded triplet brothers are barely in it, but they deliver a few fun scenes. ("Don't just play with your haggis!" scolds the queen at a meal.) And there are some great lines. ("We'll expect your declarations of war in the morning," chirps Merida as she muses on how her parents could get her out of the bethrothal nonsense.)

Sadly, "Brave" doesn't land on the top shelf of Pixar films next to "Toy Story" and "Cars." But as they say about pizza, even a not-so-great Pixar film is still pretty good. Young children will enjoy it, and they'll also like the sweet little short film "La Luna" that airs before it. Kudos, as always, to Pixar for making these little extras.

Related content:

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• 'Cheers' star is in all 13 Pixar films
• Slideshow: A mom's guide to kid flicks
• Video: Fun fake ad for kilts in 'Brave'

Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images

Actor John Ratzenberger at the premier of "Toy Story 3" has starred in all thirteen of Pixar's films, including the upcoming "Brave."

Pixar’s ubiquitous good luck charm is popping up again, this time as a Scottish guard in "Brave."

John Ratzenberger, the "Dancing with the Stars" alumnus known for his role as Cliff Clavin in “Cheers,” has voiced supporting roles in all thirteen Pixar films. He's put his talents to use in a variety of roles from Hamm the Piggy Bank in the “Toy Story” series to, his personal favorite, P.T. Flea in “A Bug’s Life.”

His “Cars” character Mack the Truck had the epiphany that Ratzenberger has appeared in every Pixar film during the movie’s closing credit sequence.

“They’re just using the same actor over and over,” remarks a disgusted Mack. “What kind of cut-rate production is this?”

While Mack may not approve, audiences certainly have. (Besides, what does the gag-prone truck know anyway?) Below is a cheat sheet to where you can find Ratzenberger and his signature voice in every Pixar film.

“Toy Story” (1995), “Toy Story 2” (1999), “Toy Story 3”(2010) - Hamm the Piggy Bank

“A Bug’s Life” (1998) - P.T. Flea, the circus ring leader

Great quote: “I'm serious! Word of mouth got around, the next day there was a line of flies outside the tent, went on forever. It must have been a foot long!”

“Monsters, Inc.” (2001) - The Abominable Snowman

“Finding Nemo” (2003) - The School of Moonfish

“The Incredibles” (2004) - The Underminer

Great quote: "Behold, the Underminer! I'm always beneath you, but nothing is beneath me! I hereby declare war on peace and happiness! Soon, all will tremble before me!"

“Cars” (2006), “Cars 2” (2011) - Mack the Truck

Great quote: "Ah, don't worry about it, kid. It's the least I could do. After all, 'gas can' is my middle name."

“Ratatouille” (2007) - Mustafa the Head Waiter

“WALL-E” (2008) - John

Look for John as an obese happy-as-can-be man sporting a tight red jumper and exchanging a few words with WALL-E and his wife, Mary. 

“Up” (2009) - Tom, the construction worker

Tom can be spotted as the construction foreman who continually asks Carl to move to a retirement home due to the ever-increasing construction around Carl's house.

“Brave” (2012) - A Scottish guard

This list will likely continue in years to come, as Ratzenberger is always ready for another Pixar role. "Every time I get Pixar on the line," Ratzenberger told The Daily Telegraph. "I just drop whatever I'm doing and get over to the studio."

What's your favorite Pixar film? Voice your opinion on our Facebook page.

 Related content:

• 'Brave' is beautiful but doesn't have heart of most Pixar films
• Brave' brings hair-raising animation to life
• Slideshow: A mom's guide to kid flicks
• Video: Fun fake ad for kilts in 'Brave'

Oh yes. THIS is summer. Two big movies and a big juicy HBO show all coming our way. Here are our three great entertainment picks for the next seven days.

FRIDAY: 'Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter'
As if his presidential deeds weren't enough, Abraham Lincoln's image is getting a fictional makeover. In the new movie "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter," opening this week, our 16th president finds a new use for the axe he used to chop down trees. As a child, he learns that vampires, not illness, killed his mother, and vows revenge. And who doesn't want to see our lanky national hero swinging an axe and knocking down bloodsuckers? The film is based on Seth Grahame-Smith's novel. (Opens June 22.)

FRIDAY: 'Brave'
Flame-haired Merida is a Scottish princess who likes her independence. She's a talented archer, loves riding her horse, and sees no need to rush into marriage to one of the goony heirs from the other clans. But when she takes out her anger against her queen mum, strange things start to happen and Merida realizes how much she loves and needs her family. Although it doesn't quite have the heart-tugging pull of a "Toy Story," all Pixar films are kind of like that saying about pizza -- even when it's not great, it's still pretty good. (Opens June 22.)

SUNDAY: 'The Newsroom'
Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" didn't last, but that doesn't mean there's not a devoted audience who loves his whip-smart patter and smart characters. Sorkin's new HBO show, "The Newsroom," is set at a cable news network, with Jeff Daniels playing the veteran host who must deal with a new staff and his own moral quandries. But for fans, a Sorkin series could be set anywhere -- a sewage-treatment plant! the zoo! the grill at a McDonald's! -- and they'd tune in. Daniels told Entertainment Weekly that Sorkin's writing "is like lyric poetry." (Premieres June 24, 10 p.m., HBO.)

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