The Incredibles (2004)
“WHERE – IS – MY – SUPER – SUIT?” – Frozone.
The Incredibles (2004)
Directed by: Brad Bird
Written by: Brad Bird
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee
Hilarious. Adorable. Heartwarming. Endlessly rewatchable. Action-packed. No matter how you spin it, The Incredibles is an ALL TIME family movie, and is well cemented on my Mount Rushmore of Pixar films. Released almost 20 years ago (which is a bit scary), this was a smash-hit upon release, receiving widespread acclaim for its story, animation and musical score – resulting in 2 Oscars and raking in $633 million worldwide.
The film focuses on Bob (Nelson) and Helen (Hunter) Parr – formerly superheroes known as Mr Incredible and Elastigirl – who are forced to give up their vigilante exploits and move to the suburbs. Joined by their super-children Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack, the family grinds through their ‘normal’ lives, until Bob is drawn back into the crime fighting game to face off against fearsome supervillain Syndrome (Lee). Amidst the crisis, the Parrs are forced to team up, and learn the meaning of family and friendship along the way.
Another genre-agnostic masterpiece, The Incredibles is difficult to categorise. It’s clearly a family film, and is littered with hilarious jokes, but there’s also an argument that this is the greatest superhero movie ever made. [Thinking more about this, that mantle belongs to The Dark Knight. But still, it’s up there…] The action sequences are fast and exciting, with Bird and the animators emphasising the family’s different superpowers using impressive 3D rendering. Gadgets, superheroes, and exotic locations? It's a sure-fire recipe for action success.
Genre aside, this film is so damn wholesome. You want to spend time with the Parrs, along with the colourful cast of characters they meet throughout the show. However, they aren’t painted as some ‘perfect family’. Bird emphasises this by ensuring each character’s super powers are representative of their personalities and flaws:
Mr Incredible is the macho matriarch with no finesse, and so is given superstrength
Elasticgirl is a mother of three trying to juggle the kids and navigate family turbulence, and so is given super flexibility
Violet is an angsty, self-conscious teenager, so is given invisibility and force fields
Dash is an energetic, annoying little kid, so is given super speed
Jack-Jack is a crazy little baby, so is a surprise packet
In typical Pixar fashion, the characters slowly learn from and eradicate their flaws throughout the movie, with the kids in particular growing up throughout the film. The major lesson throughout the film is: be yourself. This might seem like I’m reaching here, but hear me out. Superheroes in the movie are symbolic of prosecuted minorities who are forced by the general public to become something they’re not. Once they embrace themselves and begin using their powers once again, they become more confident, happier, and exhibit a sense of self worth not seen earlier in the film. It’s an adorable message and I feel, like many other Pixar films, would be impressionable on younger viewers.
I could spend hundreds more words heaping praise on the music, the auxiliary characters (Edna Mode, anyone??), and the visuals, but it’s quite simple. Do yourself a favour and revisit this thunderbolt of animation genius. Whether it’s an easy night in or a hungover morning, you won’t regret this hit of nostalgia.
Rating: 9/10
Taking Flight:
Brad Bird was the Pixar’s first director from outside the company.
He pitched the film to Pixar after the disappointment of his first feature film, 1999’s Warner Bros’ production of ‘The Iron Giant’.
Pixar was initially hesitant to accept the project, as the 3D animation of human figures was seen as too difficult at the time.
Revolutionary Animation Advances:
Bird brought almost the entire animation team from ‘The Iron Giant’ over to this project, along with a core Pixar team who worked on Monsters Inc in 2001.
The difficulty in representing both human figures - and other elements such as water, fire, smoke, steam, air - led to the use of ‘subsurface scattering’, an animation technique popularized in subsequent films.