A Review by Phil Calabro
2004, Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation, Dir. Brad Bird - Starring the voice talents of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Spencer Fox, Sarah Vowell, Wallace Shawn, Lou Romano, Elizabeth Pena, Brad Bird
Last year's hullabaloo in animated films was summarized in two words: Finding Nemo. I was one of a few who didn't find the film to be all that interesting or good - in fact, I thought it was mediocre at best, way too childish, and tried too hard to be moral. 'The Incredibles' has given Pixar an entirely different perspective on their animation-writing combination methods. Instead of trying too hard to keep the audience laughing on their 'trademark family-fun' material that they've succeeded with before, director Brad Bird combines top-notch animation of exotic locales, spy gadgets, and the whole shebang. It also uses the Dreamworks-esque feature of luring in adults with big explosions and plenty of action. Although the film has its inconsistencies here and there, it's a good ride overall.
Mr. Incredible (Nelson) is our average superhero - he saves cats from trees, stops criminals, and saves the world for the greater good. His partner is Elastic Girl (Hunter), a woman whose body is able to stretch any distance, who he then marries. But when people that he saves start suing him for their own benefits, the superhero couple are put in the witness protection program, and start living their lifes in suburbia as Bob and Helen Parr. They have two children - Dash (Fox) who can run at amazing speed, and Violet (Vowell) who has the power of invisibility. They try to hide their powers as much as possible, but Bob is eager to use them as he once did. And when he is given the opportunity to do so without his wife knowing about it, he takes the iniative. But little does he know that it's all a setup by his oldest fan club member, Buddy (Lee), who wants to become the most powerful superhero.
If there's one thing that Pixar does right every time, it's making the audience connect with their characters. The lives of the Incredibles are much like ours, but with their everyday problems due to their superpowers (i.e. Bob breaks the car, his desk, too much fighting between the kids). I suppose it's easier to relate to than Finding Nemo because they're people just like you and me, despite the difficult task given to them. Every now and then it goes a little bit overboard with the dilemmas, but the underlying themes still remain. The message of togetherness and keeping at heart your most valuable possessions (in this case, Bob's wife rather than his super-abilities) stays strong throughout the entire film, which is always assumed for a Pixar film despite the absence of a moral at a few of them (Monster's Inc comes to mind, people would disagree with me on this). Craig T. Nelson works brilliantly as the hefty hero Mr. Incredible, as well as Jason Lee's performance as the maniacal fanboy Buddy/Syndrome.
The animation is very similar to the art-deco style of Sky Captain, which features streamlined metropolises, beautiful nature shots at the villian's lair, and all the gadgetry associated with the job. The last 30 minutes of the film is very brisk and energetic, boiling up into a great finale that sets itself up for a possible sequel. It's very surprising how much violence and action there is in a Pixar film; I was assuming there'd be hardly anything suggestive for the kids to be seeing. But the kids will still get a kick out of the character's hijinks, while the adults get a mild whoop out of the action.
I certainly hope Pixar's last Disney-related deal, 'Cars', will be as good as this film had been. Disney has picked up the pace in the competition with Dreamworks for the best CGI movies. With Shark Tale bringing the Spielberg crew behind, Pixar has taken the lead with this frequently hilarious and enjoyable kiddie flick. You'll love the characters, action, and the message.
