The Incredibles (Collector's Edition) [2004]

Bird has his cake and eats it, too. He and the Pixar wizards send up superhero and James Bond movies while delivering a thrilling, supercool action movie that rivals Spider-Man 2 for 2004's best onscreen thrills. While it's just as funny as the previous Pixar films, The Incredibles has a far wider-ranging emotional palette (it's Pixar's first PG film). Bird takes several jabs, including some juicy commentary on domestic life ("It's not graduation, he's moving from the fourth to fifth grade!").

The animated Parrs look and act a bit like the actors portraying them, Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter. Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee also have a grand old time as, respectively, superhero Frozone and bad guy Syndrome. Nearly stealing the show is Bird himself, voicing the eccentric designer of superhero outfits ("No capes!"), Edna Mode.

Nominated for four Oscars, The Incredibles won for Best Animated Film and, in an unprecedented win for non-live-action films, Sound Editing.

The Presentation
This two-disc set is (shall we say it?), incredible. The digital-to-digital transfer pops off the screen and the 5.1 Dolby sound will knock the socks off most systems. But like any superhero, it has an Achilles heel. This marks the first Pixar release that doesn't include both the widescreen and full-screen versions in the same DVD set, which was a great bargaining chip for those cinephiles who still want a full-frame presentation for other family members. With a 2.39:1 widescreen ratio (that's big black bars, folks, a la Dr. Zhivago), a few more viewers may decide to go with the full-frame presentation. Fortunately, Pixar reformats their full-frame presentation so the action remains in frame.

The Extras
The most-repeated segments will be the two animated shorts. Newly created for this DVD is the hilarious "Jack-Jack Attack," filling the gap in the film during which the Parr baby is left with the talkative babysitter, Kari. "Boundin'," which played in front of the film theatrically, was created by Pixar character designer Bud Luckey. This easygoing take on a dancing sheep gets better with multiple viewings (be sure to watch the featurette on the short).

Brad Bird still sounds like a bit of an outsider in his commentary track, recorded before the movie opened. Pixar captain John Lasseter brought him in to shake things up, to make sure the wildly successful studio would not get complacent. And while Bird is certainly likable, he does not exude Lasseter's teddy-bear persona. As one animator states, "He's like strong coffee; I happen to like strong coffee." Besides a resilient stance to be the best, Bird threw in an amazing number of challenges, most of which go unnoticed unless you delve into the 70 minutes of making-of features plus two commentary tracks (Bird with producer John Walker, the other from a dozen animators). We hear about the numerous sets, why you go to "the Spaniards" if you're dealing with animation physics, costume problems (there's a reason why previous Pixar films dealt with single- or uncostumed characters), and horror stories about all that animated hair. Bird's commentary throws out too many names of the! animators even after he warns himself not to do so, but it's a lively enough time. The animator commentary is of greatest interest to those interested in the occupation.

There is a 30-minute segment on deleted scenes with temporary vocals and crude drawings, including a new opening (thankfully dropped). The "secret files" contain a "lost" animated short from the superheroes' glory days. This fake cartoon (Frozone and Mr. Incredible are teamed with a pink bunny) wears thin, but play it with the commentary track by the two superheroes and it's another sharp comedy sketch. There are also NSA "files" on the other superheroes alluded to in the film with dossiers and curiously fun sound bits. "Vowellet" is the only footage about the well-known cast (there aren't even any obligatory shots of the cast recording their lines). Author/cast member Sarah Vowell (NPR's This American Life) talks about her first foray into movie voice-overs--daughter Violet--and the unlikelihood of her being a superhero. The feature is unlike anything we've seen on a Disney or Pixar DVD extra, but who else would consider Abe Lincoln an action figure? --Doug Thomas

It almost goes without saying that the state of the art animation is fantastic (as is the transfer to DVD). The animation of the hair and costumes is particularly impressive.

The real strength of the film is the story and the cast. They have taken a number of cliches/jokes and created a family that is simultaneously familiar while being new and interesting. The strong man unable to use his strength and struggling to be a good father (Mr Incredible), the mother pulled in all directions (Elastigirl voiced by Holly Hunter), the teenage daughter who wants to be invisible and can be (Violet), the hyperactive son (Dash) and the baby (Jack-Jack). The supporting cast is also excellent - Samuel L. Jackson has great fun as Frozone, director Brad Bird steals every scene he is in as Edna ("No capes!") Mode although I am a little less sure about Jason Lee's performance as the bad guy, Syndrome.

After an opening sequence that shows Mr Incredible & Elastigirl in action, the story follows this family of superheroes attempting (not entirely successfully) to lead quiet lives after a series of lawsuits and public disapproval forces them to give up their superhero identities and adopt their 'secret' identities permanently. Then Mr Incredible is tempted out of retirement and sets out on an action packed adventure.

As usual for PIXAR the film works on multiple levels. It is an action adventure packed with humour and references to comic books and movies (that are almost seamlessly integrated into the story). It is a family drama about the father coming to terms with how important his family is to him. There is some biting social commentary ("It's not graduation, he's moving from the fourth to fifth grade!", everybody will have super powers, meaning that nobody will be super).

This is a triumphant success - beautifully made, action packed yet engaging, funny and moving. This is a film that I already know my family and I will watch again and again.


The Ultimate Pixar   January 28, 2005
Mr. A. Peacock (Edinburgh, UK)
29 out of 40 found this review helpful

This movie is supppperb!!! I saw the trailer and thought it sounded good. But it was so much better than i imagined. Its colourful, has great animation and some spoofs of other films. The characters are simply hilarious. Samuel L. Jackson is so funny! It tells the tale of a couple of super heroes who, with other super heroes, got banned from helping people. They then have to live a "normal"life which is very funny to watch. They start a family with 3 kids all with super powers as well. Mr Incredible is assigned to a secret mission to a volacanic island. The rest of the family end up trying to save him and there are many Bond,Star Wars, Jesus moments.

Its one of those films, in which you are constantly laughing, and then have big loud laughs every 5 mins. It really makes you have a goood mood, i felt great after watching it. The short film before it, "Boundin'" is amazing! A country rhyme story of a dancing sheep. You just gotta see it.

Overall superb animation, great jokes, real life situations (like arguing over directions), crazy characters, great settings. 9/10 best pixar by far and in my top 10 disney films.

MUST SEE,GOOD FOR ALL AGES!!


Highly entertaining   January 11, 2005
23 out of 30 found this review helpful

Have you ever taken your kids to see the latest cartoon flick only to cringe at the cutesy voices, the inane plots, the predictable lines? I've actually fallen asleep while with my daughters at the cinema. Well, AT LAST! This was a children's film that surprised and engaged me, made me laugh and cry in the right places, and in which I didn't ONCE look at my watch.

It's a story about a family of superheroes forced to live in a mundane suburban world as their former identities are no longer politically acceptable. Of course, there are still villains on the loose, so inevitably the incredible family's desire to see justice done leads to solving mysteries, a showdown, and eventually.... well you just have to watch it to see.

I can promise you, I didn't fall asleep.


The Cape Crusaders   February 23, 2005
B. Roche (London, UK)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

It's amazing that ever since their 1995 hit Toy Story, Pixar have got it right time and time again. When the Incredibles came out a lot of the reviews were based on the technology and how much better looking it was than their previous animated films. Yes the graphics are incredible and the innovations are pretty amazing but all that's nothing without a good story and engaging characters (see Shark Tale). Pixar has again delivered the goods in this area, and the Parr family are as instantly loveable and down-to-earth as Woody and Buzz.

Whereas with previous films, where Pixar have been been congratulated for making inanimate CG toys and animals seem human and express human emotion, this time they have pulled off the harder feat of making CG humans realistic both in character and design.

This film has everything. A wonderful central family, great supporting characters (Ice Man and Edna are fantastic creations), a great baddie and a hilarious ending. Rent it, buy it, buy it again. You won't get bored of this film!


suburban satire supreme   March 4, 2005
A. Craig (London United Kingdom)
13 out of 47 found this review helpful

Possibly the cleverest film to be released last year, this was an instant hit with my 9 year old and a total yawn for the 12 year old. I liked it too while remaining suspicious of the political subtext (America should rearm).
When Mr. Incredible marries Elastigirl and avoids a legal suit for damage from a rescuee, he little guesses that he is condemning them to live in suburban hell with a hyperactive boy (Dash) and a daughter who is so shy she literally becomes invisible. Mr. Incredible gets a huge gut and an even huger case of mid-life crisis, while his wife literally holds the family together as a stressed-out soccer mom. Together with his old Superhero pal, he listens to the police radio and attempts to do a spot of freelance rescuing, but it's only when he gets enticed to a mysterious tropical island that he realises he, like other superheroes is in danger of getting wiped out. When Mr. Incredible gets captured, it's up to his family to rescue him and work together as a team, using their powers to save the planet (ie, New York) once again.
Pixar have a lot of fun with the cliches of the genre, and it's nice to see women and children allowed an equal role for once. There's a lot of feel-good stuff about marriage and family washing about, but it all seemed like a giant suck-up to nervy Republicans. Spiderman2 beats it hollow. However, the PS2 game is great and will keep your own hyperactive son quiet for hours.