The Incredibles

Review By: Peter McKay
PeterMcKay@TheCinemaSource.com

Pixar has again revolutionized moviemaking. The company that brought us Toy Story and Finding Nemo now introduces us to their newest masterpiece, The Incredibles.” And the title is extremely apt since the film itself is nothing short of an incredible achievement in animation. Other studios can only “dream” (nudge, nudge… wink wink) of making films with the quality and creativity that define Pixar. Audiences may as well assume that Pixar has a lifelong lock on the Best Animated Film statue.

In the opening moments of The Incredibles, we see black and white news footage of a time when superheroes ruled the streets and the skies. The most super of all was Mr. Incredible (Craig “Coach” T. Nelson), whose brawny, square-jawed charm is heralded by most, and envied by some, especially his “#1 Fan.” But just at the height of his popularity, Mr. Incredible and the other heroes in this comic book world are brought to their knees – not by some dastardly super-villian, but by the very citizens these heroes are trying to save. Lawsuit after lawsuit accuse the “Supers” of such heinous crimes as saving those who do not want to be saved, a crime in which Mr. Incredible himself is found guilty of. He and his new bride, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) are forced into the Superhero Protection Program along with the rest of the once-loved heroes. The newlywed couple assumes the identities of Bob and Helen Parr, and find themselves fading slowly into mundane suburban oblivion. The casting of Wally “Inconceivable” Shawn as Bob’s vertically-challenged neat-freak boss is inspired, as is the casting of Sarah Vowell as the Parr’s invisible, forcefield-wielding daughter Violet. Vowell is best known for her frequent contributions to NPR’s This American Life, but her quirky, droll voice is perfectly suited for the screen.

The set-up for The Incredibles leaves director Brad Bird wide open to explore and exploit the possibilities of juxtaposing a “super” family with a decidedly “unsuper” existence. At one point early in the film, the family has a typical family feud around the dinner table where the Parr’s lightning-fast son Dash zips around the table pulling his sisters hair, until he is stopped short by one of her trademark forcefields. As any mom would do if she could, Helen separates her children to opposite sides of the table with her stretchy arms, and yells for her husband to intervene. Bob responds by picking up the dinner table, leaving his family dangling beneath, as the youngest Parr, Jack Jack, who seems strangely normal, looks on from his highchair. The fray is brought to a halt with the ring of the doorbell and the entrance of Lucious, a frosty fellow superhero-come-citizen named Frozone, voiced by one of the coolest actors of all, Samuel L. Jackson.

As the former Mr. Incredible and Frozone moonlight as do-good citizens, they dream of reliving their glory days.