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Since releasing Toy Story in 1995, the crazy animation geniuses at Pixar haven’t produced a single flop. With each new release, they come up with new ways to surprise audiences—to make us laugh and touch our hearts. And, in the process, they’ve become predictable picks for each year’s Best Animated Feature Oscar. But while the studio’s recent releases have definitely been both beautiful and heartwarming, 2004’s The Incredibles is still one of my favorites.
Fifteen years ago, superheroes like Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) were at the top of their game. They could stop car chases, save kitties in distress, and foil bank robberies—all on their way to dinner. But then the people whom they dedicated their lives to saving decided that they didn’t want to be saved after all, and a series of superhero lawsuits sent supers into hiding.
Now, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl are just plain old Bob and Helen Parr. Helen stays home with their three kids, while Bob works at a heartless insurance agency. But Bob can’t seem to let go of his glory days—and he often spends his nights listening to the police scanner and making anonymous rescues with his old friend, Lucius (Samuel L. Jackson).
When a mysterious government agency offers him an opportunity to get back to work, he jumps at the chance. But his decision could put the whole family in danger.
Much like its lovable family of superheroes, The Incredibles is well above average. It’s an exciting, family-friendly adventure with a smart sense of humor and the classic jazzy score of an old Bond flick. The action scenes are cleverly-written, with the characters’ super powers applied in the most ingenious (and often hilarious) of ways. And with the characters’ lives constantly in danger, you’ll spend most of the time on the edge of your seat, hoping that they’ll all make it out alive.
But it isn’t really the action or the suspense that makes The Incredibles such a spectacular film. After all, plenty of films have action and suspense. It isn’t the eye-popping Pixar animation, either. Instead, it’s the genuine but super power-enhanced family dynamics. The Parr family may have super powers, but they’re still a regular family. The kids pick on each other and get into fights (though their fights are much more fun to watch, thanks to the kids’ powers). Young Dash (Spencer Fox) also gets in trouble at school, and middle schooler Violet (Sarah Vowell) feels awkward and out of place (just like any other kid in middle school). Meanwhile, Bob and Helen struggle to be good parents while battling the dreaded middle age spread—and they often bicker (and eventually make up) like any other married couple. And it’s this kind of light-hearted honesty that viewers can appreciate and relate to. The Parrs aren’t just superheroes with super problems; they’re superheroes with real problems, too.
Thrilling, funny, and thoughtfully written, The Incredibles is Pixar at its best. It’s not just a kids’ movie; it’s a super family movie—one that all ages will want to watch over and over again.
Blu-ray Review:
What more could you expect from a super superhero movie than a super-sized Blu-ray release? The four-disc Blu-ray/DVD/digital combo release of The Incredibles comes loaded with all kinds of extras.
The main feature disc includes two commentary tracks—a director commentary and an animator commentary—as well as two shorts. Boundin’—the story of a happy-go-lucky lamb who isn’t quite so happy-go-lucky after he’s shorn—also includes an optional director commentary. And Jack-Jack Attack (which you can watch on its own or with a video commentary, featuring interviews, sketches, and behind-the-scenes footage) adds more to the story of The Incredibles by showing what happened to bring about Kari the babysitter’s frantic phone calls. There’s also a 20-minute roundtable with director Brad Bird and various crew members, who discuss the grueling filmmaking process. Though it includes a number of inside jokes, it also gives an interesting look at the workings at Pixar.
The second Blu-ray disc features even more extras—from storyboarded deleted scenes to more behind-the-scenes features. Here, you can learn a little more about what happens at the Pixar animation studios, whether it’s in the Paths to Pixar feature on story artists or the Studio Stories feature about Pixar’s birthday parties. The disc also includes a collection of original DVD features—from silly little Easter eggs (like a version of the movie created with sock puppets) and short behind-the-scenes featurettes (on everything from character creation to Michael Giacchino’s spectacular score) to a full making-of feature.
There’s so much to see in this collection that I don’t even know where to tell you to begin. Instead, I’ll just recommend that you set aside some time to browse through both discs. You’re guaranteed to find something fun.
