November 14, 2004 -- “The Incredibles” is another first-class animated features from the folks who brought you the “Toy Story” films. Pixar Animation Studios, which made this film, seems to be the only studio in Hollywood that can crank out a hit movie on demand. Nobody else seems to have that magic touch, not even Disney studios, which has an exclusive distribution deal with Pixar, which, unfortunately for Disney, is due to expire soon. This film went over $100 million in short order and knocked “Shark Tale,” an inferior film using similar digital animation techniques, right out of the box office. It also slapped down the much-anticipated “Polar Express.” Digital animation is the hot technology in Hollywood right now. It seems that you can release any old film in this format and it will be a hit. This trend will cease as soon as the first really bad digital animation feature is released. That hasn't happened yet.

“The Incredibles” tells a story of a family of super heroes forced to hide their super powers because of a series of nuisance lawsuits. Mr. Incredible is lured out of retirement to undertake a series of covert operations. When he gets into trouble, the rest of the family sets out to rescue him.

The key to the effectiveness of this film is the development of the characters. Credit for the success of the story goes to Brad Bird (“The Iron Giant”), who wrote and directed this film. Mr. Incredible (voice by Craig T. Nelson) is a fascinating character. Stuck in terrible job as his alter ego Bob Parr, a mild-mannered insurance adjuster with a pinhead boss, he longs for the good old days when he used to rescue people and put bad guys in jail. He and his friend, Lucius Best (a super hero known as Frozone, who can project large quantities of instant ice, voice by Samuel L. Jackson) prowl the streets at night in search of furtive super hero action. Bob's wife, Helen (formerly known as Elastigirl, another super hero, voice by Holly Hunter), has made the adjustment to suburban life. Their son, “Dash” Dashiell (who can move faster than a speeding bullet) doesn't see why he has to hide his super powers. Their daughter, Violet (who can make herself invisible), has an inferiority complex. All these characters have to come to terms with their own true natures when it comes to the rescue mission.

The story also makes clever use of the various super powers. There are a lot of funny sight gags, but the best laughs are character-driven. The villain, Buddy Pine, also known as Syndrome, is an interesting character, too. He is not a simple villain, but a character with complex motivations. Another character, Edna Mode, AKA “E,” is a wacky super hero fashion designer (voice by Brad Bird). This character, sort of a cross between Linda Hunt and Zsa Zsa Gabor is just for laughs. One character's name is Jack Parr, similar to that of the late Jack Paar, the original “Tonight Show” host. Another character's name is Bomb Voyage. Cute. The story has a moral, of course, but it isn't too heavy-handed about delivering it. The artwork is excellent. This is an exceptional family film. The real reason it is such a good film is the screenplay, not the artwork. The story, after all, is the foundation upon which every exceptional film is built. It rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2004 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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