The Incredibles (2004)

Directed by: Brad Bird | 121 minutes | animation, comedy, adventure, family, science fiction | Original voice cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Michael Bird, Spencer Fox, Sarah Vowell, Eli Fucile, Maeve Andrews, Wallace Shawn

Brad Bird faced a major challenge as a newcomer to Pixar, where he would make the rather incredible ‘The Incredibles’. Or actually for several. For starters, there was the heavy weight of the animation studio’s great reputation that it didn’t want to tarnish. With films like ‘Toy Story’, ‘Monsters Inc.’, and ‘Finding Nemo’, Pixar had built a reputation for high quality. Fortunately, Bird was not a newcomer to animation land. He already had the very successful ‘The Iron Giant’ – a kind of cross between ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and ‘The Great Friendly Giant’ – to his name, in which he had drama, action, humor in a great way. combined and even managed to put symbolism and social criticism in his film. He was certainly not a lightweight and for his first project at Pixar – this time using computer animation – he had big plans: a spectacular and parodying superhero film, in the style of James Bond and with human figures as protagonists.

For some Disney executives, who had to give the green light, this was enough to call Bird crazy. He was told what you can and cannot do with animation and that this was more something for a live action movie, with real actors. Somehow, the skepticism was understandable, because up to that point, even at Pixar, they had not yet succeeded in animating human characters in a convincing way. Puppets, monsters, and fish had all worked well, but people’s movements and skins were always difficult to grasp: it all kept looking a bit coarse and unnatural. But Bird was convinced that it should be possible and also had the desire to make the entire superhero family appear credible in all their human emotions and reactions to each other. He was “accused” of being too ambitious, which is very ironic given the theme of ‘The Incredibles’. And unjustly, given the great end result.

‘The Incredibles’ is not only very entertaining, it also has a clear message. In the story, the presence of the superheroes is taken for granted after some time and they are even considered undesirable. There will be a law that says they can’t show their powers and just have to live a “normal” life like everyone else. Their “secret identity must become their only identity,” as one character in the film puts it. They may therefore no longer be ‘special’. When Mr Incredible’s lightning-fast son, Dash, regrets this, his mother (the super stretchy Elastigirl) says comfortingly that everyone is special. This is precisely the problem according to Mr. Incredible. When his wife asks if he isn’t going to celebrate their son’s transition from third to fourth grade, he replies that this isn’t an achievement at all. “Medium is rewarded, but when someone can do something really good or incredible…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, but it’s an interesting question. How do we deal with “our children”? Do we teach them to rise above themselves, to become the best, or to just “act, because then you are crazy enough”?

They are reflections that you will not easily find in an animated film – or rather: a family film – and it is nice that they can be found in this film. However, it by no means means that ‘The Incredibles’ is a boring, talkative, or heavy film. On the contrary. It does take a while, after a tasteful opening full of rescues, chases and explosions – before the real spectacle breaks loose, but there is so much beauty to enjoy that you as a viewer will not be bored for a second. Just the expressions of the various characters, especially the minor characters, are to die for. The young cop who continues to stare at Mr Incredible with open eyes in awe as he explains how he just saved someone’s life. Or the surprised look of a little boy on his tricycle, which Mr Incredible encounters every time he comes home in his ramshackle, much too small car. Pixar has always been brilliant at facial expressions, and ‘The Incredibles’ continues this trend. And then the details: the creases in Mr Incredible’s shirt, daughter Incredible’s beautifully shiny hair, everything has been taken care of and taken to a higher level in this film. The voice acting is great as usual, with a perfectly cast Holly Hunter as Mrs. Incredible and Jason Lee as wannabe Buddy aka Incrediboy (alias Syndrome). A special mention goes to director Brad Bird himself who voices the little bespectacled Edna “E” Mode, a wonderfully over the top fashionista who creates special outfits for our superheroes.

While the viewer gazes out, the characters slowly take shape and the family members actually become human and the viewer develops a bond with them. He really wants the “normal” marriage of the lovable Mr Incredible and Elastigirl to be all right, but of course also that they use their so wonderful and cinematic superpowers, which the viewer has already had a nice taste of in the beginning. and shake the world to its foundations. And they do! My goodness, what a spectacle! Intense battles with robots, frenzied chases in the jungle, original fistfights, explosive confrontations on, under, and in the water, and a lot of technological gadgets and vehicles that give everything that little bit extra. In the few moments the viewer has to breathe, there is room for humor and drama, and sometimes it even goes hand in hand with the action. When you look at a dazzling backdrop of lush jungles, awe-inspiring waterfalls and oceans and modern architectural delights that are seamlessly integrated into this environment, you can safely speak of an ultimate roller coaster ride. The jazzy music, inspired by the James Bond theme, is also perfectly chosen and stays in your head long after watching the film. Maybe it all goes on a bit too long in the end (with a somewhat unnecessary epilogue), but actually there is very little wrong with ‘The Incredibles’. It’s a movie you can keep watching because it works on so many levels. In any case, based on this film, we can say that there is nothing like “too ambitious”. Come on, filmmakers around the world, make your wildest fantasies a reality. Nothing is impossible!