The Incredibles is an animated superhero film from Pixar Animation Studios and released in 2004. The voice cast includes Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, and the prolific Samuel L. Jackson. Brad Bird wrote and directed this piece.
This was one of those rare occurrences where I saw the sequel before I saw its predecessor. I watched it earlier in the week with a friend who just had a new home theater installed.
Anyway, Nelson and Hunter play Bob and Helen Parr as a typical couple who end up starting a family when they have to give up their super powered crime fighting after the public outcry due to the collateral damage left in the wake of their epic battles with the various peculiar supervillains. Anyway, Bob finds himself missing his glory days in his suburban existence and white collar job. A strange phone call lures him back in his suit and facing giant robots, however there is a more sinister purpose behind the second chance, and pretty soon the whole super powered family have to come together to face the latest threat.
This is one of those films that make me want to pay attention to more animated films even if I am not necessarily the primary target audience. This was pretty fun. I have an unusual perspective because I had seen the second film first about a year ago and enjoyed that. I think the first film as the better out of the two. There are some underlying themes I can appreciate such as the relevance of strong family loyalty even in the midst of some disagreement and discord. Hunter and Nelson have been at this a long time, and they’re performance was great. I also really enjoyed Sarah Vowell’s vocal antics as the insecure teen-age daughter, Violet. The obnoxious son, Dash, was also great. There are some slow moments at times, which seems odd to note about feature length cartoon, however it’s still a really good time. I found myself enjoying the family dynamics portrayed here. The quips were pretty good throughout. Some of the supporting case has some scene stealing moments as well. There is this babysitter for the youngest child, Jack-Jack, who was an absolute scream at times. Bird demonstrates a wicked sense of humor that I think can be appreciated by audiences of quite a wide age range, assuming of course they like superheroes.
I can’t believe it took me over fifteen years to catch this one. If a third one is being considered, I won’t be waiting near as long.
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