The Incredibles

Campus Times

Oct. 27, 2004

By Kyra Kirkwood

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a…big red blimp? No, it's an overweight former superhero trying to make a comeback.

The latest opus from Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Pictures introduces movie viewers to the groundbreaking computer-generated art. More intense then "Finding Nemo," less child-centered than "Toy Story" and just as painstakingly created as "Monsters, Inc.," "The Incredibles" busts into theaters Nov. 5.

The film seems to have it all: action, chase scenes, comedy, inside jokes, even a slightly seductive scene or two (thanks to the throaty character of Mirage, played by Elizabeth Pena). Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible, and his main squeeze Helen, better known as Elastigirl, help save their metropolis from evil villains, until the day a lawsuit by an unwilling survivor shuts down the superhero franchise. Fifteen years later, the Parrs are married, raising three kids and trying to blend into typical, albeit boring, middle-class America. Bob (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) aches for the good old days, while Helen (Holly Hunter, delivering classic banter and witty lines) fights to keep their family as normal as possible. The kids, Violet and Dash, hate hiding who they are in order to fit in; baby Jack Jack is too young to care. So when Bob gets an offer he can't refuse, it suddenly seems like the entire Parr clan, with some help from the pint-sized designing diva Edna Mode, is back in action.

Although "The Incredibles" is about superheroes, the focus is less on comic-book "Wham! Bam!" and more on modern themes like family, dreams and being heroic—however you define it.

"Superheroes are in the ether," said producer John Walker. "Their inspiration is everywhere."

Unfortunately, society reduces heroes, said writer/director Brad Bird, who also did "The Iron Giant." "The moment we declare them heroes is the moment we start going after them. I think it's very hard to be any kind of hero nowadays. We always need heroes, don't we? And how you define a hero is not always somebody who's bashing through a door. It can be someone who is adopting a child; there are a million ways to define what makes a hero."

Said story supervisor Mark Andrews: "We love heroes, but we don't want to be reminded that we're not heroes, that we're not special."

Bird came up with this story idea after the first of his children was born. As he struggled to integrate his career goals with the demands of his new family, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with the idea of Mr. Incredible: a superhero father who is forced to give up his dreams (saving the world) for the good of his family. What developed is part spy flick, part feel-good family movie, part side-splitting comedy, all tied together with a band of believable characters who roll seamlessly through the multi-dimensional plot.

"The Incredibles" skates across many levels, appealing to different age groups. Parents might relate to the trials faced by the Parrs as they struggle to raise their kids, while teens will probably identify completely with the kids' desire to fit in.

"It's about being okay with yourself, not feeling like you have to cut yourself to fit into some preconceived notion," said Bird. "It was very liberating when I figured out that I could define who I was and it was okay."

One particularly meaningful scene involves young Dash griping about how he's unable to participate in sports, because his superhuman speed would raise more than just eyebrows. This everyone-is-special moral, where rewards are given for just showing up and everyone's a winner, quashes a necessary building block in children's emotional growth.

"If you tie all the time, if you're mediocre, what [is the point]," Andrews said. "You have to lose to win. You have to not be special to then be special. That's important. That comment is in the film throughout."

Whereas "Monsters, Inc." became famous for its breathtaking animation of Sulley's swaying fur, "The Incredibles" carved a home for itself in CG history by shooting in multiple locations, making animated humans look believable instead of creepy, and perfecting wet hair. But it was the everyday stuff that posed challenges to the animators in their quest.

"The family dinner scene brought us to our knees," said supervising technical director Rick Sayre. "You don't look at that and think, 'Wow! Look at all that technology there!' It just is a family sitting down and having dinner. It's almost boring. But it's really hard."

Creating the character of Violet was a challenge, mainly due to her carpet of long black hair.

"Violet gave me the most grief," said Sayre. "Sleeplessly late into the picture, we had meetings with the software guys where they were explaining how this was an unsolved problem and we shouldn't really expect it to work. But it did eventually work."

Inspiration for many animators comes from the classic Disney films, like "Snow White," as well as "Star Wars."

"There's an art to filmmaking," said Alan Barillaro, supervising animator. "We're trying to go farther."

His best nugget of advice to those wanting to follow in this team's famous footsteps? Learn about the medium itself—watercolor, oil, etc.—and then transcend it, discover how to convey your message through these tools.

"You need be a great observer. You're learning to see and learning to express yourself," said Barillaro. "Drawing is the quickest way to do that. Being creative.

"That's what we're trying to do as artists—say more, communicate more, and hopefully touch people."