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In a few ways, this is an unusual movie for Pixar.

For one, it's a little longer than most animated movies. Secondly, there's a big focus from the press on the director, Brad Bird, who might become the Spielberg of animation. For the first time, we're looking at a Pixar movie as a product of a singular vision rather than of a group effort or of just an unknown director. It's also a bit darker than some of the past movies. There's quite a lot of death and fear of death, though the specter of death did loom over both Finding Nemo and Toy Story.

The biggest differentiator in The Incredibles is that the movie is populated with CGI people rather than CGI fuzzy monsters or fish or toys. Pixar has used people in only limited ways in the past and usually for good reason (remember how inhuman the human kids looked in the first Toy Story?) Now, while other animation companies are making the mistake of seeing how realistic they can get with their human characters and getting creepy results (Polar Express), Pixar does it right by stylizing the characters. They are very much 3D cartoon characters, as they should be.

The animation is of course perfect. Pixar only gets better with each film. And of course, unlike Dreamworks and the other animation companies, they focus on story and characters, not showing how they can put freckles on 3D skin or get Will Smith or some other blockbuster star to play themselves in CGI form. There is a great retro-James Bond style to the film that permeates everything from the design of the villain's lair down to the soundtrack.

The interplay between the members of the Incredibles family really puts a smile on your face. My only complaint about the film is that a little too much time is spent setting up Mr. Incredible's hired adventure on the volcano island in the first half. I was anxious to see more of the family and once they are finally all in action it is perfect.

Being a superhero fan this is of course the movie for me. This is the best superhero film ever made. Truer to the action and the sensibility of comic books than any of the Marvel movies. In fact, in many ways this is the Fantastic Four movie, which Marvel is currently making. And they are going to be hard pressed to top this.

A

Posted at November 15, 2004 11:17 PM