Face-Off: The Incredibles vs. Incredibles 2

Craig T. Neslon+D2:S14 as Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible
Holly Hunter as Helen Parr/Elastigirl
Sarah Vowell as Violet Parr
Spencer Fox as Dashiell "Dash" Parr
Jason Lee as Buddy Pine/IncrediBoy/Syndrome
Elizabeth Pena as Mirage
Bud Luckey as Rick Dicker
Wallace Shawn as Gilbert Huph
John Ratzenberger as The Underminer
with Brad Bird as Edna Mode
and Samuel L. Jackson as Lucious Best/Frozone

By the time he had started work on THE INCREDIBLES Brad Bird had already established himself with the animated cult classic, THE IRON GIANT. While that movie played on atomic-era stories of the past, Bird brought that same passion to the world of 60s-era comic books and spy movies to thrilling effect. Pixar may have been in its first decade, with only a handful of movies under its belt, but Bird pushed computer animation to its limit by crafting a world that looks ripped right out of a Golden Age comic book filled with countless heroes and colorful locations. Where the movie really sets itself apart from being more than a colorful piece of eye candy is Bird's focus on the family at its core, telling a story about a family man – who happens to be a superhero – trying to reclaim his glory days. Bird may not get the emotional impact out of the movie that he did with GIANT, but he demonstrates a strong knack for visual storytelling and style here.

As said above. Bird takes from the comic books and colorful action thrillers of the 60s and gives it a modern, satiricial feel while still evoking the best of those products. While the story may not incorporate the family in as strong a way as the sequel, this outing benefits from a central focus on Mr. Incredible/Bob Parr, a "retired" hero trying to relive the glory days and ends up making things worse for himself. The narrative is clean and focused, and allows for Bird to play with the world and the characters, each having their strong suits (figuratively and literall, thanks to Edna Mode). This means that when Parr is getting back into the game he can exlpore where all these heroes fit in to the universe, including where they got their costumes, gifting us the incomprable Edna Mode, one of the best creations Pixar has ever provided mankind. Also at the center is a more interesting, colorful villain (more on that later), which makes the conflict at the center more engaging. 

Bits:

Meet the Supers
Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl
Bomb-Voyage
Normal Life
Car Rage
Family Dinner
Heroing in the Shadows
Bob Tosses his Boss
The First Omnidroid
Training Montage
Edna Mode
No Capes!
The Second Omnidroid
Family Suits
Infiltaring Syndrome's Lair
Airplane Chaos
Elastigirl to the Rescue
The Incredibles in Action
Syndrome Attacks
Saving the City
Jack-Jack Attack
The Family that Fights Together

Lines:

Mr. Incredible: No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for… for ten minutes!

—

Violet: We act normal, mom! I want to *be* normal! The only normal one is Jack-Jack, and he's not even toilet trained!

—

Edna: My God, you've gotten fat.

—

Edna: Milan, darling. Milan. Supermodels. Heh! Nothing super about them… spoiled, stupid little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves. Feh! I used to design for *gods*!

—

Edna: No capes!

—

Edna: I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now.

—

Syndrome: Sure, it was difficult, but you are worth it. I mean, after all… I am your biggest fan.

—

Edna: I didn't know the baby's powers so I covered the basics.
Helen: Jack-Jack doesn't have any powers.
Edna: No? Well, he'll look fabulous anyway.

—

Edna: And it can also withstand a temperature of over 1000 degrees. Completely bulletproof…And machine washable, darling. That's a new feature.

—

Edna: Pull-yourself-together! "What will you do?" Is this a question? You will show him you remember that he is Mr. Incredible, and you will remind him who *you* are. Well, you know where he is. Go, confront the problem. Fight! Win!

—

Syndrome: Oh, no. Elastigirl? You married Elastigirl? Ho, ho, ho…Oh – and got biz-zay! It's a whole family of supers! Looks like I hit the jackpot! Oh, this is just too good!

—

Dash: We're dead! We're dead! We survived but we're dead!

—

Lucius: Honey?
Honey: What?
Lucius: Where's my super suit?
Honey: What?
Lucius: WHERE – IS – MY – SUPER SUIT?
Honey: I, uh, put it away!
Lucius: Where!?
Honey: WHY do you NEED to know?

This is the first score Michael Giacchino did for Pixar, and the movie that catapulted him into the public eye. When you listen to the score its easy to see why he got so much attention for his work here, because after his work on UP it has to be my favorite piece from him in the Pixar world. His score here is, as Edna Mode would say, bold and dramatic, taking spy-movie sounds and mixing them with heroic action pieces, all with an enegetic, jazzy vibe. While the sequel next door has so much going on in the action department the movie here has more gaps between the spectacle, so the score does a lot of heavy lifting in the meantime. It stands out well when Parr is going through his self-improvement montage, and during the more spy movie moments, like when the plane he's on goes underwater into a secret lair, or when he's in the Lava Room with Mirage. Like I said, his work on UP is he best in the animated realm, but INCREDIBLES is a close second, and one that still stands out from his whole discography over a decade later. 

A doe-eyed, hopeful kid having his dreams crushed by his hero, only to become the villain bent on destroying all supers as an evil adult makes for a perfect animated superhero movie villain. Jason Lee gives a goofy, yet still sinister quality to Syndrome that makes you despise this character despite his tragic backstory. More importanly, it gives an emotional layer to the story that fits well into Bob's attempt to reclaim his former life, having to suffer the consequences as a result. But on top of all that he's just a fun villain to watch. He's got the crazy, volcano hair, outlandish costume, cool gadgets and strong, clear motivations. It's a shame he was taken down so easily in the first movie, because I would've liked to see him return for the sequel. 

Going back to a point I made in the "Direction" section, Pixar was still in its early days, and the animation doesn't always hold up as well when you go back and watch those older outings. There's not as much detail in either the foreground or background elements, and there's just not a ton of scope that can be given compared to later titles like WALL-E, UP, INSIDE OUT and the sequel next door. When the movie picks up and Parr gets to travel to the island the training wheels are kicked off and there's some vibrant color given to the locales, no doubt all the budget reserved for the climatic action scenes. 

Praise:

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% (75% Audience Score)

Metacritic: 90 (8.8 Audience)

IMDb: 8.0 

—

Money:

$261 million ($633 million global)

While the movie is called THE INCREDIBLES this is certainly Mr. Incredible's story. He gets most of the focus and goes through most of the change, with the family as a whole not getting to do much until they get thrust into the action in the second half. Until then they still are well-crafted, and Bird's script does a hilarious job executing the family dysfunction, working their powers into their daily lives. Still what I appreciate more about the sequel is how it makes the story more about the family than this one, where it's Parr learning not to hide secrets from them, with the whole gang coming together in the end.

When it comes to laughs Edna Mode wins the day here, with her deadpan, absurd character traits and Bird's excellent voiceover work. As evidenced by the "Bits and Lines" segment everything out of her mouth is quotable and hysterical, and she gives the movie some comedic releif. Other than that the movie manages to be funny in numerous, slapstick ways, all peppered throughout the still-thrilling action. Some classic hero work in the beginning (saving a kitten from a tree, stopping a speeding train) are all there, with some more modern thrills (fighting the Omnidroid) making up the rest. There's plenty here that remain less dated than the animation itself, with Bird finding clever ways to incorporate the families powers into the spectacle.