Looking back on past blockbusters, it’s almost as if all it takes to make a relatively successful superhero flick in Hollywood is a lead actor with a strapping physique and rock-hard abs, fancy computer graphics and an apprehensive-looking villain (with an accent) who’s ready to take over the world due to a complex stemming from his childhood years. Executives at Marvel Comics are most likely ready to embark on vacations, thanks to that latest superhero that graced the silver screen. It’s odd that Pixar would want to take on an endeavor in the form of animated superheroes — wouldn’t that simply make it a two-hour take on those Saturday morning cartoons we used to love and watch? In short, no.
Superheroes in Pixar’s latest baby, “The Incredibles,” live a complex life — battling fame and villains simultaneously. The movie takes us to a time and place where the ever-litigious America has struck down so many lawsuits against the superheroes that they are forced to go into hiding and adopt new identities under the Superhero Relocation Program. Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) is one such unlucky superhero. Together with his new wife Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter) and their three children, they are now living a so-called “normal” life in suburbia — a life that entails a nine-to-five job at an insurance agency for Mr. Incredible, now Bob Parr, and frequent trips to her son’s principal’s office for Elastigirl, now Helen Parr.
Dissatisfied with his new life, suffering from superhero withdrawal, desperately hungry for some saving-the-day and on the brink of a midlife crisis, Parr is recruited by the mysterious Mirage to participate in a new mission — which he accepts without any hesitation. A little balder and a little fatter than in his golden days, Parr starts training to be the superhero he once was: Life magazine’s “Superhero of the Year.”
Of course, the mission, with all its benefits, doesn’t seem like all it’s cracked up to be, and the family members soon find themselves using their once abhorred super powers to save the world.
In their first attempt at portraying human (or rather super-human) characters, Pixar has captured every possible human emotion perfectly, down to the tiny creases on the corner of each character’s mouth. The complexities of the characters also shine through — a rarity in many superhero flicks — where as Parr’s teenage daughter, Violet, grappling with her insecurities, is on the verge of discovering herself (and her super powers), and Helen bends over backwards (literally!) to keep the family together and as “normal” as ever. Special mention must go to the character Edna, a fashion designer from hell who has more kick and punch than a dirty martini.
“The Incredibles” has all the regular Pixar ingredients: memorable characters, jokes that appeal to both the young and the old, pop culture references and slick, dazzling computer graphics, which is why this one is sure to be as popular as its previous productions.
Unafraid of the intimidating “proper” superhero blockbusters, Pixar takes a stab at the superhero genre and re-interpreting the Superman/Spiderman-style films. At the rate they’re going, Pixar can do no wrong.
