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The Incredibles is an Academy Award-winning Pixar Animation Studios animated feature film. It was written and developed by Brad Bird, former director of The Simpsons and previously best known for directing the animated movie The Iron Giant. The Incredibles was originally developed as a traditionally animated movie, but after Warner Bros shut down its animation division, Brad Bird moved to Pixar and took the story with him.

The Incredibles is Pixar's sixth feature film. It was "presented" by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Buena Vista Distribution in the United States on November 5, 2004, and in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland on November 26, 2004. It is the first Pixar movie to be rated PG by the MPAA. It was released in a two-disc DVD (in both widescreen and full frame versions) in the U.S. on March 15, 2005. According to the Internet Movie Database, it was the highest-selling DVD of 2005 with 17.38 million copies sold.

MSN Movies ranks The Incredibles as the fourth best superhero movie to date, behind X-Men, Batman Returns, and Spider-Man.*

Plot

Three superheroes, Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible, and Frozone are giving an interview just as a report of a high-speed chase (involving bank robbers armed with machine guns) is reported. Mr. Incredible stops the chase by crushing the engine of the offending vehicle with a tree from which he also rescues a cat named Squeaker. After hearing of a tour bus jacking, he finds a costume-dressed 10-year-old boy, Buddy Pine, following him. Buddy claims to be his number-one fan and new sidekick (Incredi-Boy), but Mr. Incredible just ejects him out of the Incredibile. Mr. Incredible stops a petty thief, who is knocked out by Elastigirl. They both agree to meet each other later. Frozone chases after a stolen helicopter (loaded with several criminals and a hostage). Mr. Incredible rescues a man from falling from a rooftop and uncovers Bomb Voyage, one of his recurring enemies. Incredi-Boy shows up, but Mr. Incredible stops him from hurting himself allowing Voyage to escape. Mr. Incredible, as Bob, heads to a wedding with his new bride Elastigirl, as Helen. The man who fell from the rooftop sues Mr. Incredible, as he apparently wanted to commit suicide and this initiates a chain of events which leads to all superheroes forcibly retiring, relocating and rejoining society with normal identities.

Fifteen years later, Mr. Incredible, leading a new life as Robert Parr, works for a corrupt cubicle farm insurance company, Insuricare. Against the wishes of his boss/employer, Gilbert Huph, he helps clients by telling them how to get around Insuricare's bureaucracy. Bob's son, Dash (with superspeed) is sent to Principal Walker's office for sticking a thumbtack on the chair of his least favorite teacher, Mr. Bernie Kropp. Dash's mother Helen hopes he'll act "normal" and try to fit in, but this seems impossible as they had to relocate multiple times already because of Bob's inability to let go of the past and had just finished three years of packing and unpacking in order to be officially moved in. Her daughter Violet (who can turn invisible and generate force fields) waits outside of the school for an attractive redhead, Anthony Rydinger, but is too shy to approach him. At the house over dinner, the kids argue over Vi's crush on Tony (Jack-Jack, still a baby who apparently doesn't have any powers and can just barely talk, watches in enjoyment) and Bob notices that superhero rights advocate Simon J. Paladino (Gazerbeam), another former superhero, has gone missing. Lucius Best (Frozone) comes over (breaking up the fight by ringing the doorbell) and he and Bob apparently go bowling but secretly try to be heroic, all the while being followed by a mysterious woman. Bob returns home and fights with Helen, who learns what he was doing.

The next dismal morning, Bob is barely attentive to his work and Mr. Huph notices this. Outside, Bob notices a man getting mugged, but Huph threatens to terminate Bob's employment if he leaves. Bob throws Huph, who flies through several walls, effectively landing in the hospital. Bob loses his job but doesn't want to relocate again. At home, Bob notices a package in his briefcase. It is a message for him from Mirage, the same woman who followed him and Lucius the night before. She tells him to come to the Island of Nomanisan to stop a renegade, on-the-loose battle robot, the Omnidroid 9000, a job that only Mr. Incredible can do. Remembering his glory days, he accepts and cheats his way out of the house by telling Helen that he is going on a business trip.

On the plane, Mirage tells him that the robot's artificial intelligence enabled it to become sentient and escape on its own. Bob lands on the island (while boarding the pod, Bob's obesity became a problem and it presented itself again after he landed, forcing him to blow the pod open) and eventually finds the robot. The battle that ensues eventually finds its way into a volcano and Bob attempts to destroy it by throwing it into magma in order to avoid being crushed by one of its massive claws, but he pops his back while celebrating. However, the robot comes back and tries to tear Bob apart, but instead Bob gets a chiropractic assist and his back is straightened out. He goes right into the robot and has it rip out its own reactor. Mirage invites Mr. Incredible to dinner after a mysterious man tells her that she can, though her employer still wishes to remain anonymous.

After he returns home, Bob notices that his super suit had been torn by the Omnidroid during the battle (Bob even got a cut on his arm and bled) and goes to Edna Mode (also known as E), for a quick patching job. Edna was a superhero fashion designer who wants to make him a brand new suit, without a cape as several caped superheroes either died or disappeared when their capes became snagged on missiles, airplanes, etc. Edna also patches the old "hobo suit" (albeit reluctantly). Mirage calls Bob with a new assignment and he lands on the island again (before he left, Helen overheard the ending of the conversation. She assumed Bob was cheating on her but doesn't tell him that). To his surprise, Mr. Incredible finds another battle robot and his employer, Syndrome. Originally Buddy/Incredi-Boy, his dream was crushed when he could not become a superhero (also because of his lack of superpowers) or help Mr. Incredible. His genius allowed him to create new weapons making him a "super" in his own right. Helen catches on and gives Edna a phone call. She states that she conveniently designed costumes for the whole family.

Bob, who managed to hide when Syndrome thought he was dead, finds the word Kronos scrawled on a cave wall after coming across Gazerbeam's deteriorated skeleton. He manages to infiltrate the island fortress and ends up in a huge Cerebro-like computer room, typing in Kronos as the password. To his horror, he finds a huge list of superheroes, all killed by the battle robots and a plot called "Operation Kronos." Helen activates a homing beacon to find Bob (a feature that Edna added into the new costumes), which triggers the alarm. Helen prepares a plane to go to the island and find Bob, leaving instructions to the kids to stay put.

Syndrome grills and "electro-tortures" Bob, who didn't know about the homing device or that Helen is coming (with the kids who stowed aboard). Syndrome launches anti-aircraft missiles which destroy the plane, but the three survive thanks to Helen's new suit fabric which is indestructible. Bob grabs Mirage and threatens to kill her if he is not released, but Syndrome calls his bluff knowing he couldn't (many superheroes don't kill when they can't find it in them, and some don't kill at all) and he lets her go. Helen and the kids make it to the island and prepares to leave them in a cave safely while she looks for Bob. Mirage is displeased with what happened and warns Syndrome that valuing life is not a weakness and that he'd better bet his own life the next time that he gambles.

Dash rebels and looks around, while a huge rocket with the latest Omnidroid launches, nearly roasting the kids alive. Helen infiltrates the base while the kids fight the guards in the jungle. Mirage turns on her boss and lets Mr. Incredible out (Elastigirl arrives and assumes again that Mr. Incredible is indeed cheating on her but still agrees to stick with him). The family regroups and fights the security, eventually Syndrome shows up and stops them, taking them all captive.

On Syndrome's plasma television monitor, the Omnidroid causes chaos on the city while Syndrome himself looks on proudly alluding it to the movies. He reveals the nature of Operation Kronos, saying that he'll allow the robot to cause chaos until he shows up and stops it, allowing himself to finally become a superhero. He also says when he is old and he's had his fun, he'll mass-market his technology allowing everyone to become super, so that no one will have more super-powers than anyone else. Fortunately for the Incredibles, however, the robot "learns" that Syndrome uses a remote to control and dismantle it, and it gets angry with Syndrome. It blasts the remote off his wrist, and damages one of his aero-boots, sending him slamming into a high-rise building, which knocks him unconscious. The family escapes with the help of Mirage and joins up with Frozone and they eventually destroy the robot.

People all over thank the Incredibles and Frozone as they search to confront Syndrome (conscious once again) who's holding Jack-Jack hostage, planning to train him to be his sidekick. In a startling climax, Jack-Jack reveals a multitude of superpowers and Mr. Incredible finishes Syndrome off (or so it seems) by using his own car, Syndrome's cape, and the turbine of Syndrome's private jet, but at the cost of the family home. Violet saves the family from being crushed by burning plane wreckage by shielding them, much to the amazement of one of their neighbors, a tricycle-riding boy named Rusty.

Three months later, Violet is brave enough to speak to Tony and they plan on going to the movies on Friday (Violet offers to purchase the popcorn). Dash is finally allowed to compete in spectator sports, as long as he keeps to finishing in second place. As the family begins to walk to their van from one such sporting event, a new supervillain, The Underminer, threatens the world for the first time. The Parrs put on their masks and are already wearing their uniforms underneath their civilian outfits, as Mr. Incredible reveals in Superman-like style, ready to save the day once again.

Operation Kronos

Operation Kronos was the codename of a plan by the supervillain Syndrome. This plan was a large part of the plot in The Incredibles and took up much of the film. The name of the operation is an alternate spelling for the name of the Greek diety Cronus. In the mythological Golden Age, Cronus usurped the throne of his father, Uranus, only to be overthrown himself by his own son, Zeus, and banished to Tartarus. Syndrome chose the codename because he planned to become a savior after killing many Supers—including his "father-figure", Mr. Incredible.

The Plan

  • Phase 1: A newly trained Omnidroid 9000 v10.0 (trained by fighting and killing numerous Supers) is placed on a rocket.

  • Phase 2: The rocket is aimed at Metroville and launched. When the rocket is close enough to Metroville, most of the rocket breaks away, leaving only the Omnidroid and some aerodynamic stablization framework. The Omnidroid and framework land in a part of the city where there are many people and tall buildings (presumably, the 'financial district').

  • Phase 3: The framework splits apart, freeing the Omnidroid, and the Omnidroid is activated. The Omnidroid razes some buildings and attacks the panicking civilians, killing members of the army and police force.

  • Final Phase: When all hope is lost, Syndrome shows up to save the day. Once Syndrome has "beaten it" with his remote, he becomes a hero.

What went wrong

Phases 1, 2, and 3 went perfectly (in fact, Dash and Violet were nearly roasted alive in one of the exhaust caves during lift-off). However, in the Final Phase, while in battle, the Omnidroid, which had "learned" that Syndrome used the remote to destroy it, blasted it off his wrist and knocked him unconscious. The Incredible Family, who had just freed themselves from one of Syndrome's multiple-prisoner containment chambers, showed up in an RV that they had jacked (Mr. Incredible had to knock out all of the original occupants first (possibly even killing them), and Elastigirl acted as a harness, while Violet did the honor of separating the framework), and with the help of Frozone, saved the day, ruining the plan, and Operation Kronos ended in a different manner than Syndrome intended.

Voice cast

Actor Role
Craig T. Nelson Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible
Holly Hunter Helen Parr/Elastigirl
Sarah Vowell Violet Parr
Spencer Fox Dashiell "Dash" Robert Parr
Jason Lee Buddy Pine/Syndrome/Incredi-Boy
Brad Bird Edna Mode
Elizabeth Peña Mirage
Samuel L. Jackson Frozone/Lucius Best
Eli Fucile Jack-Jack Parr
Bud Luckey Rick Dicker
Wallace Shawn Gilbert Huph
Bret 'Brook' Parker Kari McKeen
Kimberly Adair Clark Honey Best
Lou Romano Bernie Kropp
Wayne Canney Principal Walker
Dominique Louis Bomb Voyage
Jean Sincere Mrs. Hogenson
Teddy Newton Newsreel Narrator
John Ratzenberger The Underminer
Maeve Andrews Jack-Jack Parr (monster)

U.S. box office take

Its opening box office sales in the United States exceeded that of Pixar's previous animation films. At the time of its release, its opening-weekend attendance ranked fifth in 2004, behind Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Spider-Man 2 and The Passion of the Christ. It was ranked 14th among all opening-weekend results at that time.

All figures in United States dollars.

  • Week 1: $70,467,623 (1st)
  • Week 2: $50,251,359 (1st)
  • Week 3: $26,523,852 (3rd)
  • Week 4: $23,580,279 (2nd)
  • Week 5: $9,015,796 (4th)
  • Week 6: $5,036,631 (6th)
  • Week 7: $3,120,541 (10th)
  • Week 8: $2,417,039 (15th)

The movie grossed a total of roughly $259,000,000 in the United States, and $366,000,000 in foreign markets, making it the fifth- and fourth-highest-grossing movie, respectively, of 2004. It is Pixar's second-highest-grossing movie, after Finding Nemo, and the third-highest-grossing superhero movie, after Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2.

DVD extras

The Incredibles two-disc Collector's Edition DVD set was released on March 15, 2005. Two versions of the set are available: one widescreen and the other full screen (this is unlike releases for other Pixar films, which often contained both versions in one set). Like many other DVD releases, there are various extra features available on the two discs including:
  • Introduction, an introduction for the extras featuring Brad Bird
  • Deleted Scenes, the films deleted scenes plus an intro for all of them
  • Jack-Jack Attack, a Pixar short film made escpecially for the realease of The Incredibles about what happened while Kari was babysitting Jack-Jack
  • The Making of The Incredibles, a documentary about making The Incredibles featuring about 30 of the crew members
    • More Making of The Incredibles, another longer documentary also about making The Incredibles
  • Incredi-Blunders, The Incredibles outtakes
  • Vowellet: An Essay by Sarah Vowell, a documentary about the life of Sarah Vowell, a writer who did the voice of Violet Parr
  • Character Interviews, actor and actresses interview the characters
  • Theatrical Trailer, The Incredibles film trailer
  • Mr. Incredible and Pals, a Mr. Incredible cartoon
    • Mr. Incredible and Pals With Commentary, the cartoon with the characters' commentary
  • NSA Files, info about the supers
  • Boundin', a Pixar short film directed by Bud Luckey

Merchandising

Several companies released promotional products related to the movie. Dark Horse Comics released a limited series of comic books based on the movie. Kellogg's released an Incredibles-themed cereal, as well as promotional Pop Tarts and fruit snacks, all proclaiming an "Incrediberry Blast" of flavor. Furthermore, in the weeks before the movie's opening, there were also promotional tie-ins with SBC Communications (using Dash to promote the "blazing-fast speed" of its SBC Yahoo! DSL service) and McDonald's.

In Europe, Kinder chocolate eggs contained small plastic toy characters.

In Mexico, there has been a craze about the movie, literally hundreds of items are being sold there, with several of them being exclusive to Mexico. Already many stores around the country have been reporting being completely sold out of certain popular items.

In Belgium, car manufacturer Opel sold special The Incredibles editions of their cars.

In the United Kingdom, Telewest promoted blueyonder internet services with branding from the film, including television adverts starring characters from the film.

In all merchandising outside of the film itself, Elastigirl is referred to as Mrs. Incredible. This is due to a licensing agreement between Disney/Pixar and DC Comics, who previously had a character named Elasti-Girl and owned the license to the name. DC Comics claimed the name because of a character named Elasti-Girl in the series Doom Patrol. She was able to grow and shrink at will from microscopic size to thousands of feet tall.

Video games

The Incredibles

The Incredibles also spawned a video game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, PC and the Apple Macintosh. The game features 18 levels, and has five playable characters. They are:
  • Mr Incredible: Used for most of the game, he spans 11 of the levels. While his techniques are the same, his clothes change:
    • Young Bob Parr (his first two levels, blue suit)
    • "Keeping Identity Secret" Bob (one level; burning building)
    • Old Bob Parr (three levels; old blue suit)
    • Old Bob (five levels; new "i" suit)
  • Elastigirl spans three levels (she appears in two more as either a guest or a helper)
    • Young Helen Parr (one level; original suit)
    • Older Helen Parr (two levels; new "i" suit)
  • Dash (two levels, both of which have a time limit). Two suits: secret identity and supersuit.
  • Violet: Used once. She sneaks past guards invisibly; the supersuit is her only costume.
  • Incredi-Ball: Dash and Violet together in a force field.

On the GBA version, Incredi-Ball is absent. However, the character of Frozone is playable.

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer

Announced at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), there is to be a sequel to the Incredibles video game, called Rise of the Underminer. This game takes place after the first movie/game and the basis is defeating the Underminer. From ign.com:

"Following The Incredibles' defeat of Syndrome in the Walt Disney Pictures presentation of the Pixar Animation Studios film, a new threat emerges beneath the ground with a diabolical plot to pollute the major cities of the world and rule over humanity from below. Fans will be able to pick up from where the film left off and relive the glory days as Mr. Incredible and Frozone, superhero best friends who team up to tackle a new villain, The Underminer."

TV Series

Disney will produce a new animated series called The Adventures of Mr. Incredible . It is animated in 2D and features two heroes (Mr. Incredible and Frozone) and one villain (Syndrome). The show will be on the Disney Channel in Fall 2007.

Trivia

  • The Incredibles is the first full length Pixar movie with actual humans as the main characters.
  • An appearance of the CalArts Animation School inside joke A113 appears in the middle of the movie, when Mirage tells Mr. Incredible to report to conference room A113. The same in-joke appears later as the number for the containment cell holding Mr. Incredible: Detention Block A1, Cell No. 13.
  • Bob's desk lamp is Luxo Jr., which is from a short 1986 Pixar film and is also seen in Toy Story. In the scene with the self destructing message, the boxing game from Toy Story is on the shelf, to the left.
  • You can see the Pizza Planet Truck, originally from Toy Story, in the Freeway Scene.
  • Helen's pilot call number, India Golf Niner-Niner (IG99) is a refrence to Brad Bird's film, The Iron Giant, which came out in 1999.
  • The street names in the first chase scene, like San Pablo, Adeline, Stanford, Christie, and Powell, are the names of actual streets in Emeryville, California, the home of Pixar Studios' headquarters.
  • The final scene depicting the entrance of a new super-villan and his drilling machine is suprisingly similar to that of the drilling machine in Banjo-Tooie (The Hag 1)
  • According to one of the extra features on the DVD, other Superteams in this "universe" are Beta Force, the Phantasmics and the Thrilling Three. The final is disbanded.
  • In the scene where Frozone and Mr. Incredible accidentally break into a jewelry store, a cop then comes in and tells Frozone to freeze. Frozone reaches for a cup of water, all the while telling the cop that "I just need to get a drink." This is an homage to Jackson's scene in With a Vengeance where he reaches for the subway telephone, all the while telling the cop holding a gun on him that "I just need to answer the phone."
  • The Incredibles has, by far, the most number of deaths, both implied and shown, of any Disney animated movie (although the Disney movie with the most deaths overall is The Curse of the Black Pearl) This includes the army soldiers and police officers who were killed by the Omnidroid 9000, Supers killed by Syndrome (at least ten, one of which - Gazerbeam - is even shown in a state of advanced decomposition), plus the Supers killed by their own incompetence (the cape scene), Syndrome's soldiers, and quite possibly Syndrome himself. The amount of destruction in this movie is also record high. A high death rate is one of the many things that make this movie resemble films of the super spy genre, such as James Bond, as well as the generic superhero genre; another is the Incredible Family's tendency to kill the primary villains (or at least attempt to do so), sometimes with meditated methods, which obviously mimics that of James Bond himself and is not only a reference to his license to kill, but is also a starking contrast to the "no-kill policies" of other superheroes (including Superman). Killings by a superhero are very rare in American cinema, but a killing by a child superhero is almost unheard of.
  • Apogee, Blazestone, Blitzerman, Downburst, Everseer, Gamma Jack, Gazerbeam, Hypershock, Macroburst, The Phylange, Psycwave, Stormicide, Tradewind, Universal Man, and Vectress are Supers who are implied to have been killed by an Omnidroid. Frozone was a target before Mirage's focus switched to Mr. Incredible. The fates of Fironic and Plasmabolt are uncertain, not having appeared in Syndrome's database nor being listed among those KIA in the NSA files. Blitzerman, Fironic, Tradewind, and Vectress do not even have their own NSA files. Since Mr. Incredible was erroneously present on Syndrome's list of Omnidroid casualties, some of these Supers may still be alive.
  • Dynaguy, Meta-Man, Stratogale and Thunderhead are Supers whose capes contributed to their deaths. Incidentally, all four are briefly seen during the Parrs' wedding; they are seated in the pew behind Gazerbeam, Edna, and Rick Dicker. Splashdown is a Super whose cape led to his disappearance and possible death (he is listed as MIA in his file; Edna indicated his death by water vortex was more than likely). Like the previous four Supers Splashdown attended the Parrs' wedding and sat in the same pew.
  • Five of the aforementioned supers do not have audio files in the Special Features DVD and Rick Dicker gives the following reasons:
    • "Macroburst audio file incomplete; damaged during mission. Audio file for Macroburst mission recovered, but determined incomplete by NSA (National Supers Agency) Division Delta."
    • "Audio file for Meta-Man found missing. Assumed confiscated during surprise attack by Baron von Ruthless."
    • "Audio file for Plasmabolt erased inadvertedly due to Plasmabolt's electromagnetic aura. See IGEL to re-record."
    • "Splashdown audio file irretrievable due to water damage."
    • "Stratogale's mission audio file deemed incomprehensible; suspect either faulty recording equipment or a high level of ambient wind noise."
  • Some of the supers are named after figures in the gaming industry; in particular, Blazestone resembles Blake Stone, a game developed by Apogee.
  • When Jason Lee's character, young Buddy Pine, is introduced onscreen, Bob struggles to remember his name. He initially calls Buddy "Brodie," a hat-tip to Lee's role in Mallrats.
  • The costumes were also based on those of the musical superhero band The Aquabats, who had a television series in development with Disney years ago and wear similar costumes.
  • In the world of The Incredibles one might drink Blert Cola (displayed on a billboard as Mr. Incredible and Frozone drive to the fire.)
  • This is the first Pixar movie to be rated PG and the first Pixar film not to have lyrics to any of its scores (see below).
  • This is also the first Pixar movie in which multiple characters die.
  • In the scene where Bob Parr accidentally breaks the car door and begins to mutter to himself, you can briefly hear him saying "Oh geez." It was a phrase of frustration commonly used by Craig T. Nelson's character on the TV sitcom Coach.
  • Production of The Incredibles began in March 2000.*
  • The score to the film was composed by Michael Giacchino. At Brad Bird's request, it is a stylistic tribute to the action scores of the 1960s, such as John Barry's scores for the James Bond franchise, which combined swinging big band and jazz lounge music with symphonic action scoring. The score was recorded in analog. Giacchino elected to forgo the standard practice of recording each soundtrack element separately, recording the orchestra, brass, and percussion simultaneously in the same room.
  • The Incredibles suggest several similarities to the Marvel Comics group The Fantastic Four. Besides the various similar powers shared by both groups, the costumes are also simliar in theme (at least in regards to the more classic F4 costumes). The family-friendlier Incredibile seen in the ending credits mocks the Fantasticar in some manners. There is also the fact that both the leader of the F4 and the male co-leader of the Incredibles have a "Mister" in their names. Even the baby, Jack-Jack, who can effect a seemingly endless variety of powers, suggests a similarity to Franklin Richards (the mutant child of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman) who had virtually limitless power. Yet another similarity is seen between The Underminer (the villain who appears at the end of the film) and the F4's oldest foe, the Mole Man. Syndrome carries ominous similarities with the F4's greatest enemy, Doctor Doom.
  • Aside from the Fantastic Four, there are some similarities to other comic-book superheroes as well. Mr. Incredible recalls the Golden Age version of Superman, with some Batman thrown in (both Mr. Incredible and Batman ride high-tech cars (the Incredibile and the Batmobile, respectively)). Elastigirl/Mrs. Incredible may also be based on Plastic Man (since both can transform into any shape imaginable), and Dash is based on the Flash, arguably with some elements of Quicksilver's personality. Mr. Incredible's strength resembles that of The Incredible Hulk as it increases with emotional intensity—in other words, the angrier they get, the stronger they get. Frozone also has powers similar to Iceman of the X-Men, most notably his ability to create an ice slide of which he can speed on at his whim for quicker transportation.
  • A fourth villain, Baron von Ruthless, is mentioned when Bob and Lucius are recounting the old days. In Lucius' story, Von Ruthless is about to kill Frozone with a death ray when he starts "monologuing" (another name for villain speech; see deathtrap (plot device))—a classic villain mistake. Frozone recounts how Baron von Ruthless gives a "prepared speech about how feeble I am compared to him, how inevitable [that my defeat is, how the world will soon be his!" In fact, Lucius says that Von Ruthless "has me on a platter, and he won't shut up!" In the special features disc, he is given the aforementioned blame for the disappearance of an audio file for Meta-Man during one of his surprise attacks, apparently implying that Von Ruthless was Meta-Man's archfoe. The Incredibles popularized the term "monologuing."
    • Baron von Ruthless is also a name that was suggested when professional wrestler Steve Austin was searching for a new name that suggested evil and cold-heartedness, along with Ice Dagger and Chilly McFreeze. He chose Stone Cold instead.
    • Veteran Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas have character and voice cameos at the conclusion of the final battle sequence. Brad Bird had them both appear in cameos previously in The Iron Giant. Unfortunately, Thomas did not live long enough to see the finished film.
    • The DVD has a Hindi audio track. Bob Parr's Hindi voice is performed by Sharukh Khan.
    • The movie has spawned a short comic book (Holiday Heroes) and a Disney on Ice show (A Magic Kingdom Adventure), both featuring original stories showing the Incredibles on vacation until a disaster happens (in the comic, it is a volcano; in the show on ice, it is a "robot Syndrome").
    • The scene where Elastigirl warns her children that their opponents are a deadly threat who will not show mercy to anyone, regardless of age, was a deliberate attempt by Bird to subvert the typical atmosphere of minimized jeopardy in Saturday morning cartoons.
    • The movie takes place no later than 1976. Several of the characters with capes are listed as having died in the late 1950s. The technology is anachronistically advanced, such as the existence of CDs, which didn't hit the retail market until 1983. When Bob bought the new cars for himself and Helen, they didn't even exist in the mid-70's. Also note how comparable their life is to today's. But, according to the Bonus Features DVD, Bird intended that the movie take place in a specific era (mid-1960's according to the disc), yet also be timeless. Given the presence of superheroes, including super geniuses, the presence of advanced technology really shouldn't be all that surprising, however.
    • Another supposed anachronism is that Mr. Incredible's lawyer(s) should have gotten the Sansweet lawsuit dismissed, as suicide was illegal everywhere in the late 50s. Therefore, Mr. Incredible was actually stopping a crime in progress, and Sansweet should have been committed to a mental health facility for observation and treatment of his depression. However, the Sansweet lawsuit may simply be a parody of such infamous lawsuits as the woman who sued a restaurant for an injury sustained while trying to sneak out through a bathroom window to avoid paying her tab.
    • The plot of the movie is eerily similar to Alan Moore's controversial graphic novel, Watchmen. Some of the similarities are:
      • Begins with superpowers being outlawed. The ban on the superheroes is also a reference to the fictional populace's love-hate relationship with its heroes.
      • The main character continues to fight crime outside of the law as a vigilante (e.g. Mr. Incredible or Rorschach).
      • Portraying former superheroes in their civilian lives.
      • Both Syndrome and Adrian Veidt are portrayed as super-intelligent, have killed or discredited fellow superheroes, and have been responsible for a conspiracy.
        • The conspiracy consists of a device of unstoppable lethality, seemingly extra-terrestrial.
      • Both Bob Parr and Nite-Owl were portrayed as fit and athletic earlier, but are both presently overweight.
      • The montage of superheroes getting killed and the possible death of Syndrome all echo the death of Minuteman Dollar Bill, who was shot at point blank range while his cape was stuck in a door.
      • The plan to create alien-like devices in an island.
    • There are scenes that depict vanity on the parts of Bob and Helen. Bob's vanity plays a significant role in the movie as Bob's confidence goes up while he works with Mirage. The scene that shows vanity on Helen's part was in Brad Bird's original pitch: Bird himself has three sisters and he included the scene to reference the fact that women have a very critical eye on their bodies—and Helen is no exception. According to Bird in the DVD Director's Commentary: "The men are just glad [the women are around".
    • The inspiration for The Incredibles came from Brad Bird's family. Like Bird's wife, Helen is flexible; like his sons, Dash is full of energy; and like Bird's sisters during their teen years, Violet absolutely wants to fit in. Bird's middle son, Jack, was the inspiration for Jack-Jack.
    • The blueprints that Mr. Incredible are first shown have the number 07 on the model. On the plane ride, the blueprints says 08, and Mirage calls it the Omnidroid 9000 (the official designation).
    • In some translations, Syndrome claims to use anti-matter instead of zero-point energy. An example is the Polish version.
    • The line that "E" (Edna Mode) delivers "I don't know...Luck favors the prepared, Darling" is a paraphrase of a Louis Pasteur quote - "Luck favors the prepared mind."

    Awards

    The film won the Academy Award in 2005 for Best Animated Feature as well as Best Achievement in Sound Editing. It also received nominations for Best Original Screenplay (for writer/director Brad Bird) and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, but didn't win. It is also the second Pixar Animation Studios feature film to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

    The film was awarded the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.

    Other use of the name

    • The Boeing design team responsible for developing the Boeing 747 was known as "The Incredibles," because of the incredible speed with which they worked—only four years from proposal to finished aircraft—and because of the incredible risk that the company took on by undertaking such an ambitious project (which, if it failed, would have ruined the company).

    =Attached short films=

    Boundin'

    Main article: Boundin'

    The theatrical and video/DVD release of this film includes Boundin', a Pixar short made in 2003, a year before the film was released.

    Jack-Jack Attack

    Main article: Jack-Jack Attack

    The video/DVD release also features an additional short called Jack-Jack Attack, starring one of the film's characters Jack-Jack Parr.

    =See also=

    =External links=

    The Incredibles | Action films | 2004 films | Pixar feature films | Superheroes by team | Mad science | American films | English-language films | Best Animated Feature Academy Award winners | Animated comedy films | Kids' Choice Awards winners | Fictional families | Hugo Award winning works | Superhero films

    Die Unglaublichen – The Incredibles | Οι απίθανοι | Los increíbles | شگفت‌انگیزان | Les Indestructibles | Izbavitelji | The Incredibles | Gli Incredibili | משפחת סופר-על | A Hihetetlen család | The Incredibles | Mr.インクレディブル | De utrolige | Iniemamocni | The Incredibles | The Incredibles | Ihmeperhe | Superhjältarna | 超人特攻队

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "The Incredibles".

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