Incredible!

Rating: 10/10 (23 June 2007)

Having started watching Disney films before I was a year old, I can honestly say that I've seen nearly every film Disney has ever released. The original animated Disney films, like "Beauty and the Beast," will always have a special place in my heart, and can at this point not be surpassed by many of the new Disney/Pixar animated films. In fact, "The Incredibles" is the only one of these "3-D" animation films that has achieved classic status in my mind. It's absolutely incredible.
"The Incredibles" manages to do everything the other Disney/Pixar films have tried to do at once. It manages to pay homage to the golden age of superheroes, while at the same time poking fun at certain aspects of it and almost grounding the whole superhero concept in reality. It poses the question of what would truly happen if there were superheroes in society, and does so in an interesting and compelling ways. The story is also enormously compelling. It's a superhero plot that avoids every cliché that it wants to and includes the rest in purposeful and funny ways. Still, what sets the film aside other animated films is its characters, which are all enormously clever and creative.
The "Incredible" family is a hilarious and fun superhero family, because they're just like us (except for the powers, which they actually come to loathe). We see a dysfunctional superhero family, which is certainly a first. We also get to see their family friend, Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), who was very "cool," if you know what I mean. The villain in the mix is Syndrome, an ambitious child-turned-superhero hater and terrorist. Disney does not handle the film with the normal child quality. Death is not avoided, but rather confronted when Mr. Incredible makes his inevitable strike on the ruthless villain. Syndrome is also perfectly rendered, from his fiery hair down to his maniacal voice. He's extraordinarily intimidating and though funny at times, often shows his purely evil self.
The film is funny at times, while serious at others. It has great characters, a unique plot, fantastic animation, a great score, and a hilarious script. I'd recommend it to children above the age of 6 or 7 and even more so to teens and adults who were around during the golden age of superheroes. It's a perfect film.