Serious original fun! A family film in every sense of the word

Rating: 7/10 (17 April 2005)

The Incredibles is a simple and slightly formulaic comic book-style animated Disney/Pixar feature with a great big heart. I just experienced this film for the second time, and though I didn't really catch anything new, or achieve a different perspective, I was certainly as entertained as I was in the theater the first time.
The Incredibles are the family of Mr. Incredible and Elasti-girl, living in a nightmare future where superheroes have been sued and regulated to the point that they are either forced underground or into protection programs complete with assumed identities and mediocre jobs. Mr. Incredible himself is invincibly physically strong, but emotionally drained by the uselessness of his new life as an insurance claim examiner, and his depression is so complete that he feels as if he is detaching from all that he loves. The children are "Dash" - a miniature Flash clone, "Violet" - who has all of the basics of Sue Richards, The Fantastic Four's Invisible Girl, and infant Jack Jack - about whom little can be said. Eventually, the entire family gets swept up into a crisis of vast proportion as a forgotten piece of Mr. Incredible's past comes back to threaten the very world which has rejected them all.
The film really does derive a lot of its archetypal character points from Marvel's classic Fantastic Four, but adds brilliant humor, a very positive message, and some voice work which really is nothing less than Incredible. I was especially impressed by Sarah Vowell's Violet. The voice talent in general, however, is exceptionally good, and the supporting cast doesn't slip a centimeter. Brad Bird's Edna is also a memorable stand-out.
Visually, the film is as good as any of the recent animated features most movie fans have enjoyed, though perhaps slightly less inventive and a bit less pretentious. I guess I would have to say that it's also my favorite, with Finding Nemo running a close second.
This would be a great film to see with your kids. It's clean, fun, and yet serious enough to engage even the most angst-ridden teenager. It also contains some very positive messages about the value and meaning of heroism, family, and 'sticking together' through the worst and the best of times.