when a director breaks all of Pixar's rules...

Brad Bird's 2004 Pixar masterpiece 'The Incredibles' was a landmark in animation, as well as a the superhero genre. Here's why.
ATTRIBUTIONS:
This video contains copyrighted material from the feature films/TV shows listed below. I believe all content used falls under the remits of Fair Use (see below), but if any content owners would like to dispute this I will not hesitate to remove said content. It is not my intent in any way to infringe on their content ownership.
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The Incredibles (2004) - dir: Brad Bird.
The Incredibles 2 (2018) - dir: Brad Bird.
The Iron Giant (1999) - dir: Brad Bird.
Monsters Inc (2001) - dir: Pete Docter.
Finding Nemo (2003) - dir: Andrew Stanton.
Ratatouille (2007) - dir: Brad Bird.
OTHER SOURCES USED:
Making of The Incredibles (2004) [DVD special features], Pixar Studios.
The Incredibles: Director's Commentary and Introduction (2004) [DVD special features], Pixar Studios.
TIFF KZbin channel (2018) [interview], 'In Conversation With... Brad Bird | TIFF 2018': • In Conversation With.....
SplineDoctors (2007) [podcast], Interview with Brad Bird.
St James, Emily (2018) [article], 'Why Incredibles director Brad Bird gets compared to Ayn Rand - and why he shouldn’t be', Vox.
Moore and Maloney (2018) [article], 'The Incredibles movies have a weird relationship with technology', The Verge.
Desowitz, Bill (2004) [article], 'Brad Bird & Pixar Tackle CG Humans Like True Superheroes', AWN.
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KZbin Content ID Code:
The Incredibles
Mr Incredible
Elastigirl
Violet
Dash
Jack-Jack
Syndrome
Pixar
Elemental
Brad Bird
The Iron Giant
Ratatouille
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[@SceneItReviews]

what do YOU think The Incredibles is trying to teach us??

[@okimura690]

I think the most interesting perspective is that The Incredibles can be interpreted as a pro-fascist film. The story revolves around people who are biologically superior to the rest of humanity, and the villain is someone trying to equalize the playing field. By having the supers defeat Syndrome, it advocates that the superior beings should be held in higher regard for the sake of society. Social hierarchy is necessary for order to exist. I'm sure this was not Bird's or anyone's intention, but I still find it to be a unique take.

[@SceneItReviews]

​@@okimura690 Yeah I went superrr deep into the Randian commentary/criticisms online - there are so many different reads on it. When I was a kid I think the simple associations of The Incredibles = Good and Syndrome = Bad were the only things that I picked up on, and therefore the story, world, and 'happy' ending seemed to make ethical sense. But it is definitely a bit stranger once you start dissecting the motivations of all the different characters (even how quickly the rest of society were happy to celebrate the supers coming back, after banishing them for so long). Bird has pretty adamantly dismissed any correlations between his work and Rand, but there's a lot of similarities - pretty interesting.

[@SpaceSoups]

When everybody's super, no one is.

[@Veins1]

FAMILY

[@roundninja]

@@okimura690 I think calling it pro-fascist is going a little too far, but it definitely has a right wing flavor. It recognizes that a certain level of inequality is an inherent part of human civilization, and can't be fully eliminated without also eliminating freedom. Always made me a little depressed ever since I was a kid, but it's still one of my favorite movies, perhaps because it has a more realistic and useful message than most. It's dealing with the tough questions.

[@shame2189]

Fun fact: Edna Mode was supposed to be tall, one of the artists drew her as a short queen for fun but everybody entertained the idea very much so they kept the design.

[@matthew8153]

She’s also voiced by a man. If I remember correctly the director.

[@killapizza2829]

no way i cant get this image out of my head we couldve had tall edna

[@Davidofthelost]

@@matthew8153brad bird himself.

[@worldofhunter1636]

The person Brad Bird had audition for Edna asked what the character would sound like, Bird did his own impression, then the woman they were going to hire then immediately turned down the role because "Bird did it better."

[@SommerSen]

​@@worldofhunter1636that woman is a gigachad

[@dbrooke3629]

Honestly two things that stuck out for me watching the movie as an adult is when Helen thinks Bob is cheating on her and rather than being outright angry she's sad and asks if he's happy. The second thing is when Helen tells the kids that the bad guys don't care that they're kids and that they'll try to kill them. The Incredibles is very clearly an adult movie

[@johnnysalery7383]

One of my favorite things about _The Incredibles_ is that it does it’s best to illustrate a realistic setting despite not being real. The family dynamic, society rejecting heroes in spite of their service, life and death scenarios. Everything contributes towards a real life similarity. Offering the adults and parents a chance to relate to something.

[@nanaten3]

Realistic doesn't means adult

[@we-must-live]

@@nanaten3what IS adult, then - do characters need to explode on screen to get that R-18 viewrating, does the scene then explore real adult concepts like… gore…

[@NinaR478]

@@nanaten3Not sure how you came to the conclusion that’s what they’re trying to say. As children we can gather concepts like affairs or bad guys having no mercy on who they kill, but it isn’t until we are older that we understand the weight those things carry bc now we have our own spouses, kids, and growing family we want protected and are old enough to try our best to accomplish it. Kids are resilient, yet naive. They are made that way bc life is tough- at least they get to enjoy life for a little before it gets heavier than they knew.

[@nanaten3]

@@we-must-live literally, yes, hard gore, sex, illegal drugs, that's R-18

[@FireandBlood161]

My little sister once sent a letter to Brad Bird asking him when Incredibles 2 would out back in 2012. The first one was her favorite movie. She memorized every line and watched it too many times to count. Pixar sent her a letter back a few months later thanking her for writing and told her that they were currently developing the animation technology to make the sequel and that it would be in development for a while. He also sent us a lovely print of the Parr family which was autographed by Brad Bird. The letter was also signed. We have them both still framed in her bedroom. When the second movie came out we watched it in theaters as a family.

[@stasisthebest]

shame the second movie was such a propagandist piece of sh1t

[@ab-gail]

Aww

[@projektkobra2247]

Isnt that a great feeling? My avatar is a drawing of Miss Sean Young from Blade Runner. I missed her at the local Fan Expo to have her sign it, so I emailed who I thought was her agent to ask if I could sent it through him...SHE emailed me back and told me where to send it to have to signed and returned...Long story short, we still text now and then, and she is the nicest most down to Earth LADY Ive ever met.

[@Zathren]

Sorry the sequel wasn't as good as the original.

[@Ld7snake]

this comment wins the internet today

[@SirLightfire]

6:58, that little giggle that Dash does when he realizes he's running on water is amazing. Such a neat character moment

[@BasketOfPuppies]

Honestly in the theater that moment of realization was a full-body-chills event.

[@chadmanster1883]

​@BasketOfPuppies and that was good a character!!

[@TheJamie109]

That giggle inspired 11 year old me so much. I remember watching that scene over and over. What a glorious film so in touch with society and the struggles therein.

[@DeadlockDrago]

And he's enjoying it so much that later he forgets he's even running on water and thinks he's trapped, only to be saved by stopping when he thinks its over and sinking into it.

[@eddymutoni495]

Such a playful, humble confidence that every kid should experience

[@stephengrigg5988]

I remember seeing this in theatres as a kid, and being surprised that the henchmen were actively trying to kill the kids, and was taken aback when the one just decks Dash in the face. I didnt know why I liked that as a kid, but now I know it was that I appreciated that the director didnt try to shield me because I'm a kid and trusted that kids are strong. He literally didnt pull his punches with the audience.

[@stankmongerjones]

SO TRUE!! kids are able to understand the weight of things and shouldn't have everything shielded from them just because they're newer here. That's probably exactly why I loved this movie as a kid too.

[@Xpndable]

Elastigirl told the kids that at the cavern fire scene, "Remember the bad guys on those shows you used to watch on Saturday mornings? Well, these guys are not like those guys. They won't exercise restraint because you're children. They will kill you if they get the chance. Do not give them that chance."

[@stephengrigg5988]

@@Xpndable that was a pretty mature speech too, comparatively. I just personally had a bigger reaction to seeing it in action, that's why I mentioned that

[@DownTrodded]

Ya and the fact you get to see the henchman’s eyes showing him to be a real human being making this choice is also really good I love how well it’s set up and pulled of giving all the henchmen depth also shout out to the mugger in the beginning of the movie going like ya you got me but I still got a point to make so I’m going to make it

[@wyattwilbourne530]

I swear almost no one in the industry does that nowadays. Everything is either for 3 year olds or adults

[@andrewrivera190]

I still discover new things in this film. Most recently circulating around is the fact that a lot of the other supers that Syndrome killed were at Bob’s wedding. The look of horror on his face when watching the supers names be read off, isn’t because supers were killed, it’s because his close friends were.

[@bimapringgo]

so he didn't know his good friends were getting killed?

[@NoFlyZone31]

@@bimapringgoIf you don’t contact them for several years, as Mr Incredible doesn’t seem like the type to check in with his friends.

[@agustinvenegas5238]

@@NoFlyZone31 also bc secret identities and such i'm unsure if he'd even be allowed to

[@septiquaddoubleyou4019]

There’s a scene at home before he goes to island where he reads about one of them going missing in a newspaper, then he and syndrome talk about it in the car before they go to the fire.

[@septiquaddoubleyou4019]

*frozone, not syndrome, sorry.

[@bobert7916]

If you can look back on a movie decades later, and still love how it was animated, you know it was *incredibly* well done

[@me-myself-i787]

That's one thing DreamWorks has always been bad at. All of their movies age really quickly.

[@dutchdragon2472]

@@me-myself-i787 ​ Kung Fu Panda, Shrek and HTTYD are timeless, in my and many a person's opinion.

[@federicascattarelli13]

@@me-myself-i787 this is such a weirdly incorrect take. All of their 2D still looks magnificent (James Baxter anyone??), and their 3D animation has always been top notch. Of course the 3D models are gonna look ugly after 20 years. But the animation is still flawless.

[@n0rmal953]

@@me-myself-i787the f ? I do 3d and rewatched Shrek a lot of times ! The animation is fun and great. The render lights and textures is what makes it look aged.

[@Abhinav-MR]

@@me-myself-i787 Really, bud? What about Cars then?

[@Spaniard47]

The Incredibles isn't just a mature movie. It's a REAL movie. It's in touch with the intricacies of life, and that's no easy feat. It tells a story and has the balls to place it within the same framework of our twisted, complicated world.

[@wolfgar45]

well seeing as the huge part of "live action" movies are now done with cg, might aswell call this cg movie a real/live action movie. i know that's not your point but it's just an idea that came up.

[@luc-perrin]

floating points pfp spotted lol

[@Spaniard47]

@@luc-perrin gotta say I'm surprised how often it gets pointed out. Not my absolute favorite of his albums but I love the art. The source picture is 6000x6000 pixels, 31MB lmao

[@Fleetw00d]

Something to keep in mind is that Edna is also is incredibly gifted, a true genius and savant in her field. Yet she uses her talents to support the heroes and save people, where Screenslaver and Syndrome use them to dominate others. Worth noting as well that Edna receives universal praise for her work, when the other two examples want fear more than recognition.

[@isaian2e]

I never realized this. That is a really insightful observation that makes me apreciate the movie even more.

[@SentientIrisu]

Edna my beloved.

[@dhochee]

I never considered the parallel between those two. Excellent point.

[@DustinHensleySE]

Boom. I came here for this reply. Edna's superpower is intelligence, and she uses it for good. She's seen in the world as famous for her "design" work but she says, "I used to design for gods." She's a mature version of Dash, running in a race with little to no challenge but using her gifts for the good of the world, and is so excited to work with Bob again when he needs her. Syndrome wants to control people and get their praise because he thinks it will fill a void created by Mr Incredible's lack of care and praise. Edna gets praise but it's empty because she doesn't feel like she earned it. Syndrome uses his inventions for evil and destruction ("how do you think I got rich?" speech) and Edna's inventions empower super people to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.

[@vladtepes97]

Edna worked for Syndrome.

[@spencergsmith]

I always thought Jack-Jack wasn’t just chaotic, he also had the potential to have many different powers, because he’s a young baby and therefore has the potential to be whatever he wants to be in the future. Also, Dash isn’t just energetic, he’s also impulsive, and Violet isn’t just socially awkward, she feels invisible to her peers and parents.

[@jeffjeffson1201]

Jack-Jack is… a jack of all trades

[@spencergsmith]

@@jeffjeffson1201 good point

[@ultmateragnarok8376]

Bob is not just strong physically to put up with things, but strong in his morals and mindset, and he rarely wavers. Helen is more adaptable, but while she _can_ flex to fit many things she knows when to put her foot down. Their personalities are all a reflection of their powers.

[@spencergsmith]

@@ultmateragnarok8376 I agree, I was clarifying the reasons why the video said Violet and Dash have their respective powers.

[@SentientIrisu]

Also, Violets name is a pun on her powers, which is ultraviolet something.

[@cizclera]

Mr Incredible's jiggle physics walked so Wario's jiggle physics could run

[@mr.boomguy]

4:54 - I'm sorry, but showing a skeleton while saying "barebones" while not pointing out the pun. That's S tier comedy for you! Wonderful

[@SceneItReviews]

You are first person to either notice or care that I slipped this in hahaha. Worth ittttt

[@mr.boomguy]

@@SceneItReviews Puns are my go-too humor and I'm almost a master at it myself. So I really respect effort like that. Too many people ruin their otherwise good pun by laughing at it themselves or/and spend 5 second or more pointing it out, therefor ruining it. You struck the perfect balance to me. I had a good chuckle

[@oi_bruv]

I'm just a humble observer who didn't notice, and it was nice to see it pointed out by a comment rather than the narrator themselves

[@AdADglgmutShevanel]

Imagine if every studio put this much love and creativity in every movie they made.

[@joshuayoung1424]

Then the definition of a good movie would change; idk

[@AmritSingh-zc8hz]

If every movie is special, not one would be....

[@baraodascolinas979]

Studio Ghibli comes very close to that, and every film of them IS special in its own way.

[@WhizPill]

@@baraodascolinas979creativity doesn’t make a profit 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@tomsektul31]

They would make no profit for years xD

[@alanfoxman5291]

One of my favorite moments in the film is Dash's giggle when he realizes he can run on water and how it synchopates with the sound of his feet hitting the water. Kudos to the sound editor on that!

[@razter6678]

Completely agree. That little giggle is just a split second yet it's such a great little moment.

[@juliebartlett4222]

That moment where you suddenly realize not only CAN you do a thing, but you ARE doing it right now? Priceless. The laugh is exactly that feeling.

[@nadyrafauzia467]

THAT and Giacchino’s score right after… CHILLS

[@alpesassolak1545]

That moment is my whole childhood

[@sarumatsu3698]

Everytime I rewatched the movie on DVD, I would never skip that part. It's a perfect moment.

[@asteroidrules]

The art direction in The Incredibles is absolutely fantastic too. It's heavily based on postwar styles of design like Mid Century Modern that were popular during the golden age of comics, but carried into a modern era. This gives all of the environments a subtly retrofuturistic vibe, tying back to the comic inspiration while also still setting the films in an approximately present day.

[@regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk]

The artstyle reminds me of Playdead's _Inside_ oddly enough.

[@ben6993]

“Where is my super suit?!” That scene is arguably the best in all of the Pixar movies, it’s just perfect. The balance between being a superhero and a family man. His wife giving him shit while he’s legitimately trying to save the city 😂

[@vickystrudwick3939]

My favourite line was always Dash's despondent "..well that means no-one is.." response to his Mum's "everyone is special" haha. Gold

[@SceneItReviews]

so many memorable quotes!

[@JonathanMandrake]

@@SceneItReviews What I find most interesting is how it mirrors Syndromes "and once everyone is Super, no one will be", based on both being unable to follow their ambitions and all that

[@SceneItReviews]

​@@JonathanMandrake true! it's such a messy message haha. because there's also the comment from a young Buddy that "you can be special without powers, you know", and Mr Incredible just shrugs him off.

[@JonathanMandrake]

@@SceneItReviews True, but that just shows how complicate the topic is

[@eliben4066]

@@JonathanMandrakeThat’s funny. I remember reading a novelization of the movie before actually watching the movie. There was a section dedicated just to some shots from the movie, and incidentally, a pic of Buddy being picked up by the police was close to Dash’s ride home from detention, so for quite some time as a kid, I thought young Buddy and Dash were the same character

[@luvuyonobadula40]

What's interesting is that Pixar were not a struggling studio when Brad came in. They had had hit after hit, while Brad's movie The Iron Giant underperformed. Yet John Lasseter saw Brad's huge potential, and look at the result. Brad made Pixar's finest movie imo. I took my son to the cinema to see this and expected to be bored shitless, like I had been with Shark Tale about a month earlier. I was blown away! The scene where Dash is running through the jungle and then on water was quite the experience on the big screen.

[@thegingerbreadman5149]

It’s sad that a lot of misunderstanding separated Lasseter from Pixar. Ghibli works because Miyazaki keeps an iron fist on everything and while Pixar wasn’t as autocratic without Lasseter’s touchy fingers (multiple accounts confirm he actually didn’t harass anyone, but unfaithful he was) the studio needed him at the helm to protect it from Disney’s interference. Maybe had he found a successor, but Lasseter without his studio is nothing, and Pixar could be in a better position even if they had to make a cars 4 in the process of making some masterpieces.

[@knightmare5097]

@@thegingerbreadman5149 You’re giving him wayyyy too much leeway. It has been confirmed by several accounts from The New York Times, to The Hollywood Reporter that he had harassed plenty of women

[@JoeyCannoli]

What happened to Lassiter is pretty much the same as what happened to Vic Mignogna. A bunch of jealous snakes in the company wanted him gone, so they made up a bunch of false claims about him to get him crushed by the MeToo movement, which at that point had devolved into a weapon for the woke mob to ruin the lives of powerful people they don’t like.

[@esrever777]

Sadly, he started losing his spark after that. There are only three movies that were great and perfect imo, Tommorowland was such a huge and underwhelming letdown from him

[@freecreditreport.combaby]

@@thegingerbreadman5149john and miyazaki are/were even friends, which is how totoro appears in TS3

[@PCGeines]

For me, Syndrome is one of the best villains in the History of Cinema. He crosses all the t's and dots all the i's: 1. He starts out of vengeance. Quietly, one by one, Syndrome kills the old heroes, their past idols. 2. He uses that for an intelligent purpose: to improve his tech and create the perfect robot. He's not an idiot. 3. When the robot is finished, he will use it to destroy the city for him to appear as a savior. He manipulates the circumstances and the public view to get what he wants: recognition and fame. 4. Finally, he starts selling his tech products and profits immensely. He would get to become even richer. Billionaire, famous and acclaimed as a hero, would be in a singular position of unparalleled power to manipulate society as he pleases, while achieving his goals of no one being special, after getting his personal revenge against the old supes.

[@TigerPrawn_]

Syndrome makes me think of arms dealers or weapons manufacturers who probably think they are doing good in some weird way.

[@theexchipmunk]

He also isn`t evil in his own view. That´s a big part. No real "villain" thinks of themselves as evil. If you listen to him you can notice that he isn´t even really seeing killing off the old supers as revenge, even if it definitely is a major motivation. But just like in real life humans might do something and justify it with something else. And Syndrome definitely sees his killing of them as something other than just revenge, but dealing with something he percieves as a problem that needs to be dealt with. In his mind he is doing a service to society and it´s just another step in making "no one special".

[@Ramrodio]

he'd be a great fed

[@LuvzToLol21]

In the end though, his own hubris was his downfall. He could have just built a run of the mill robot and put on a big show for the city of him defeating it. But he wanted to prove that he was smarter than any superhero, so he went about creating a robot that no super could defeat. But instead, he ended up creating one that not even he could control.

[@jblen]

This is so interesting. I never thought about how relatively mundane scenes like a family around a dinner table are actually much more difficult to animate because we have expectations on how they should be, as opposed to the magic talking fish that bounce around on jellyfish.

[@lornenoland8098]

One of the last scenes of the first movie really illustrates the philosophy and growth of the characters: when Dash is encouraged by his dad to win the race, but to hold back enough to not ruin it for everyone else. Basically, be exceptional, but not at the expense of others.

[@enraikow6109]

Life has Always been and always will be a balancing act.

[@MrTomyCJ]

It's just "don't brag about your skills". Let's be real though, Dash participating there is stupid. Dash simply can't compete fairly in those races and that's the end of it. He could instead look for a better way to enjoy his skills. It seems boring to play a game that you know you can always win with no effort.

[@biazacha]

@@MrTomyCJ is less about winning something easy and feeling that you belong. Because of their dad they changed homes (and lives) multiple times they couldn’t make and keep friendships, kids naturally want to fit in So Gate him from such experiences would cause no good.

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

Exactly. If you are gifted, absolutely use that gift. But be responsible with it, and measure what you do carefully. Genius and talent can destroy far, far more than they can create if used unwisely. It is often one of the underlying reasons why “normal” people fear such gifts.

[@lornenoland8098]

@@OneBiasedOpinion deep 🤔

[@AlexTenThousand]

What I always took from The Incredibles is that choice is always what matters. Syndrome was just as exceptional as people with superpowers, but used his talent to get his revenge on superheroes, killing quite a lot of them in order to create both a weapon that would defeat any professional superhero that would halt his plans and that he could easily switch off to appear heroic. Furthermore, I think it's pretty clear that Mr. Incredible turned Buddy down not because he didn't have powers or didn't see his intellect or technological mindset as useful (after all, he had the backing of Edna Mode's suits and accessories, and as further emphasized by the sequel, Edna's suits are borderline indestructible and her genius is unparalleled), but because he was just a kid, and to him, this was no comic book. While it's true that he might have come across as rude, he'd have never endangered a kid, and Buddy's reckless attitude allowed Bomb Voyage to escape, and might have gotten him killed since he didn't notice the bomb clipped on his cape. Buddy/Syndrome considered being a hero just a game, a way to put himself in the spotlight and show off, while Mr. Incredible ALWAYS prioritized saving people's lives.

[@jakelee7083]

Always? You sure? I disagree given Mr. Incredibles lack of care for multiple people throughout the film. For one, he may have saved the suicidal man, but he broke his neck in the process. Then he nearly killed his boss in a fit of rage. Not to mention nearly snapping Mirage in half. Bob was a better hero than most, but he had a lot of personal problems.

[@AlexTenThousand]

@@jakelee7083 1) he saved the suicidal man, immediately springing into action and grabbing him as he was falling. Your logic is the same that the guy used to sue him, doesn't make much sense. 2) True, but he was essentially at his wit's end and told he shouldn't help people 3) It was an empty threat that he made after he thought he had lost everything, and Syndrome called his bluff on it. He'd have never killed her.

[@drumrollplease4079]

Love how chill this argument was

[@Countdownsmiles]

​​@@jakelee7083Breaking the guy's neck during an attempt to save his life was always such a stupid plot point. I can't believe you actually parroted the logic lmao

[@umbrellashotgunman]

@@CountdownsmilesHence why plot points that require people to act like idiots are sadly more plausible than most of us would like to believe.

[@KasbashPlays]

3:41 Dreamworks - We have an army of animators Pixar- We have a Miyazaki

[@ts4gv]

5:21 i adore how this movie opened. It was so perfect. Absolutely nailed it.

[@JustHereForTheDialogue]

I just love how well the movie holds up today despite the limited technology when it came out. Half the scenes are just straight eye candy.

[@tappajaav]

I wouldn't describe the technology that was used to create it limited. Less advanced than today, yes, but regardless incredibly advanced. And you're right. The movie hasn't aged a day. Testament to everyone involved in the creation

[@JustHereForTheDialogue]

@@tappajaav I guess a better way to articulate what I meant would be “limited for the time” but from what your saying that might not even be true. I’m not an expert and won’t pretend to be.

[@stasisthebest]

when the robot blows up and the water around it vibrates from shockwave. amazing details.

[@machinismus]

The textures have aged a bit IMO (though it kinda works with the stylization), but the animation, cinematography, and composition are just perfect.

[@nym5qu17]

the style of the characters and settings has enough intentionality that the arguably poorly aged lighting effects dont seem to matter at all? it just somehow oddly fits the alternate reality sort of atompunk 60s look they were going for.

[@MattMcIrvin]

This is why "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" gave me a similar feeling to "The Incredibles" in a way that "Incredibles 2" did not. "Spider-Verse" and "The Incredibles" were not that similar aside from being high-quality superhero stories, but in both cases I came out of the theater feeling that I'd seen animation do something it had not done before.

[@SceneItReviews]

Fully agree with this Matt! Innovation = newness = the best possible viewing experience. There’s nothing better than seeing something you’ve never seen before.

[@k.k.michael2142]

I loved the Incredibles as a kid, but was too young to really understand what a game changer it was until later on. But with Spider-Verse, I remember watching it for the first time and being very aware that the bar had been raised for animated movies.

[@ender7278]

Having seen both recently, Spider-Verse is nowhere near as good as The Incredibles, story-wise.

[@jakelee7083]

Spider-Verse was certainly a good movie, but the Incredibles broke ground on every front from story, technology, and filmmaking.

[@RedFloyd469]

@@ender7278 I agree. But the original point wasn't about the story. OP meant that in terms of animation both the incredibles and Spider Verse did something groundbreaking. I would say that spiderverse did something groundbreaking that was obvious to anybody that saw the film, whereas the incredibles really only did something groundbreaking that was obvious only to people who knew how animation computers worked. As for the story: Spiderverse has a pretty good message, but it's more related to Peter B. Parker's struggle, rather than Miles' struggle. In fact I think Miles was handled a bit poorly. He's not a very relatable person, and I don't mean because of his skin color and latino heritage combined. While that doesn't help make it universal, it's also something very shallow. I mostly mean that in terms of personality and character, Miles is a bit odd in that he is presented as somebody who is ideal in terms of skill and passion, but somehow still doesn't fit in or is ever really recognized for that excellence. Even if he is later recognized for it, it's not because that was a theme in the movie, it just sort of happens due to a misunderstanding with his father and the latter's realization that Uncle Aaron was more relatable to Miles than himself, and so Miles had lost the only point of connection he had. Nobody can truly relate to scoring straight A's and getting 100/100 marks only to then be stupid enough to actually fake a test and get 0/100, and then be presented throughout the film as somebody of relatively normal intelligence. We never really see Miles be excellent intelligence-wise other than that test. So his intelligence and him being an outcast in this regard is also not made a theme. It was mostly just there to indicate that he had identity issues and faked the test in order to go back to the school he felt right at home in. So the main theme of the story was, mostly, Miles' struggle with exposing his identity and embracing said identity, while the weight of the world's expectations are on his shoulders. This theme is mostly explored on the side of the superhero stuff, but it's never properly worked out in the world outside of his superhero stuff. His dad mostly comes around on his own, and not really because of a visual realization we saw him have (for a visual medium, this is pretty lousy.), and mostly just because Aaron died, but we don't get to see WHY his dad came to that realization through some mental connection he made between Aaron and Miles' identity issues. So moral of the story for Into the spiderverse? Be who you are, express yourself uniquely in your own way, don't be like everybody else, and take a leap of faith that doing what you need to do and what your heart says is the right thing, WILL be the right thing. That's what a leap of faith is. While this theme is understandable and noble in it's own right, it can also come across as fake and shallow. Not everybody is excellent like Miles, and expressing who you are "really" might just come back to bite you in the ass when what you really are, is a boring, psychopathic, sadistic, arrogant, slimy cunt, or one of these. That's the issue with radically individualist messages: some individuals are actual scum, boring or just not very interesting. And when every average Joe wants to be unique and individual and becomes such a tryhard as to voice that individuality through fashion choices, slogans, and hyperconsumerist product placement on clothing, they don't become unique, they become fake, self-centered, and boring. A bit like pop musicians, the people that like pop music, and every single pop music song in and of itself. It's forced individualism that ends up being ironically conformist. ANYWAY: That, I feel, was the major issue with into the spiderverse. But the characters are very likeable and humorous, Peter B. Parker especially was very sympathetic and fleshed out, the plot was decent (minus the the fact Kingpin shot the prowler and not, you know, the new spiderman right in front of the prowler. I guess he ran out of bullets and thought killing a henchman who you know the location of and who will inevitably come to you was more important than killing a majorly slippery actual threat to your plans. Whoops.) The incredibles, on the other hand, is basically a perfect film with a perfect story, the perfect message, great animation for it's time, a brilliant soundtrack, a brilliant plot and just a spectacle from beginning to end. I didn't like the second film though.

[@spenceduggs8449]

I'm honestly still flabbergasted at some of the things they got away with in this film, not the least of which being an *attempted suicide.* Hell, I remember seeing the movie as a kid and straight up asking my mom why the guy wanted to jump off a building. Marital tensions, cheating in relationships, processing grief - there's a load of interesting complexity in the story that I've grown to appreciate as I've grown in general. I still get teary at Bob's "I'm not strong enough" line...

[@Videogamer-555]

Suicide? What scene in the movie had that?

[@spenceduggs8449]

@@Videogamer-555 Near the beginning - when Mr Incredible catches the man who jumps off a building, who later sues him for thwarting his attempted suicide. He even says "You didn't save my life, you ruined my death!"

[@TigerPrawn_]

Right?! Watched it again at the school I work at and was like 😳 But I didn’t understand it as a child and I thought it was just another job for Mr Incredible that day, catching someone from falling. I think a lot of it goes over children’s heads. But also the whole of the beginning montage was a bit confusing for me as a kid too. The chronology of it all and why it was in black and white. But I appreciate it now as an adult.

[@TheSchaef47]

It's borderline criminal that we can have such a fantastic storyteller as Brad Bird and he still somehow has fewer credits directing feature films than even James Cameron.

[@AlexanderMartinez-kd7cz]

when incredible says "so you can pretend to be one" he's not talking about the powers, he's talking about morals. which Syndrome never understood ever since the opening. and some people didn't either, apparently e.e such a good scene.

[@F14thunderhawk]

hes also just legitimately not a safe hero to be around. Being absurdly durable, Bob very much doesnt worry too much about his world of cardboard. Considering just catching the jumper caused significant injury and that was not in a bank vault in a skyscraper was rigged to explode by the physical incarnation of the French Empire.

[@victorkreig6089]

@@F14thunderhawk The only reason that guy got hurt was because he had to jump at him to get him because Buddy was distracting him leaving him less time to plan his jump. All he had to do differently was twist at the last moment to shield the guy from running through the glass and he'd have been fine. Mr. Incredible has to work every day of his life to avoid breaking things he is the definition of a patient man

[@ultmateragnarok8376]

@@victorkreig6089 He launched himself from one building to another. No matter what that initial impact would've at least cracked some bones and caused a good amount of bruising, though it could've indeed perhaps been better performed - it's hard to turn in the air like that, of course.

[@AbandonedVoid]

Yeah, the obsession with being "special" is associated with the villain and a young boy who was misbehaving in school before his character arc. The film's central climax resolves when the main heroes work together in service of the greater good to defeat the exceptional genius that views himself as above the rules, and said kid starts behaving in school to the point of intentionally avoiding first place in the race. No idea how people get the message of the movie entirely backwards

[@heheheiamasupahstarslam5397]

He doesn't want everybody to be super he just want mr incredible to be less special than him. If he shared his tech, superpowers would be worthless but he still be the inventor, the genius behind it all.

[@farzaan1479]

iron giant is still one of my favorite movies and really highlights how animated movies can have great stories and lovable characters and gorgeous settings

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

a guarantied tier jerker

[@DrummerDucky]

Two other classics if you ever looking for some good animated movies: Ghost in the Shell (1995, dir. Mamoru Oshii) ; Porco Rosso (1992, dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

[@alexanderthegreat-mx5zu]

This comment really highlights my brain damage.

[@jermonejackson8437]

CAUSE ITS ART!

[@TheOfficialDjProduct]

"superman" 😭

[@gabrielkawa3477]

It's so crazy how they went against virtually every technological limit with making this movie and still turned out so amazing

[@HeatMiserr]

It’s perfect. he made a movie about the value of unleashing your true potential/talent and encouraged his animators to do the same which worked out beautifully in the end. even further solidifying the power of his message

[@markskidd5093]

I'm so grateful to Brad Bird for The IRON GIANT. I know how hard that one was to get made... and released. It's a perfect movie.

[@dominickeijzer5844]

1:28 The four elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Clothing. Everything changed with the Clothing Nation attacked.

[@jeanrushmer8192]

They took "No capes!" personally 😂

[@waywander9618]

something something Kill la Kill

[@Mr.Murphy2802]

​@@jeanrushmer8192went specifically for wind because it fucked up their capes 💀

[@lloydlego6088]

you forgot the hair benders

[@afierymess2307]

Wow you described 2013's Kill La Kill

[@Clockwonk]

To me the message of the film is that what makes the characters special and worthy of being called a hero is not their abilities but how they use those abilities to help and support others. Even if everyone was given super powers it wouldn't make everyone "special"

[@justanothermortal1373]

True

[@zachhull6598]

Excellent dive into this film. I remember watching it in theaters in 04 and being amazed blown away by the fantastic score! I especially loved your diagnosis on the parents powers, I never realized it was literally “flexible wife” “strong husband” etc. This makes me realize Frozone is the “cool” friend. 😎

[@Haru-nee]

2:25 Jiggle physics

[@Joshua-uw7wm]

When Walt Disney made Snow White it was believed that animation could stir up only laughter in people but no emotional response otherwise. That's why he had Snow White seemingly die from the poison apple before she is woken up with true love's kiss, he wanted to test that theory because he didn't believe it. He was right

[@iluvpandas2755]

That is so sad but true.

[@perleoness]

mate that's the original story Disney didn't make up anything

[@apollo5063]

@@perleoness the original wasn't animated

[@PapaBearIsHere]

yea tbh, while I could get they don't know for sure if people would react to the movie properly, thats still the original story to screen

[@e-man8643]

??? That's just the original fairytale

[@shivernaut8607]

I guess describing Syndrome or Linguini as "talentless" or "less special" is interesting because that does seem to be something the script wants you to think. Remy and Mr. Incredible are definitely depicted as exceptional by comparison, but without Syndrome and Linguini the movie couldn't happen. Linguini is special because he saw a rat as something with worth when no one else would, it's not "perfect palette and perfect theoretical cooking" maybe, but without it Remy would not have been able to cook. He also is seen rollerskating around and serving an entire restaurant by himself.

[@antonioreconquistador]

Ironically without Syndrome Mr. Incredible has no illegal redemption arc, no familial collaboration in the end, and very little connection to the fear that became his dread of the present and future.

[@kingdedede5570]

linguini's special because he can serve a restaurant full of guests lightning fast with his roller skating skills. pretty sure the takeaway's that everyone's special in some way, they just need to find what they excel at

[@LetTalesBeTold]

I’d take it even further and say that a good practical lesson is that we should never be putting time into trying to decide who’s “more exceptional,” “more important” out of a crowd. Yes, there are people who can do amazing things that others cannot, and there are hierarchies of skill in any given field which determine who’s a more valuable asset in that particular field; but there are also people who excel at their personal niches, and we’re so much better off as a society with them being good at the “simple” things. Imagine if we were a society of nothing but fantastic doctors and computer programmers, but no farmers or auto mechanics. Everyone is needed for their individual role, whether it comes with glamor and smarts and fame or not. Buddy could have used his technical smarts and been the “behind the scenes” support like Edna, but instead, he wanted to be considered equal in a field where street smarts are needed. He wasn’t willing to assess his flaws, and instead of taking criticism as building materials to fix said flaws, he continued to try wedging himself into a part of the hero business that he simply wasn’t made for. Contrast that with Linguine, who was willing to admit his weaknesses and be content with his own personal forte, which even if that forte were nothing more than compassion/open-mindedness for a talking rat and a desire to do well by his employer, was vital for group success. If “simple” Linguine weren’t there, the restaurant would have almost definitely gone under. If “normal” Buddy hadn’t processed rejection so violently and accepted his own role, he could have made the world a much, much safer place.

[@victorkreig6089]

waiting an entire small restaurant by yourself isn't exceptional I've done it myself, just takes a bit of time learning how to do everything the right way and then a few months of constantly being all on your own in the dining hall. MOST people can do it

[@btfo420]

@@victorkreig6089 Linguini does that, masterfully, in one night, with no previous experiences working in serving in a restaurant, let alone a high-end restaurant. And he does that shit while roller skating, to the point he was able to grab the glass from someone hand, refill and return it with no hiccups. That's his niche, in the whole movie he was portrayed as a klutz, can never do anything right, but that one scene really brought him up, and even if you don't see that, in previous part, he was able to guide Colette to roller skate, doing that ain't no easy business. Everyone has their own niche, some does it better. Some serves better or have a natural gift when it comes to serving restaurants, to the point they are now serving in big, high class restaurants or establishments. Like the whole movie, the notion of "anyone can cook", but only the fearless, who knows their strength, will succeed.

[@thejackcarlin]

Incredibles really focuses on individual character development which does ultimately show themes of self-discovery, but more so it's of public validation. The entire movie puts emphasis on the fact that they have been shoved away because they do more harm than good, according to the city; because of that, each character faces their own dilemma. Bob wants to go back to saving things. Helen, as his wife, wants him to live out a normal life with her. Violet, being more mature, understands the stress that it puts on her parents thus making her invested in figuring out what's wrong. Dash, although he is invested, he is more interested in using his powers but is not allowed to by rule of his parents, thus making him want to find out why he can't use them. This all leads up to where they all meet at Bob's dream: fighting for the city once more. It is only at this point in which public validation is provided to them ultimately leading to each individual problem being solved. Bob is fighting crime, Helen is fighting alongside Bob, Violet sees that her parents are on the same page, and Dash gets to use his powers. So really, the message is more related towards the idea of family and how validation of each other is what holds it together. If there are unresolved problems in a family, then it will continue to separate more and more. And then, as you said, a similar thing is seen in Incredibles 2, except where Helen is pushed away from her family. Great video!

[@billowspillow]

This came out when I was 24 so from the start, the deeper elements were present for me. I saw it in the theater 5 times in little over 3 weeks and I forced myself to stop because each time I did, I could think of nothing else but the themes and lore for several days after, and it was affecting my work and social life a little.

[@SuperCatacata]

Just be glad you got to properly enjoy it. I was so young when I saw it in theatres that I definitely wasn't able to fully appreciate what an amazing movie I was seeing.

[@insertsomememereferenceher8483]

That where is my super suit is one of the best scenes in animation. It's a comedic but perfect encapsulation of the struggle between superhero life and family life. Arguably the sheer perfection of that scene is why Frozone is such an iconic character. Then I genuinely didn't remember he was in the sequel, since his inclusion was predicated on people already loving him, rather than having any cohesion with what Incredibles 2 was trying to say.

[@TijmenRaasveld]

a lot of incredibles 2 has that problem. A lot of the returning characters don't really have much to do for most of the movie. You couldn't take a single scene out of the first Incredibles without making it a worse movie and you can't say the same about the second one.

[@victorkreig6089]

2 was a cash grab from a floundering disney bereft of ideas

[@clarrytheclam]

Great quote: ‘Animation is an art form, and it can do any genre” So great to have people recognise this so much more now 😊

[@x3voo]

2:01 huh, "how they supposed to look" and you go with the "if(ni" 💀

[@SceneItReviews]

Yeah, coding command - IF(NIL) or IF(NUL)

[@Lavendeer201]

I caught that too lol. Had me cackling

[@cgfilm9561]

Shit had me stunned

[@pyro-millie5533]

I completey forgot Incredibles was made in 2004!?!! That hair animation, cloth animation, particle rendering, believable stylized human animation… it must have been brand new for the time and it still holds up! Freaking incredible piece of art!

[@Whiteythereaper]

There's a good theory that Pixar's movie output across most of their library is mostly using each movie to pioneer and focus on the development of very specific elements of animation & CGI technology and techniques, and improve upon them with each subsequent release. Toy Story is the proof-of-concept, that they could do a feature length movie after their early short film success. Bug's Life did plants and dirt, and improved upon Toy Story's lighting and started water off, which Finding Nemo then focused, with the physics & fluid simulation, underwater lighting & particles, creating volumes of water that could have waves and currents applied to them, work that Finding Dory and Luca furthered over the last decade. The Incredibles focused on improving Human characters, hair and clothing, as well as fire & smoke, environmental systems that WALL-E would further develop. The textures for the clothes and suits are way more detailed & reactive to the lighting in Incredibles, the character models being able to put their hand through a hole in a suit & physically affect the cloth simulation realistically was a huge moment in animation. For the rest, Monsters, inc focused on animal & skin textures, Fur, Scales, non-white skin shades, more detailed hair, etc. Cars focused on metal, concrete, dirt, rubber, different finishes of paint, rust and many, many more material textures. As mentioned earlier with WALL-E, it took clouds, metals, rust and aged materials even further beyond the baseline of Cars, while also expanding on the human designs and adding more realistic body fat and gravity physics to nail skin stretching & contorting, on top of the true pinnacle of the movie; the Space flight and Zero-G sim. WALL-E and Eve's flight through space with the fire extinguisher and Eve's trail's behaviour in space is a huge development and was truly groundbreaking for animation software, CGI and Gaming engines as the heavy lifting framework for realistic space movement had finally been done. Truly, all of 3D animation, modern CGI, and Gaming, owes a huge debt of gratitude to Pixar for building a solid foundation and continuing to improve upon it year-on-year with passion and dedication to the craft, not just profits.

[@disgustof-riley8338]

​@@Whiteythereaper Might wanna clarify that Monsters Inc came before Finding Nemo and the Incredibles. Finding Nemo has humans in it

[@Drood.]

​@@disgustof-riley8338 If you want to be technical, Toy Story has humans in it.

[@BeeWhistler]

I was thinking about this movie recently. I've been dealing with some medical issues and therefore with insurance companies and their ironic refusal to do the thing we pay them to do... cover medically necessary procedures. And I realized... they didn't just give Bob a boring desk job. They put him in a company that represents his exact antithesis. He was a hero trying to do good and he ends up working for villains who want him to do evil. Because, yeah... right now I'm leaning pretty heavily toward insurance companies being pure evil.

[@mkevz]

I'm sorry you're going through that, hope everything works out well for ya

[@SceneItReviews]

Sorry to hear that dude. There was another clip I didn’t include where Brad Bird was talking about Bob’s boss (the little guy he throws through a wall) and he said something like: “he’s meant to be a commentary on small-minded people, and how a lot of them end up wielding a disproportionate amount of power at middle management positions”. So yes, there’s definitely criticisms of large corporate structures.

[@Neo2266.]

He also goes out of his way to help his customers as best as he can, even if it jeopardizes his own job

[@Vendetta162X]

2:24 And thus jiggle physics were born!

[@gmandunn]

theyd be surprised with what the internet would do with it 20 years later

[@j.p.4991]

4:26 WTF anyone else listsens to this part as you are listening to it with headphones??? Like it sounds so close as it is in my room...

[@Mr.SpicyIce]

The way that you combine the information audio with the film is very impressive. It feels as if you actually just snipped parts of a short documentary on the making of the film. Great work.

[@SceneItReviews]

That’s incredibly kind of you to say - appreciate it. I’m just glad people are able to teach me even more little things I didn’t know in the comments.

[@mickmons3267]

@@SceneItReviews I second that; love the editing!

[@MaxLazy10]

@@SceneItReviews Wait this WASNT a clip from a documentary??? Could've fooled me hahaha

[@Medosco]

​@@MaxLazy10I reckon a lot of Brad Bird talking over the movie itself comes from the DVD commentary.

[@BloodyHaemorrhoids83]

@@SceneItReviewsI legitimately thought this video was just like some ripped and uploaded DVD special feature for a while. Even decently into your commentary. Super well done.

[@jasonevans7260]

I don't know why, but it always gets to me when Dash runs on water. That character moment that is wordless, but amazing. It's him truly cutting lose for the first time. It just rings so genuine for a kid...really, really enjoying his abilities without malice. It's right up there with Peter Parker's "Woooohooo!" in the Raimi 1st "Spider-man" for me.

[@sorryifoldcomment8596]

It's his giggle that gets me. Such an amazing delivery from the voice actor.

[@TigerPrawn_]

It’s the euphoria of being free. Being able to be your true self without any inhibitions ❤

[@mkfmgaming3019]

Also, another thing about this movie I genuinely think the Incredibles has the best soundtrack out of any Pixar movie. It really is inspiring and gives you a feeling of nostalgia when listening.

[@connorbutler5900]

I love the entire vibe and atmosphere around The Incredibles. It has a different feel to any and every other Disney film.

[@adityatripathi103]

Dash learning he can run on water always gets a chuckle out of me😂

[@btfo420]

best scene in animation hands down. It's such an iconic scene.

[@DownTrodded]

Ya he just goes for it then laughs it off just as quickly it’s also funny how quickly and semi easily he takes out the heavily armed and trained soldiers

[@adityatripathi103]

@@DownTrodded it's so great because we get to see him realise with us just how fast he can go without holding back and him having fun with it is just icing on the cake 🤌✨

[@davemoore7808]

The soundtrack does it for me. The music goes silent and then swells in this incredible (no pun intended) way. It's the combination of all of those things that makes the entire sequence so powerful.

[@williamstriemer180]

Dash super peelout

[@Nn-3]

2:07 Programmer was about to go gamer mode 💀

[@alecrutz6979]

glad I'm not the only one who saw that lol

[@jorger002]

The amount of work that goes into these movies. I thank all that are involved! You all deserve great praise!

[@williamrivera3273]

This is such a great dissection of a childhood classic. The way you presented the details and the way you edited the bts footage was great. This shows a level of craftsmanship not even channels with millions of subs have. Also, the counterpoints were truly thought-provoking and had me question what I thought for so long was a "children's film". It's obvious you enjoy and appreciate cinema at its core like all of us. So thank you for that :) You deserve waaaaayyyyy more subs and I'm sure you'll get them. So, please never ever stop :|

[@ZombieFarmboy666]

I didn’t like the sequel so much, but maybe it was just because the Incredibles was so damn special that following up on it was an almost impossible task.

[@skakee10]

eh personally i think it just also fails on its own. both plotlines felt very weak and had no weight to them imo

[@MattMcIrvin]

Everything The Incredibles was doing at the time was new. Just doing it again, so much later, in an entertainment world that had been so heavily influenced by the original, just felt safe and uninteresting.

[@ender7278]

It's another victim of an unfinished product being rushed out the door to please shareholders.

[@EvilParagon4]

Yeah, they had said for years they didn't want to make a sequel unless they had a script they felt was as good to Incredibles 1 as Toy Story 2 was to Toy Story 1. The movie spent only two years being made and was apparently on an "accelerated" schedule, and even then was ahead of time. The movie was horrifically rushed, probably to catch up with the superhero craze before End Game came out. It seemed rather clear from Pixar staff at the time with how little they had to say about the movie as a whole that they were thrilled with its production, as opposed to many other movies where they seem to love referring back to it (such as Toy Story 2). So, with the evidence we have in front of us, Incredibles 2 was a movie Pixar did not want to make (jn the form we got) that shareholders wanted made with a hard deadline.

[@marcus3173]

Incredibles 2 was sh*t. Pixar decided to play it extremely safe by basically repeating the exact same story just without all the charm the original had.

[@spimbles]

This film had a ton of weight growing up. I was too stupid to really read between the lines, but it was obvious how dark in tone this movie was at times, which I think is exactly what you wanna aim for when making a serious kids movie like this. It’s lighthearted enough that kids don’t KNOW that superheroes are dying, but it’s a feeling that’s very present, it’s just hard to place as a child. This movie is awesome

[@cassettemokarosa5108]

not stupid!! just young :~)) be kinder to yourself

[@Sassayyyyy]

What a gem. Probably my favorite video on KZbin now. So happy it popped up for me tonight 😊 Thank you for the wonderful editing and well timed voiceover!

[@Mythikal13]

5:37 that moment as a kid sold me. Seeing a cartoon character like get up and mess with their mic was so human to me I fully took them on as real as like Tobey Maguire in spider man. Amazing how much thought was put into that detail

[@wariodude128]

Listened to the DVD commentary of the first Incredibles, and the part where Bob puts his hand through his torn suit was apparently a game changer. Then the madlads at Pixar proved they could do it again by having E put her entire hand and arm through the tear when he visits her house.

[@mvpfireant5188]

In the age of superhero fatigue.. the incredible stands out as one of the best superhero stories of all time. First saw this movie in theater when I was 4 (!) years old. And saying it holds up is an understatement

[@antonioreconquistador]

One of the only superhero movies i like, it's grounded in real struggles and grows into amazing scenery and combat around characters that develop at a great pace.

[@TheHermesLP]

There's no superhero fatigue. There never has been. People want good movies that push the limits of whats possible and make you feel something. This stupid narrative that "Superhero movies are a genre" is as dumb as saying "animation movies are a genre". They are action movies. They are heist movies. They are tragedies. They are love stories. But lo and behold, the "I don't like Superhero movies except this particular ones" posture is now as prominent as the "Animation is for kids except this few examples I like" was in its time for the people that think themselves mature and superior for no apparent reason.

[@mvpfireant5188]

@@TheHermesLP I agree. I’m not saying I have superhero fatigue. That’s just something people are feeling. It’s an expression of the subject matter being worn out by the constant cash grabs and lifeless films. But hell, I’m at peak fandom. Should’ve seen me in GOTG 3

[@blackie126]

@@TheHermesLP There is absolutely superhero fatigue. Having a slew of superhero based movies, whether they are action heist whatever the fuck - people get tired of the same shit being pumped out and being expected to be over the moon for it every time. Superhero movie fatigue is very real.

[@Dr.Oofers]

⁠@@blackie126Gee, I wonder if that’s happened with the slog of horror movies that were copy and paste, jumpscare fests? It’s not “fatigue”, it’s oversaturation. Oversaturation leads to a lot of copy cats, that fail to meet what made the original hits so successful. With Disney and Warner pumping out super hero content left & right, it’s too over saturated and leads to many passing them because it’s too copy and paste *or* are just plain bad. “Fatigue” is just a buzzword most studios use to cope with the fact they made a *bad* movie.

[@BingBangPoe]

Brad Bird is an absolute genius. Everything in Incredibles is extremelly well written and well thought; still is one of my favorite films ever.

[@Joshua-bk1rv]

"What their attributes are" they indeed figured out elasticgirls attributes and i am glad they did

[@KingInfernagon]

The thing with The Incredibles is that as a kid, I would always rewatch the opening interview and I don't know why but it always fascinated me how it had this golden age feeling attached to it. It like aa couple of people dealing with their ideologies in simpler times. I can't explain it further but it always intrigued me how different it is to see them during their own golden age with how the skyscrapers were built, how newspapers were published and the tone of the film was during the past. Something that the sequel missed the mark WAY much

[@StilvurBee]

i always felt the same way and found it impossible to describe

[@griffinbacher2215]

I agree, I loved the golden age/almost noir feeling the first movie had. Yet despite the second one taking place directly after the first, it doesn’t have that same charm or feeing

[@zonastarwars4397]

I always thought the message of the movie was: Not everyone can be special, if you treat everyone like that then both sides will feel oppressed. The truly special people won't feel encouraged enough to use their talents and the people that isn't special will feel pressured to be special. Basically what happens all the time with "gifted kids", every parent wants their kids to be gifted so they treat them like such, but most of the time they grow up to be normal, and they end up messed up because of all the unrealistic expectations. The message basically tells us that being "special" is not about status, it's about responsibilities. That's why Syndrome was the bad guy, he wanted to be special but he didn't want the responsibility. Which was the same mistake Bob made at the start of the movie, he wanted to relive the glory days but he didn't want the responsibilities that came with that past life.

[@jr2904]

And they're doing that very thing in schools here in California, no one will be gifted anymore. The gifted will be neglected so that others won't feel inferior

[@chrismanuel9768]

Everyone can be special, actually, because the idea of special is to be different or unique in some way. If you were super strong and I was super fast, we'd both be special, but neither of us would be less special because of the existence of each other. The idea that "specialness" is finite is childish and shallow. Everyone can, indeed, be special.

[@zonastarwars4397]

@@chrismanuel9768 You are making the same mistake i already explained. You think "finite specialness" is about status when it just means being naturally better at a specific task. Which is pretty realistic because some people have innate talents. Now, that doesn't mean they are more valuable people, they are just better at that specific task. Saying "anyone can be special" and "being special is just being different" is exactly what the director is against, that just promotes mediocrity and generates unrealistic expectations. Again, following the logic of the movie. Being special is finite but it doesn't make the special people better, it just gives them a bigger responsibility from the get go.

[@comet.x]

gifted kid programs need to be made hard enough that the gifted kids actually need to study, cause right now they don't learn that skill and it is problematic

[@quinnmarchese6313]

@@zonastarwars4397 theres a major philosophical difference between you and myself and chrismanuel almost explained it, but it comes down to how we define "special". you seem to define it as an inherent quality, something ones born with, and thusly something that truly can only exist in a few. chris and i find that reductive because there is no part of the written definition nor in our own connotations of the word "special" that indicate that its an inherent quality. the quality of being special can probably be bred, sure, but it can also be cultivated. you think Jimi Hendrix was just that good of a guitar player? no, mfer practiced literally hours a day, every day. I believe all people are born with predispositions, ie things they could be really good at; there is no evidence to the contrary. what there is evidence for is most people either not being able to cultivate their own talents through means of practicality and pragmatism, like going for a degree you know will net you a career instead of one that truly aligns with your interests; or by never giving the thing you might be good at a chance; or by just not putting in the effort to separate yourself through practice and work. So in reality everyone can be special, and only few choose to be, and even fewer are just naturally special.

[@macweilman535]

This movie’s VOICE ACTING is among the best

[@neal5807]

2:08 me almost letting my intrusive thoughts win while im working

[@slammaANDO]

I saw that shi too lmao was looking for a comment

[@bananabanana484]

The incredible holds up better animation wise than you’d expect. Good work on the animation teams part 👍

[@jamesmartinek8832]

This is honestly a phenomenal video essay and I did NOT expect it to take a turn into commentary on what the role or product of "society" is in our lives, but boy howdy did I enjoy it. It made me think that I may have learned more in this 12 minute video than one could learn in 8 years of social sciences studies at Uni. Anyway, thanks so much! Love it!

[@Mariojinn2]

I recalled listening to the DVD commentary as a child, and I remember how they talked about the difficulty of the underwater sequences, particularly the hair, and even then I had a great amount of admiration for what they, accomplished, but now I have an even greater amount of admiration for what they've done. Not only have they made one of the most technically ambitious movies of its time, but also just a great film.

[@guilamonster654]

No matter how hard the animation was, Brad still took time to make sure Elastigirl had cake

[@AppalachianMountaineer1863]

10 minutes into The Incredibles and someone was already trying to commit suicide, survives and sues the hero for saving them. That’s why it’s still my favorite movie even as an adult, it’s far more than just a animated movie for children it’s a movie that adults at the time could enjoy for its more subtle dark and sensual humor.

[@keulron2290]

For a time when animation like this was borderline impossible, the Incredibles pushed the boundaries and created an absolute masterpiece.

[@Ancestralsword8]

Animation is an artform, and it can do any genre ~Brad Bird

[@bcvetkov8534]

The first incredibles was such a fantastic movie. Everything about it beginning to end feels like the entire studio put its heart and soul into making it. Thank you Brad Bird and the rest of the team. You made a 5 year old me super happy and excited to get into the superhero genre.

[@Limes_not_Lemons]

I just love his quote about animation being more than a genre, instead being yet another way to express any genre. Love it

[@nir7090]

Almost a gamer moment right there 2:09

[@travistsounds]

Sorted comments just to find this. So glad I’m not the only one. Forgot the screen capture was still on. Haba

[@brsn2991]

I don't think bird's themes are really as deep as they're presented here. It is easy to read both the Incredibles and ratatouille as "let special people be special" but the focus is always on the individual characters. Both Remi and the Incredibles family are misfits. They are specially talented, but in both films these "powers" are presented as things they have to hide in order to belong. This tension is the main thematic beat. Both films then present the characters grappling with expressing their true selves in a world hostile to that expression. A world which then comes to realize it needs these people for who they really are. I feel like the true message in both movies is more along the lines of "be yourself, don't wait for the world to catch up".

[@moralebooster8437]

I agree, and I like how articulate your comment is

[@skelmirsdottir]

Out of all the theories on what the message of the movie actually was, yours is the only one I've seen in this comment thread that actually sound right to me. People are arguing about the meaning of the word 'special' and call each other childish for having different views on the matter. Do you see the irony here? If you think if everyone is special then no one is you are basically just saying why even try? That is why this notion is called childish. Why even try is a childish thought that everyone has had at some point in their life because humans are generally speaking very comfort-seeking beings. Only if you try anyways, simply because you know you can, that makes you special. Because in that moment you are following your heart. Syndrome did not try to be special because he knew he could. He tried to show everyone else how wrong they were. It's an extremely fine line between being egoistic and "special". I live by the motto 'Be true to yourself'. That alone in my eyes can already make someone special, someone who doesn't care what others might think of them despite their looks, convictions or actions. Being special is not about good or bad like some people seem to think. It's about being YOU, whoever that might be.

[@jarrettguthrie1670]

I would agree, and for the Incredibles specifically, the same theme is used that is universal in most superhero shows. That theme being that there are those who exist that are stronger than the general populace in some way, and they fight for the good, against the evil that we aren't strong enough to fight against ourselves.

[@TinchoFigue]

2:05 I see, paying attention to the important scenes, a man of culture indeed

[@knuxuki1013]

I have always loved The Incredibles movie, the more I freaking watch it, the more I appreciate, I seriously do, but a few years ago, I learned what their whole thought process was with this and their other films, wanting to genuinely make something great for everyone to enjoy, not just kids, never spoke down to the younger audiences. Now here I learn even more about what went in to making this still gorgeous film and I love it and have gained even more appreciation for this movie. It's amazing. It's truly incredible and I love it so much. Great, *incredible* art!

[@speck_the_nomad]

back when directors were passionate about their project:

[@simulacrumdei6462]

this is what art is all about, always making your next piece better than the one before

[@jdslipknot]

2:08 HOL UP

[@balticknight7368]

bro

[@swizzy8735]

Annnd it will remain one of the best Pixar movies of all time thanks to their appreciation for the art, and dedication to their craft and original ideas.

[@roadtripwarrior]

i miss dvd special features. thanks for this

[@DrEnzyme]

I've never heard the Ayn Rand comparison before, but I've also never got that message from Brad's movies. I always got the message that what you do with the power you have is more important than becoming powerful. I also felt a general celebration of "uniqueness" that was important in a time like the 90s and early 00s, when being different meant being shunned by society.

[@svankensen]

Yeah, Rand was a horrible person with a horrible philosphy. Apparently Brad gets that coment about objectivism a lot, but... Wasn't Syndrome the most talented and powerful in the movie? And he was "unhindered" by governments and morals. And yet he failed horribly. "We shouldn't block individuality" isn't at all the same as "The talented should be above the law." Hell, Mr Incredible's need to feel recognized was what got his whole family into trouble. Seems like a lazy read. Also... the "message" was not what made The Incredibles a great movie. So let's not pretend that that philosophy, even if it was there (and it isn't), mattered. No, it was just a compelling, fun movie with great characters and art.

[@3n3my33]

I agree, I think equating the message to objectivism is an overly simplistic reading of the themes. Anyway, I think "we should let talented people exercise their talents" is an uncontroversial idea that anyone can get behind, as long as you don't blow it out of proportion like Rand did. I saw a tweet that compared Syndrome's "when everyone's super" mentality with AI artists, standing on the backs of actual artists' hard work to feel special. We could even compare training ai on artists' work without permission to training the robots on the data from fights against retired supers. It's just interesting how this movie manages to stay relevant.

[@sirjacksonwolf]

This needs to be higher up, just as @svankensen was pointing out "We shouldn't block individuality" isn't at all the same as "The talented should be above the law." is a false equivalence, and applying Rand's philosophy to a movie about superheros seems like grasping at straws to me.

[@ILikedGooglePlus]

+++

[@TigerPrawn_]

Agree. I never once thought about the “message” of the film - if it even has one. It’s just utterly entertaining, and sometimes that’s all films need to be.

[@istoppedcaring6209]

this came out when i was 8, I absolutely loved it back then, I still do, it's just a classic it's really horrible that disney can't do this anymore

[@biazacha]

If Disney stop meddling with Pixar’s internal decisions they certainly could.

[@zainm5919]

@@biazacha Disney has infected Pixar and fell off themselves after 2010 or so

[@101supersmiley]

this has and always will be my favorite pixar movie - the older i get, the more it clicks and the sequel was totally worth the wait. it has so many layers to it, it's genius

[@indiarose6226]

Brad Bird is exceptional. He resurrected the Mission Impossible franchise. He's a god of character-driven action movies

[@tnwalkercowboy3871]

MY eyes widened for a solid second there 2:08

[@syrienangel4137]

They were breaking all the rules

[@buffkangaroodog]

4:16 Animation isn’t a genre but apparently R rating now is

[@ciles.8277]

The details in this movie. Just rewatched, and even the introduction shows the foreshadowing of Edna's disdain towards capes when a bomb gets stuck to Buddy's and causes an unnecessary hazardous situation. Bravo, Brad Bird!

[@chiellazona5624]

Well, all the hard work paid off. This is my personal favorite.

[@dynaguy3]

My favorite movie of all time. Literally flawless to me. Such “incredible” characters, story, themes, animation, world building, and music.

[@moralebooster8437]

It's one of my faves too! How did you feel about the new(er) one??

[@dynaguy3]

@@moralebooster8437 not so good

[@fenhen]

2:23 Good to know Pixar take jiggle physics seriously.

[@CamJames]

It's part of why Mrs. Incredible has a whole fanfic community online

[@lukass7156]

this video is so well made, it reminds me of Every Frame A Painting. thank you!

[@mi12no]

These guys needed a raise. No doubt. I could never imagine doing any part of that solo.

[@sanzannoryuki]

I recently rewatched both movies and in the past I was sympathetic to syndrome about his mistreatment from Mr. Incredible. However, seeing how he put everybody, including himself, in the danger, with villain escaping in the end thanks to him... I get Mr. Incredible. Just like suppressing kids power wasn't beneficial to them, it was still responsible to leave them at home when going to the island. What I'm trying to say is that Mr. Incredible acted completely reasonable and did nothing bad to Buddy.

[@andybrice2711]

He was young, though. Young people need discipline, but also nurturing and leniency. This film balances the arguments of "Celebrate excellence." with "Don't neglect potential, nor denigrate basic competence, as that will breed resentment."

[@sanzannoryuki]

@@andybrice2711 yes I do understand why he behaved like he did. But I understand Mr. Incredible as well.

[@renetrograde]

also like. the contrast of how mr. incredible appears when syndrome is talking about him via flashback versus how he appears in the actual scene in the past. when syndrome is talking about him saying 'fly home buddy,' bomb voyage isn't even in the flashback. it's just mr incredible looming over him and rejecting him. in the actual scene, mr. incredible is paying more attention to bomb voyage (who he's holding by the cuff) than anything else. syndrome stripped out everything else that happened that night and made it about his hurt feelings.

[@agodelianshock9422]

Mr.Incredible showed a moment of weakness when he mistreated buddy. The perfect man, the idol. It mirrors that saying "Never meet your heroes". Buddy saw that weakness, came to resent it, then capitalized on it.

[@Peastable]

@@renetrogradebut that’s kinda how being a kid is, to be fair. Adults can be scary and having one dismiss the things that make you proud of yourself will stick with a kid forever.

[@SpeculatorSeth]

The intended message behind The Incredibles is that it is ok to rely on other people. Syndrome's undoing was that he didn't care about anyone else, and only wanted to fulfill his own narcissistic impulses. Mr Incredible was afraid that his family relationships were a weakness that could be used against him. Instead it's what saved him even when he intentionally left them in the dark. Many criticized the first move as an embrace of Ayn Rand, and Brad Bird said it was a lazy criticism that was a misreading of the movie.

[@hb-robo]

He’s right, it’s not only lazy but cheap rhetorically. It doesn’t engage the subject matter in the slightest. I’ve even seen people call him a piece of shit for his politics, assuming he is some Randian sycophant. It’s way out of control