Pixar and Disney’s The Incredibles is the superhero movie that Fox’s Fantastic Four looks up to from several miles beneath. It’s the brightest star in director Brad Bird’s strong body of work, a simple family of superheroes concept spun into a complex yet accessible web of storytelling.
The great thing about The Incredibles is whether you’re watching it for the first or one hundredth time, it’s equally captivating, funny and enthralling. Craig T. Nelson steals the show as Mr. Incredible, a once proud superhero relegated to working as an insurance agent after superheroes were deemed a danger to society many years prior. His story of mishandling a midlife crisis is easily relatable to men and women alike. We’ve all either been in his shoes or will someday stare at our own wall of days long gone, willing to give anything for another shot at the glory days.
Laughs come from a combination of Mr. Incredible and his inner battle against the rat race and growing irrelevant, Mr. Incredible’s new obnoxious and vengeful arch nemesis, Syndrome (Jason Lee), and the Q to superheroes of all shapes and sizes, Edna (Brad Bird). Mr. Incredible and his hulking frame rule the physical comedy, especially when he’s in the process of getting nowhere with his job. Syndrome gets the best one-liners with maniacally evil and convoluted speeches. Edna, dear Edna, is so full of quirkiness that she’s impossible to resist.
If there’s one fault to The Incredibles, it’s the slow and deliberate pacing through the first two acts that will test the patience of younger audiences. The payoff is worth the wait, though. The Incredibles come together as a superhero team for the first time in the third act and square off against Syndrome on his secret island housing more evil techno-gadgets than all the James Bond films combined. Bird takes what he learned from The Iron Giant and increases the intensity and action 1000 times in this exhilarating conclusion capping a near-perfect film.
High-Def Presentation
Having watched The Incredibles in 1080i on HD cable and been thoroughly impressed, I pretty much expected perfection from the 1080p presentation. Sure enough, The Incredibles follows in the Disney and Pixar tradition on Blu-ray with delivering a stunning HD experience. There is no fault to be found anywhere, period. In fact, the depth and richness of the colors and landscapes is so impressive that you wonder how amazing The Incredibles would look if translated to 3D.
Matching the video stride-for-stride is the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix. Again, perfection is expected from a Pixar film on Blu-ray and this mix is sharp, deep, and completely enveloping at all times. The only improvement that could have been made would be a 7.1 channel remix. Honestly, the 5.1 surround use is so persistent and appropriate that 7.1 channels would likely be overkill.
Beyond The Feature
Disney has loaded The Incredibles on Blu-ray with an expansive mix of previously released DVD bonus features and all-new high definition material a film this beloved by audiences deserves. Even better, the archival bonus features are all housed on disc two and separated into their own section so there’s no mistaking what’s new and what you saw several years ago.
New Bonus Features
A pair of Commentaries offer diverse creative and technical angles on how The Incredibles came together and how it is perceived. Director Brad Bird and Producer John Walker share a strong friendship and it shines through as they discuss making the film and reminisce about the process. The other commentary features 12 members of the animation team who delve deep into the trials and tribulations of bringing what was then an extremely technically challenging film to life. This is highly recommended for anyone interested in exploring the field of computer animation or art direction.
Also on disc one is the popular Pixar short Boundin’ in HD with an optional director commentary by Bud Lucky and Jack-Jack Attack in HD. Technically these aren’t new in high definition as they appeared on the Pixar Blu-ray Shorts discs from several years back, but they weren’t in HD on the DVD version of The Incredibles. Furthermore, there’s an optional Visual Commentary on Jack-Jack Attack with Brad Bird and three team members.
The Incredibles Revisted (22:06, HD) – A roundtable with Brad Bird, John Walker, story supervisor Mark Andrews, supervising technical director Rick Sayre, production designer Lou Romano, character designer Teddy Newton and animation supervisor Tony Fucile. A candid retrospective chat that talks about the roadblocks the team faced while pitching and putting the film together. I wished they would have segued right into discussing story ideas for The Incredibles 2.
Paths to Pixar (5:53, HD) – A beginners guide to working and getting a job in storyboarding as only Pixar could tell and illustrate it.
Studio Stories: Gary’s Birthday (1:24, HD) – A motion comic of one of a gazillion silly Pixar stories.
Ending with a Bang (1:35) – The idea and execution for the end credits that Brad Bird dreamed up. They look so simple, yet were quite complex to create.
The New Nomanisan: A Top Secret Redevelopment Plan (3:30) – Vanquished Villains redevelopment’s pitch to relaunch Syndrome’s island into a paradise vacation destination. Turns into an interactive map that lets you explore island amenities that make sure of Syndrome’s neglected tech weapons.
Also included are Deleted Scenes in HD, the Teaser Trailer in HD, 10 Easter Eggs scattered throughout the film, and Publicity Materials.
Previously Available Bonus Features
- Making of The Incredibles (27:30)
- Story (7:15)
- Character Design (5:30)
- E volution (2:45)
- Building Humans (6:17)
- Building Extras (2:00)
- Set Design (2:00)
- Sound (3:13)
- Music (5:15)
- Lighting (3:00)
- Tools (2:39)
- Mr. Incredible and Pals (4:00) w/optional commentary by Frozone and Mr. Incredible
- NSA Files (7:00)
- Who is Bud Luckey? (3:55)
- Vowellett – An Essay by Sarah Vowell (10:13)
- Art Gallery
Disney releasing this modern Pixar classic on Blu-ray has been a long time coming. Now that it has arrived, The Incredibles on Blu-ray is every bit as dazzling, amazing and “incredible” as it should be.
– Dan Bradley
Shop for The Incredibles on Blu-ray at a discounted price from Amazon.com.
