The Incredibles (2004)
Directed by: Brad Bird
Premise: A family of superheroes is called to save the world while dealing with their own familial problems.
What Works: Many recent animated films have depended upon intertextual humor and sometimes have carried this too far. The Incredibles does use this brand of humor but does not go out of control like Shark Tale did. There is a warm family center to this story but the film has a harder action approach, which is a nice new turn for Pixar.
What Doesn’t: As the film increases its action, it abandons some of the realistic styles and goes for a more cartoonish look that comes off a little silly, even for the premise of the story. Not enough time or focus is put on the domestic plotline and it is resolved pretty easily.
Bottom Line: The Incredibles is not the best work Pixar has produced but it does stand up with most of their other work and it takes the animation in a slightly different direction. Recommended to fans of Monsters Inc.
Episode: #28 (November 21, 2004)