The Incredibles
Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Craig Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Brad Bird
Known to the world as superheroes Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, Bob Parr and his wife, Helen, were among the world's greatest superheroes; saving lives and protecting humanity from the forces of evil. Fifteen years pass, and we find our noble heroes in a much different light - their secret identities having become their only identities - as they live out their lives in secret with their three kids, Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack. Longing to relive the glory days of being a hero, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious woman named Mirage summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. He soon discovers that it will take a super family to rescue the world from total destruction when he and his family battle the malevolent Syndrome.
I like the way color is used in a subtle but creative way to indicate transformations in the characters. This is illustrated particularly well in the characters of Mr. Incredible and his daughter, Violet.
When we first meet young Violet, she is wearing very dark colors. Her long, black hair is hanging over her face and she is very shy…her voice is barely a whisper…and she doesn't have much confidence in herself and this shows in her powers. Her dark clothing and hair are literally shielding her and her invisibility power is definitely the stronger of her two gifts because she hides behind her mask. While she has the ability to create force fields, she has not mastered this power yet. When she is outside the cave with her mother and Helen is encouraging her, we see the first hint of Violet coming out of her shell when Helen tucks her hair behind her ear, but she's not quite ready to embrace her new identity. Violet’s first moment to shine comes when she and her family are captured by Syndrome. Her hair is pulled back, she is more confident in her powers and she is much more assertive. SHE saves them from Syndrome's shackles. SHE figures out how to defeat the robot and save the day. Then at the end, when she is talking to the boy, we see her complete her transformation. Her hair is back, SHE is the one initiating the date plans with the boy (whereas before when she saw him, she was literally a shrinking Violet) and she is wearing a bright pink top rather than being shrouded in black.
The same can be said for Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible). When we first see Mr. Incredible, he is in the prime of his superhero career; a strong, noble and handsome hero that everybody respects and admires. When the Supers are forced to retire and we get the time jump, we see Bob in a much different state. Time has transformed Mr. Incredible into a hollow shell of his former self. Rather than being the handsome and charming hero, we see him wearing very drab colors, he is overweight, his hair looks a bit gray and he literally does not fit into this new life that he finds himself in. The only time he really lights up is when he's talking about the golden days of being a Super. When he first meets Mirage and slowly embraces being a hero again, we see him transform back into Mr. Incredible once more....he gets his super physique back, he gets a bold new suit from Edna Mode, and he’s spending time with his family and actually enjoying it. However, it is only when his family comes to save him on the island and they defeat Syndrome that he truly becomes Mr. Incredible again....up until then, he was only doing it because he was terrified of losing them.
The Incredibles is one of the more unique films in the Pixar animated canon. While most of Pixar’s other films bring to life animals or inanimate objects, The Incredibles is the first of Pixar’s films to have superheroes. The animation is stunning, and the story is one that both children and adults can fall in love with. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Pixar at its best.
© 2013 – 2020 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Craig Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Brad Bird
Known to the world as superheroes Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, Bob Parr and his wife, Helen, were among the world's greatest superheroes; saving lives and protecting humanity from the forces of evil. Fifteen years pass, and we find our noble heroes in a much different light - their secret identities having become their only identities - as they live out their lives in secret with their three kids, Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack. Longing to relive the glory days of being a hero, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious woman named Mirage summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. He soon discovers that it will take a super family to rescue the world from total destruction when he and his family battle the malevolent Syndrome.
I like the way color is used in a subtle but creative way to indicate transformations in the characters. This is illustrated particularly well in the characters of Mr. Incredible and his daughter, Violet.
When we first meet young Violet, she is wearing very dark colors. Her long, black hair is hanging over her face and she is very shy…her voice is barely a whisper…and she doesn't have much confidence in herself and this shows in her powers. Her dark clothing and hair are literally shielding her and her invisibility power is definitely the stronger of her two gifts because she hides behind her mask. While she has the ability to create force fields, she has not mastered this power yet. When she is outside the cave with her mother and Helen is encouraging her, we see the first hint of Violet coming out of her shell when Helen tucks her hair behind her ear, but she's not quite ready to embrace her new identity. Violet’s first moment to shine comes when she and her family are captured by Syndrome. Her hair is pulled back, she is more confident in her powers and she is much more assertive. SHE saves them from Syndrome's shackles. SHE figures out how to defeat the robot and save the day. Then at the end, when she is talking to the boy, we see her complete her transformation. Her hair is back, SHE is the one initiating the date plans with the boy (whereas before when she saw him, she was literally a shrinking Violet) and she is wearing a bright pink top rather than being shrouded in black.
The same can be said for Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible). When we first see Mr. Incredible, he is in the prime of his superhero career; a strong, noble and handsome hero that everybody respects and admires. When the Supers are forced to retire and we get the time jump, we see Bob in a much different state. Time has transformed Mr. Incredible into a hollow shell of his former self. Rather than being the handsome and charming hero, we see him wearing very drab colors, he is overweight, his hair looks a bit gray and he literally does not fit into this new life that he finds himself in. The only time he really lights up is when he's talking about the golden days of being a Super. When he first meets Mirage and slowly embraces being a hero again, we see him transform back into Mr. Incredible once more....he gets his super physique back, he gets a bold new suit from Edna Mode, and he’s spending time with his family and actually enjoying it. However, it is only when his family comes to save him on the island and they defeat Syndrome that he truly becomes Mr. Incredible again....up until then, he was only doing it because he was terrified of losing them.
The Incredibles is one of the more unique films in the Pixar animated canon. While most of Pixar’s other films bring to life animals or inanimate objects, The Incredibles is the first of Pixar’s films to have superheroes. The animation is stunning, and the story is one that both children and adults can fall in love with. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Pixar at its best.
© 2013 – 2020 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.