Why The Incredibles is PIXAR's Best Movie

A video made by SuperFrame.

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[mcurran]

"People think of animation only doing things where people are dancing around and doing a lot of histrionics, but animation is not a genre. And people keep saying, 'The animation genre'. It's not a genre! A Western is a genre! Animation is an art form, and it can do any genre. You know, it can do a detective film, a cowboy film, a horror film, an R-rated film or a kids' fairy tale. But it doesn't do one thing. And, next time I hear, 'What's it like working in the animation genre?' I'm going to punch that person!" - Brad Bird

[theirongiants]

The Incredibles has the jazz of early MCU, smartness, nuanced thematic contexts and character writing.

[lewisholiman]

The Incredibles being the best Fantastic 4 movie goes way deeper than just being a better movie in general than any F4 one we’ve gotten. Every character is an INCREDIBLY faithful depiction of their F4 counterpart while still putting just enough of a spin on it to be original.

Bob is easily the best Reed Richards we’ve seen outside the comics. His obsession over superheroics directly parallels Reed’s obsession with science. Both characters strive to use the thing they’re best at to make the world a better place. But the reason they often need to be reined in and why their marriages suffer because of it is because they’re prone to the sin of pride and let that self-importance go to their heads. The difference is that where Reed is most often portrayed at the height of his career, Bob is reminiscing on the glory days to make for an extremely compelling story about a man dealing with a midlife crisis.

Helen already has a massive advantage over every live action Sue Storm in that she and Bob are married with kids at the start of the story (not counting the prologue). So, in addition to both her affection and grievances with Bob being way more sincere, there are higher stakes to her conflict. She’s not just a naggy girlfriend seeking attention like in the Tim Story F4 movies; she’s a wife and mother trying to save her marriage as well as properly raise her children, with it often seeming like she has to do it alone as the only one who takes either matter seriously. This’s how Sue should’ve always been portrayed in the movies.

Violet is insecure about her powers and wishes she could be normal, just like Ben. But Brad Bird makes the genius decision to match that idea with the all too relatable angst of adolescence. So, when she goes through the same character arc of learning to accept her abilities and use them for the greater good, it has the added layer of being a coming of age story.

Dash is the egotistical one like Johnny. But instead of that being his whole personality, we get to see that he’s not as confident as he thinks when things get serious. For all his big talk in a domestic setting, he shows real concern when his life is put in danger for the first time and has to come into his own as he gradually masters his powers. It’s what makes the jungle chase scene so amazing. Fant4stic at least had something going on with Johnny feeling inferior to Sue in their dad’s eyes, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to what Brad Bird did with Dash in less screen time.

Even Syndrome is the best Doctor Doom we’ve ever gotten by a mile. He has his own secluded land and wants to prove himself better than Bob because he matches his ego and feels betrayed by a tragic event from their past, just like Doom and Reed. But instead of a colleague, Bob was his idol and instead of a lab accident that left him scarred, it was Bob rejecting him. Since Bob’s focus is on superheroics instead of science, what better way to tweak the Reed/Doom rivalry accordingly then to make Syndrome an entitled super fan? In that way, he acted as a metaphor for absurd fan expectations long before Miguel O’Hara in Across the Spider-Verse. How have we gotten this brilliant subversion of Doom’s origin when we haven’t even had Doom’s proper origin done straightforward yet? And despite his fanboy persona, Syndrome is more legitimately threatening than any on-screen Doom.

[dynaguy]

You can tell Brad is very passionate about his films and a bit of a perfectionist. That’s why his movies have such enormous heart, expression, and creativity. The Incredibles and Ratatouille are 2 of my top 3 all time favorite movies. His writing and direction for Incredibles is genius for its themes, characters, and tone. Not to mention the score he was able to create with a first time film composer, Michael Giacchino. Unfortunately, Incredibles 2 didn’t turn out for reasons like time constraints and a lack of risk taking.

[benjamingomez]

Bro literally made the best Superman movie without Superman in it 🗣💯

[Joseph_R._Azevedo]

Oh I’m definitely gonna love this, your analysis/essay videos are always eye-openers, additionally Elastigirl one of the best milfs in fiction, there’s a reason the term is “Pixar Mom”.
Also, could you someday do a video about Storm or Vixen, explaining why they work and how they’re great characters, cause there are no videos like that for either of them and I love Storm and Vixen

[levlarl]

I'm glad you made this analysis, Super Frame. This got me thinking: Now that you have made a "How to make a good movie" videos for both DC and the X-Men, have you been thinking about making one for the Fantastic Four? I think that would be FANTASTIC.

Also, can you PLEASE share with me the music you use in your videos? I really want to listen to them to their fullest.

[Shawnodachi]

Another great analysis. These vids keep getting better and better!

[jerryterwase]

I wish this movie could be released with updated effects ( if that's even possible). A true classic.

[garrito]

Great analysis, Pixar used to be on top of the world in the 2000s, and this movie is easily one of their greatest works. I love how the adult themes help make this movie work for anybody who watches the movie. Kids enjoy the superhero action, but parents and adults can enjoy the family drama and themes. Great stuff all around, would love to see you cover more animated deep dives!

[theirongiants]

The Incredibles is one of the smartest computer animated films of all time.

The Iron Giant is a heartfelt expression, and one of the most whimsical and delightful animated films of all time.

Ratatouille is a film, that takes the concept of creating art and being an artist. And it shows that concept in a way that is both mature and delightful.

In short, these three films are some of my favorite films ever. They all have something unique and interesting, they are clever and nuanced. Brad Bird knows why animation is well "animation". He's one of my favorite directors, because this guy has made three distinctly different films with completely different styles. The Incredibles is jazzy, The Iron Giant is like a warm sunshine, Ratatouille is like a slow-moving art film.

[alexandrefrauches]

Great analysis! What I like about this film, ironic, is that, despite it's message, Bird was able to make this film "extraordinary" by focusing on a aspect some people would see as something simple and not exciting: the family drama. Nowadays, many directors would probably try to make a film "extraordinary" by making it bigger, with world ending event and alot of action and set ups for sequels, resulting in just another generic super hero blockbuster. But the Incredibles was the total opposite of this.
Yes, the movie has fun action adventure but is also creative and knows how to balance with simple relatable scenes. The strenght of the film are the characters and their personal drama.

[ethinwhite]

To me, even as a kid I thought that this movie was a cross between a superhero movie and a James Bond movie.

[ggtwinbee]

For the longest time I didn't know that disk 2 had an audio file where you can listen to the supers for so long, and honestly it's surprising that many of the people who voice the supers never had their voice actors mentioned at all so it's pretty much speculation for most of them outside the ones people know. Still, hearing what Gazerbeam sounds like after all these years is a cool treat I've never knew I needed!

[suto]

Fantastic video. Brad Bird would be a great pick to direct an X-men movie

[DavidSilva-mndz]

Animation is an artform, and if you ask me... Superheroes should be animated. Period.

[zsoltbartus]

I love the first Incredibles. Even as an adult still hooked whenever gets to see it.
And its the best F4 movie too. 😅

[JayPalOfficial]

Great analysis. You should do another one with the animated Spider-Verse and TMNT Mutant Mayhem movies. They’re great examples on what animation should potentially do as a medium rather than just a genre. I love what Brad Bird said and someone commented this quote really well. “It’s not a genre… Animation is an art form, and it can do any genre!” Animation isn’t just for kids but it’s also for adults who enjoy animated shows and movies. That’s what’s it all about #AnimationIsCinema.

[dufrain_media]

You're my favorite channel! I loved this video so much it hurts. You take a deep dive into exactly what this film says, both in the exposition and subtext of the film, and in addressing the subtle moments nuanced throughout the film. One of the very best films and honestly should be used in classes to teach film theory.

[nicklatallade]

It's people like Brad Bird that reinforce the knowledge of the fact that animated films are just as essential as live action ones. I always admired the feeling and the themes behind his movies. One of my personal favorites is iron Giant, The movie's Big theme was " what if a gun could feel? What if a gun had a soul? What if a gun didn't want to be a gun?" And how Brad drew this theme from experiencing The tragedy of losing his sister to a gunshot. The robot who is meant to be a weapon that was built to kill and destroy, he could have been that but he wasn't. The question "you are who you choose to be" Will always stay with me because of how true it is. And that's what the robot went through. Instead of being a weapon or conquer, in the very end he decided to be a hero who defended for humanity. Like you said in the video, Brad can take anything, be it a car, a monster or a toy and give it feelings. And it's things like that that make me admire Brad's work so much.