The Incredibles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Incredibles |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Brad Bird |
| Produced by | John Walker |
| Written by | Brad Bird |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Michael Giacchino |
| Cinematography |
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| Editing by | Stephen Schaffer |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| Release date(s) | October 24, 2004 (El Capitan Theatre) November 5, 2004 (United States) |
| Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $92–145 million |
| Money made | $631.6 million |
The Incredibles is a fun 2004 American computer-animated superhero film. It was made by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Brad Bird wrote and directed this exciting movie.
The film features the voices of famous actors like Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Samuel L. Jackson. It takes place in a cool, retro-futuristic world from the 1960s. The story is about Bob and Helen Parr. They are superheroes known as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl.
After a government rule, they have to hide their powers. They try to live a normal life with their three kids in the suburbs. But Bob really wants to help people. This desire pulls the whole family into a big fight. They face a supervillain who used to be a big fan of Mr. Incredible.
Brad Bird created the film based on 1960s comic books and spy films he loved as a kid. He also used ideas from his own family life. The animation team had to create new technology. This was needed to animate human characters with realistic skin, hair, and clothes. Michael Giacchino composed the amazing music for the film.
The Incredibles first showed on October 24, 2004. It came out in US theaters on November 5. The movie earned $632 million worldwide. It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2004. Critics and audiences loved the film. They praised its animation, story, action, humor, and voice acting. Many people think it is one of the best superhero movies ever.
The film won two Academy Awards. These were for Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Editing. It also won the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature. A sequel, Incredibles 2, came out in June 2018.
Contents
The Incredibles' Story
The movie starts with superheroes being very popular. But then, things change. Mr. Incredible, also known as Bob Parr, fights a villain named Bomb Voyage. He is interrupted by his biggest fan, Buddy Pine, who wants to be his sidekick, Incrediboy. Bob tells Buddy to leave.
A bomb from Bomb Voyage causes trouble. It damages a train track. Bob saves the train, but people sue him for the damage. Other superheroes also face lawsuits. Because of this, the government starts the Superhero Relocation Program. This program forces "supers" to hide their powers and live normal lives.
Life as a Normal Family
Fifteen years later, Bob and Helen live with their kids in Metroville. Their children are Violet, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack. Bob is unhappy with his normal suburban life. He works as an insurance claims adjuster. Secretly, he also helps people as a vigilante with his friend, Lucius Best (Frozone).
Bob gets fired from his job for helping someone. Soon after, a woman named Mirage offers him a secret mission. He must stop a robot called the Omnidroid on Nomanisan Island. Bob succeeds by tricking the robot. He feels excited again and starts training.
Syndrome's Evil Plan
Bob visits Edna Mode, a fashion designer for superheroes. He needs his super-suit fixed. Edna thinks Helen knows about Bob's new job. So, she makes new suits for the whole Parr family.
Back on Nomanisan Island, Bob finds out Mirage works for Buddy. Buddy is now rich and calls himself Syndrome. He has invented many devices that act like superpowers. Syndrome has been testing the Omnidroid by making superheroes fight it. He has even caused their defeat.
Syndrome plans to send a new Omnidroid to Metroville. He will secretly control it to look like he defeats it in public. Then, he plans to sell his inventions to everyone. This would make superpowers common and "super" no longer special.
The Family Joins the Fight
Helen visits Edna and learns about Bob's secret missions. To find Bob, Helen uses a tracking device in his suit. This accidentally leads to Bob being captured at Syndrome's base. Helen borrows a private plane to fly to Nomanisan. Violet and Dash sneak onto the plane. They leave Jack-Jack with their babysitter, Kari.
Syndrome knows the kids are on the plane and shoots it down. But Helen and the kids escape to the island. Syndrome also shows he doesn't care about Mirage. Mirage feels bad and helps Bob escape. She tells him his family is alive. Syndrome's guards chase Dash and Violet. The kids use their powers to fight them off. They then reunite with their parents.
Syndrome captures the family. He transports the Omnidroid to Metroville. The Parrs escape with Mirage's help. They follow Syndrome to Metroville. The Omnidroid accidentally knocks the remote control from Syndrome's wrist. The Parrs and Frozone fight the robot. Helen and the kids get the remote. Bob then destroys the robot.
A New Threat Appears
When the Parrs return home, Syndrome tries to kidnap Jack-Jack. He wants to raise him as a sidekick. As Syndrome flies away, Jack-Jack shows his own amazing superpowers! He attacks Syndrome, making him drop him. Helen saves the baby. Bob then sends Syndrome into his own plane's engine.
Three months later, a new villain called the Underminer appears. The Parrs put on their superhero masks and suits. They are ready to face this new threat together.
Who Are the Voices?
- Craig T. Nelson as Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible: The dad, who has super strength.
- Holly Hunter as Helen Parr / Elastigirl (Mrs Incredible): The mom, who can stretch and change her body shape.
- Sarah Vowell as Violet Parr: The oldest child, who can turn invisible and create force fields.
- Spencer Fox as Dashiell "Dash" Parr: The second child, who has super speed.
- Eli Fucile and Maeve Andrews as Jack-Jack Parr: The baby, who has many different superpowers.
- Jason Lee as Buddy Pine / IncrediBoy / Syndrome: Mr. Incredible's former fan who becomes a supervillain.
- Samuel L. Jackson as Lucius Best / Frozone: Bob's best friend, who can make ice.
- Elizabeth Peña as Mirage: Syndrome's helper.
- Brad Bird as Edna "E" Mode: A fashion designer who makes superhero suits.
- Bud Luckey as Rick Dicker: A government agent who helps the Parrs stay hidden.
- Wallace Shawn as Gilbert Huph: Bob's mean boss.
- John Ratzenberger as The Underminer: A mole-like supervillain.
How The Incredibles Was Made
Creating the Story
The idea for The Incredibles started in 1993. Brad Bird, the director, drew the family during a tough time in his career. He wondered if his career goals were worth his family life. He said, "Consciously, this was just a funny movie about superheroes. But I think that what was going on in my life definitely filtered into the movie."
After his first movie, The Iron Giant, didn't do well, Bird focused on his superhero story. He wanted it to be like the 1960s comic books and spy films he loved. He first thought about making it with traditional 2D animation.
Bird then talked to his old friend John Lasseter at Pixar in 2000. Lasseter loved the idea and convinced Bird to come to Pixar. The movie would be made using computer animation. This was Pixar's first film where all the main characters are human.
Bird already had the family members planned out. He based their powers on typical family roles. For example, the shy teenage girl (Violet) can turn invisible.
Voice Actors Bring Characters to Life
Holly Hunter had never voiced an animated character before. She found playing Helen Parr/Elastigirl exciting. Bird thought Hunter was perfect for the "sensitive" but "sturdy" character.
Spencer Fox voiced Dash Parr. To make Dash sound realistic when running, Bird made Fox run laps around the Pixar studio! Samuel L. Jackson was chosen for Frozone because Bird wanted the character to have a "coolest voice."
Lily Tomlin was first considered for Edna Mode. But she turned it down. After trying many people, Bird decided to voice Edna himself. This was common at Pixar, where staff voices often worked well for characters. Sarah Vowell was chosen for Violet after Bird heard her voice on a radio show. He thought she was "perfect."
Animation Challenges
When Bird came to Pixar, he brought many artists from The Iron Giant. Many of them had to learn 3D animation. Bird found CGI flexible but also difficult. He wrote the script without knowing the limits of computer animation. This made The Incredibles the most complex film for Pixar at that time.
The film's human characters were a big challenge. Animating humans is very hard. Pixar's animators even filmed themselves walking to understand human motion better. They had to create new technology for detailed human anatomy, clothes, and realistic skin and hair.
Hair and cloth were especially difficult. Violet's long hair, which covered her face, was very important to her character. It was so hard to animate that it was only finished near the end of production. Animators also had to make hair look right underwater and in the wind.
The film had many other challenges too. It was longer and had four times more locations than previous Pixar films. There were also many visual effects like fire, water, smoke, and explosions. The skin of the characters looked more real thanks to new "subsurface scattering" technology.
Bird admitted that the film made the studio "tremble." But he called it a "testament to the talent of the animators at Pixar." They loved the challenges the film brought.
Music of The Incredibles
The Incredibles was the first Pixar film scored by Michael Giacchino. Brad Bird wanted a specific sound for the film. He was inspired by the movie's retrofuturistic style, which showed the future as people imagined it in the 1960s.
The music was recorded on old-fashioned analog tapes. This gave it an "old feel" that Bird wanted. Brass instruments, which are important in the score, sound better on analog equipment. Giacchino liked recording with all musicians in the same room. This allowed them to play off each other's energy.
The film's music was released on November 2, 2004. It won many awards for best score. These included the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award and the Annie Award.
The Incredibles in Pop Culture
Film Comparisons
Many film reviewers saw similarities between The Incredibles and superhero comic books. These included Powers, Watchmen, and Fantastic Four. The makers of the 2005 Fantastic Four movie even had to change their script because of how similar it was to The Incredibles.
Bird was not surprised by these comparisons. He said superheroes are a common topic. He had not been inspired by any specific comic books. But he was happy to be compared to good ones like Watchmen.
Deeper Meanings
Some people thought the film had deeper messages. They linked Bob's dislike of "everyone being super" to ideas from philosophers. Bird thought this was "ridiculous." He said most people understood his message. He wanted the film to make people think. He was happy that it was discussed in newspapers.
The film also showed Bird's dislike for unrealistic villains in old cartoons. In The Incredibles, Dash and Violet face villains who are truly dangerous. The kids don't show regret when their enemies are defeated.
Releasing The Incredibles
How the Movie Was Promoted
A short preview of The Incredibles was shown on May 30, 2003. It played before screenings of Finding Nemo. Many companies created products to promote the film. These included SBC Communications, Tide, and McDonald's.
Dark Horse Comics released comic books based on the movie. Toy maker Hasbro made action figures. Kellogg's released an Incredibles-themed cereal and snacks. Pringles also had chips with the superheroes on them. In 2008, BOOM! Studios started publishing new comic books based on the film.
Theatrical Release
The Incredibles opened in US theaters on November 5, 2004. It was shown with a short film called Boundin'. The movie also included a sneak peek for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
In March 2014, Disney announced the film would be released again in 3D. The Incredibles was also shown in IMAX theaters with its sequel, Incredibles 2, on June 14, 2018.
Watching at Home
The film first came out on VHS and a two-disc collector's edition DVD on March 15, 2005. The DVD included two new Pixar short films: Jack-Jack Attack and Mr. Incredible and Pals. It also had Boundin. The VHS only had Boundin.
It was the best-selling DVD of 2005, with over 17 million copies sold. The film was later released on Blu-ray in 2011 and 4K UHD Blu-ray in 2018.
Video Games
The Incredibles has inspired several video games:
- The Incredibles (2004)
- The Incredibles: When Danger Calls (2004)
- The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer (2005)
- Kinect Rush: A Disney–Pixar Adventure (2012) featured characters from the film.
- Disney Infinity (2013) included an Incredibles playset.
- Lego The Incredibles was released in June 2018.
Sequel
A follow-up movie, Incredibles 2, was released on June 15, 2018. It was also very popular and successful.
See also
In Spanish: Los Increíbles para niños
