The Incredibles (2004)

The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the sixth film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The film's title is the name of a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers and live a quiet suburban life. Mr. Incredible's desire to help people draws the entire family into a battle with an evil villain and his killer robot.

Bird, who was Pixar's first outside director, developed the film as an extension of 1960s comic books and spy films from his boyhood and personal family life. He pitched the film to Pixar after the box office disappointment of his first feature, The Iron Giant (1999), and carried over much of its staff to develop The Incredibles. The animation team was tasked with animating an all-human cast, which required creating new technology to animate detailed human anatomy, clothing and realistic skin and hair. Michael Giacchino composed the film's orchestral score.

The film premiered on October 27, 2004 at the BFI London Film Festival and had its general release in the United States on November 5, 2004. The film performed well at the box office, grossing $631 million worldwide during its original theatrical run. The Incredibles was met with high critical acclaim, garnering high marks from professional critics, and provoking commentary on its themes. Many critics consider it one of the best films of 2004, receiving the 2004 Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, along with two Academy Awards. It became the first entirely animated film to win the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. As of March 2014, a sequel is officially in development.

Plot
"Supers"—humans with superpowers—are forced into civilian relocation programs after facing several lawsuits from peripheral damage caused by their crime fighting activities. Fifteen years after relocation, Bob and Helen Parr, formerly Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, and their children Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack live as a suburban family. Bob is unsatisfied with suburban life and his white-collar job and longs for the glory days. On some nights, Bob and his old friend Lucius Best, formerly Frozone, perform vigilante work, unbeknownst to Helen. One day, Bob loses his temper at his supervisor, who refuses to let him stop a mugging, resulting in him losing his job. Returning home, Bob finds a message from a woman named Mirage, who convinces him to become Mr. Incredible again and gives him a mission to destroy a malfunctioning robot called the Omnidroid, promising a substantial reward. Arriving on Nomanisan Island, Bob is able to defeat the robot by tricking it into ripping out its own power source.

Bob is rejuvenated by being able to use his powers freely, improving his attitude and relationship with his family, and he begins rigorous training while waiting for more work from Mirage. Discovering a fresh tear in his suit, Bob visits superhero costume designer Edna Mode who decides to make him and his whole family suits, unbeknownst to Helen and the children. Leaving for Nomanisan once again, Bob discovers that Mirage is working for Buddy Pine, a former fan shunned by Mr. Incredible and now identifying as the super-villain Syndrome. Syndrome intends to perfect the Omnidroid and defeat it in public in Metroville while manipulating its controls to become a hero himself, and then sell his inventions so everyone will become equally "super", making the term meaningless. Bob sneaks into Syndrome's base and finds Syndrome's computer. From it, Bob discovers Syndrome murdered countless retired superheroes with previous Omnidroid prototypes to improve its design. Meanwhile, Helen visits Edna, finds out what Bob has been up to, and activates a homing beacon to find him, inadvertently causing Bob to be discovered and captured.

Helen borrows a jet to head for Nomanisan, but finds Violet and Dash have stowed away wearing their own costumes, leaving Jack-Jack in the care of a teenage babysitter. Syndrome picks up Helen’s radio transmissions and destroys the jet, but Helen along with the children survive and make it to the island, though Bob thinks they are dead. Helen proceeds to the base to find Bob, discovering Syndrome's intentions to send the Omnidroid to Metroville in a rocket. Later, Mirage, distraught by Syndrome's true plans, releases Bob and informs him that his family is alive. Helen appears and races off with Bob to find the children when they are spotted by security. Dash and Violet use their powers to escape their captors and are joined by their parents, only to be captured by Syndrome, who then heads off to initiate his plan.

With Mirage's help, the Parrs escape, and use a security van and a rocket booster to pursue Syndrome. In Metroville, the Omnidroid proves to be too intelligent, and knocks the remote that controls it out of Syndrome's grasp, knocking him unconscious and rampaging through the city. The Parrs and Lucius team up to fight the robot, until Bob uses Syndrome's remote control and one of the Omnidroid’s detached pincers to make it tear its power source out, destroying it. Returning home, the Parrs find Syndrome has Jack-Jack and intends on raising him as his own sidekick to seek revenge on the family. As Syndrome tries to escape to his jet, Jack-Jack's own morphing superpowers start to manifest and distract Syndrome. Helen rescues Jack-Jack, and Bob kills Syndrome by throwing his own car at the jet, causing Syndrome's cape to get caught in its engine, which sucks him in. The jet explodes and destroys the Parr's house, but Violet's shield ability protects the family.

Three months later, the Parrs have readjusted to normal life, but the city is attacked by a villain called the Underminer. The family dons their superhero outfits, preparing to face the new threat.

Cast

 * Craig T. Nelson as Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible, the patriarch of the Parr family, possessing super-strength and limited invulnerability


 * Holly Hunter as Helen Parr / Elastigirl, Bob's wife, who possesses the ability to stretch her body like rubber


 * Spencer Fox as Dashiell Robert "Dash" Parr / The Dash, the Parrs' fourth-grader second child, possessing super-speed


 * Sarah Vowell as Violet Parr, the Parrs' junior-high-aged first child, who possesses the ability to become invisible and generate an impact-resistant force shield


 * Jason Lee as Buddy Pine / Syndrome, who has no super powers of his own but uses advanced technology to give himself equivalent abilities


 * Eli Fucile and Maeve Andrews as Jack-Jack Parr, The Parrs' infant third child, who initially shows no powers but eventually reveals himself to have a wide range of abilities


 * Samuel L. Jackson as Lucius Best / Frozone, Bob's best friend, who has the ability to form ice from the humidity in the air


 * Elizabeth Peña as Mirage, Syndrome's agent who lures Supers to Nomanisan Island


 * Brad Bird as Edna Mode, the fashion designer for the Supers


 * Bud Luckey as Rick Dicker, the government agent overseeing the relocation program


 * Wallace Shawn as Gilbert Huph, Bob's supervisor at his white-collar insurance job


 * John Ratzenberger as The Underminer, a new villain who appears at the end of the film


 * Dominique Louis as Bomb Voyage, a villain from the past who uses Buddy's interference in Mr. Incredible's heroism to escape


 * Michael Bird as Tony Rydinger, a popular boy at Violet's school who develops a crush on Violet


 * Jean Sincere as Mrs. Hogenson, an elderly woman who seeks help from Mr. Incredible for an insurance claim


 * Kimberly Adair Clark as Honey, Frozone's wife


 * Bret Parker as Kari McKeen, Jack-Jack's babysitter


 * Lou Romano as Bernie Kropp, Dash's teacher


 * Wayne Canney as the principal of Dash's school