Surprisingly, Cat and I actually got to go out to a movie this weekend and I spent considerable sacramental capital so as to be able to see the latest Pixar flick, The Incredibles. You’ve seen the buzz: currently sitting at 96% at Rotten Tomatoes, raking in the cash, still selling out theaters. I could be considered, without hyperbole, a Pixar whore. I’ll go out on a limb and say that The Incredibles is the best Pixar movie yet.

Let’s start with the famed Pixar short, Boundin’. Javahead, Cat and I agree when we say that this one fell short of previous classic shorts like For The Birds or Geri’s Game. Each of those contained genuine laugh-out-loud moments and subtle details that were perfect. Boundin’, while cute and technically brilliant, didn’t leave the same feeling of satisfaction at the end. One departure that seemed to detract a bit was the narration. The entire thing is told as a parable by a down-home country narrator whereas previous shorts used music or cartoonish sounds to supplement the visuals. I prefer the latter, personally.

The main event was something else. Once again Pixar manages to mix elements of action, drama, and humor into a cohesive and ultimately satisfying whole. This time around, we get pieces of sibling rivalry, teen angst, marital uncertainties, midlife crises, and the fallacies of hero worship all ground up and squished into a delightful melange.

In a nutshell: Superheros abound until they are sued out of existence by litigation-happy beneficiaries of their kindness. They go into hiding and promise to do no superheroey activities ever again. Flash forward an indeterminate time when some of them pine for the glories of the past and a new enemy comes to light requiring their return.

The characterizations are perfect. Mr. Incredible at his desk as an insurance claim weenie — could it be any more desolate a location? He even has the lone cubicle where over half is taken up by a support column — is priceless and his demeanor and responses so realistically capture his despondence, as is his almost pathetic need to recapture the grandeur of his past life by listening in on police scanners. In fact, the entire family’s various insecurities — his daughter Violet’s prototypical teen angst, his son Dash’s desire to succeed tempered by the edict to not use his inhumanly fast powers, his wife’s own middle-age worries about infidelity or how her butt fits in her superhero outfit — are imminently believable if moderately stereotypical. The eventual villain, Syndrome, is equally exceptional — voiced by a personal favorite, Jason Lee — and, even though he has no superpowers, proves a match for even a family of superheroes with his ingenuity. Well, almost a match, of course.

Pixar once again shows their talent at evoking credible human emotions from their creations. They have the market cornered on expressions, both facial and otherwise. The previously mentioned Mr. Incredible at his desk is a supreme example: the slump of his (enormous) shoulders and the wan, long-suffering look on his face excellently convey his complete lack of enthusiasm. The physical comedy involving him fitting that mighty torso (and matchstick legs) in his compact car is hilarious. They have their comedic timing down perfectly as well, exemplified in a scene shown partially in the trailer where Mr. Incredible tries to take out his frustration on said car and is caught in the act by a youngster on a tricycle. The expression on the boy’s face, the popping bubble, the camera switches and the lengthy open-mouthed stare combine for an absolutely perfect scene, exquisitely timed.

The animation is, as always, top-notch. I don’t know what the focus was this time in terms of technical improvements but I will say that facial features and skin textures were very convincing and the hair was simply awesome. Oh the hair.

The action scenes were thrilling and impressive, every bit the equal of the scenes in a devoted action flick like Spider-Man 2. The battles against the big droids were actually rather reminiscent of the scenes of Spidey against Doc Oc, with tentacles flailing and long drops and smashes. A highlight was the chase scene where Dash has to evade Syndrome’s bladed contraptions, by turns exciting, funny, and charming in addition to simply being technically admirable.

Anyhow, this is a movie that’s worth the hype and will be another Pixar film that becomes an instant part of my DVD collection.

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