Disney's " The Incredibles " Disney (2-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 2

(aka "Die Unglaublichen" or "De Utrolige" or "Hum Hai Laajawab")

directed by Brad Bird
USA 2004

“Do it... Do it, man... because this is gonna be so awesome if we get it right.” (Brad Bird)

Trained Disney animator, Bird made a name for himself as the creative consultant on first ”The Simpsons”, then later on ”The Critic” and ”King of the Hill”. What Bird added to “The Simpsons” was not only a distinct style and wit, but references to just about anything. An example: The entire “Shining” episode was composed in symmetric wide-angle shots, because that was what Kubrick did. As “The Simpsons” during Bird became the most seen animated show ever and was hailed as our generations “The Flintstones”, Bird took the consequence and opened the “Springfield Monorail” episode with Homer imitating Fred and singing his version of the Flintstones theme.

Lasseter and Bird originally met during the first CAL-Tech animation class, but then went each to their own. They later met each other back in 1995, where Lasseter tried to get Bird onboard of “A Bugs Life”, but Bird declined. When he later left Fox, Lasseter asked again, but once again Bird declined. He had a contract with Warner to make “The Iron Giant”. But when Warner showed little enthusiasm for Bird, Lasseter once again asked Bird to come onboard Pixar, and this time Bird accepted. Lasseter had only one request for Bird: Make the film you've been dying to make.

For Lasseter this was a dream come true. Not only had he build the todays greatest animation studio, now he also had the most original genius within animationfilm. As such, the arrival of Bird at Pixar and "The Incredibles" mark the beginning of a new era.

Bird had for a long time had the idea of making an animated superhero film. In fact, the very first drawings for Mr. Incredible were over ten years old. Drawing heavy inspiration from both Marvel’s “Fantastic Four” and Alan Moore’s “Watchmen”, “The Incredibles” is a blast of a film. It may lack the heart of Woody, the charm of Buzz and the magic of Nemo, but it has so much energy and love, that it not only can match them all, it surpasses them. "The Incredibles" is the best film by Pixar yet.

Bird not only understands what film is and can, but is a warped genius, who will do anything, if it supports the story. As such, "The Incredibles" has a far more complex mise-en-scene and editing structure than any other Pixar film before it. For Bird, it is first of all a film, then an animated film. He constantly pushed animators and creative personal to beyond their believed potential, creating the biggest and most complex Pixar production today. While the film doesn't appear to be as complex in animation as for instance "Finding Nemo", "The Incredibles" has more than nine times the sets and demanded greater attention to details and characters than any previous Pixar production. Bird himself says, that all animation is about is to twist reality into a format, where animation makes scenes, which would look silly in reality, great.

But more than just streching animationfilm to its very limits and beyond, Bird also encouraged the team to be as creative in any way possible. Thus the film is full of references and in-jokes, the biggest perhaps Bird himself, as the animators drew the villain Syndrome based on Bird. Pixar really used up the entire bisson.

With “The Incredibles”, Pixar once more stretched the limits of what animated film can do. They are in a league of their own. And so is the film itself. Winner of the Academy Award for best animated film, "The Incredibles" is a triumph of imagination and of the greatest living genius within animated film, Brad Bird.

Henrik Sylow

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 27, 2004 (London Film Festival)

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DVD Review: Disney (2-Disc Collector's Edition) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
2-disc Widescreen NTSC version is available HERE
Distribution	Disney Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:50:37 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	2.40:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.94 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	5.1 Dolby Digital English, 5.1 Dolby Digital Danish, Norwegian, Slovenian (dub)
Subtitles	English, Danish, Norwegian, Slovenian, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Disney Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.40:1 Edition Details: • Disc 1: • Audio commentary by Brad Bird and John Walker • Audio commentary by the Animators • Trailer: Cars • ... • Disc 2: • See Comments* DVD Release Date: March 18, 2005 Double Amarey Chapters 33

Comments

This is an 'incredible' DVD edition. Reference and demonstration quality. The image is completely flawless. A perfect direct-digital transfer. One of the best DVDs of the year.

The English sound is a 5.1 EX Dolby Digital mix and is 'incredible' dynamic. Subwhooer is levitating and rears are stretched to the max. Dialogue is clear at all times. The dubs are however reduced to 384 Kbit/s 5.1 Dolby Digital.

Additional material is to die for. Brad Bird introduces both film and extras, and here he tells us, that what he loves most about DVDs is the extras. And that is visible.

Disc 1 has two audio commentaries. The first is by director Brad Bird and producer John Walker. Here they discuss the development of the story and the film, how they solved certain problems, how they added this and that. Bird is almost hyperventilating from excitement. Incredible commentary.

The second commentary is by the animators Tony Fucile, Steven Hunter, and Alan Barillaro (The Three Caballeros), and just about anyone else. A very technical commentary, talking alot about how to do what, how to render, how to make the characters come to life and so on.

Disc 2 kicks off with a for this DVD especially made animated short about the adventures of Jack Jack with his babysitter, then continues with perhaps the best behind the scenes documentary yet made, some great deleted scenes and rounds off with a tribute to animator Bud Lucky, who also made the oscar nominated short Boundin'.

An incredible treat is the 60-ish crappy animated "The Adventures of Mr. Incredible", starring Mr. Incredible, a white Frozone and their sidekick Mr. Skipperdoo. As if the short was absurd enough, it also comes with audio commentary by Mr. Incredible (who desperately tries to defend the venture) and Frozone (who gets more and more upset about the animators making him not only white, but adding a beatnik voice).

Disc 2 Details:
Jack Jack Attack (4:33)

Deleted Scenes (introduced by Brad Bird):
Alternative Opening (15:02)
Snug (6:31)
Vipers (4:08)
Bob in traffic (2:19)
Helen confronts Bob (3:10)
Helen's nightmare (1:33)

Behind the scenes:
Making of 'The Incredbiles' (27:24)
More Making of 'The Incredibles' (41:02)
Incredi... blunders (1:45)
Artgallery
Publicity

Top Secret:
Mr. Incredible & Pals (4:02)
Mr. Incredible & Pals with commentary (4:02)
NSA Files (complete data on all superheroes)

Animated short Boundin' with optional commentary (4:29)
Who's Bud Lucky (3:57)

- Henrik Sylow

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