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"No gut, no glory." That's what the billboards advertising Pixar's The Incredibles say, and the picture of Mr. Incredible, with his super-sized mid-section, underlines the point. Yet, while the film is about a middle-aged superhero who is full of nostalgia for the "glory days," Pixar Animation Studios is demonstrating that they are as fit and as formidable as they've ever been. Mr. Incredible and his family—Elastigirl, Violet, and Dash—are sure to become favorite big screen heroes for moviegoers of all ages, and The Incredibles is destined to become one of those DVDs that never strays far from the player. If there is such a thing as an "instant classic," The Incredibles is it.

Moviegoers can thank storyteller and director Brad Bird, who joins forces with John Lasseter (Toy Story) and the Pixar team to unleash his enormous imagination on a scale that makes his previous film The Iron Giant look more like The Iron Dwarf. Packaging The Incredibles as family fun, Bird baits grownups into the cinema for a big fat serving of family therapy. He packs in observations about identity, family dynamics, the dangers of praising mediocrity, and the consequences of cultivating a lawsuit-happy culture (where heroes like doctors and teachers live in fear of offending trigger-happy patients and parents). Bob, Helen, Violet, and Dash learn to stretch their faith in each other, growing from a sullen, spat-prone clan into a rejuvenated and—if you will—purpose-driven family.

Religious press critics are joining mainstream critics in calling it one of the year's best films, and several say this is the peak of Pixar's run of near-perfect family films. I personally prefer Finding Nemo, but I'm giving The Incredibles four stars in my review at Christianity Today Movies.

"How nice to finally have a film that delivers on its title," says Michael Elliott (Movie Parables). "The Incredibles is simply that—incredible. Combining the crucial superhero elements … with the real life concerns that beset a typical family, Bird has crafted a fantasy adventure film that touches us where we live."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) determines that the film "falls short of its title—but only slightly. Visually, The Incredibles is a hyper-frenetic tour de force, though it doesn't quite match the bar set by Finding Nemo. Storywise, The Incredibles lacks the heart—not to mention the cuddly, easily merchandised finned and fuzzy protagonists—of past Pixar productions. Still, the script, also by Bird, is extremely clever and supplies enough eye candy for the kiddies and multilayered dialogue and sharp wit for grownups along for the ride."

You won't sense any disappointment in Steven D. Greydanus' assessment (Decent Films). He raves, "The Incredibles is exhilarating entertainment with unexpected depths. It's a bold, bright, funny and furious superhero cartoon that dares to take sly jabs at the culture of entitlement, from the shallow doctrine of self-esteem that affirms everybody, encouraging mediocrity and penalizing excellence, to the litigation culture that demands recompense for everyone if anything ever happens, to the detriment of the genuinely needy. It's an ideal collaboration, a perfect storm of heart, wit, energy, and style."

Greydanus's raves continue in another article as he sizes the film up alongside other recent family films and finds the competition lacking. "The Incredibles is terrific—terrific enough that it would be a contender for the year's best family film in nearly any year. Right now, it just about owns the field. Let's face it: So far, it's been a lousy year for family films. Until now, the fine Two Brothers has been just about the only bright spot."

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November (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48