IN DEFENSE OF THE INCREDIBLES (The Gold Trumpet)

Started by Jeremy Blackman, April 29, 2005, 01:57:09 AM

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life_boy

Finally!  I've been waiting for this essay since the "In Defense of..." idea was announced.  Good show, GT.

Quote from: The Golden TrumpetIt is this feeling of the action scenes carrying the family dilemmas with them as the story goes on that makes it more than just an entertaining action film. One can identify enough with the characters to invest in them emotionally.

You're right, there is an incredible sense of the characters in this movie.  And it's not like it goes to great lengths to explicitly "develop character," it uses the subtle moments, the quiet moments, and the voices of the actors to really flesh them out and then holds that tension through the action scenes.  For a genre medium, such as animation, that is quick to use stereotypes and flat characters as a kind of storytelling shorthand, here is an animated film that isn't afraid to spend time with the characters and really delve into their world on a level that is more than superficial animation.  Pixar has always been detailed in their approach to animation, but in this film they have come to the point where the details are not just in the lighting of a cityscape or on the scuffs of a doorframe, but in the strengths, weaknesses, insecurities and dilemmas of their characters and how they deal with them.  

I would probably put this one at the top of my list, as well.  Of all the films I've seen from 2004 (so far), this is the one that seems to hold up best and still be just as enjoyable as the first viewing.  This really is a great film.  Nice job.



* Edited to correct the incorrect usage of a word.

modage

Quote from: life_boyFor a genre, such as animation.
ANIMATION IS NOT A GENRE!  its a medium.  animation can be used to do any genre!

Quote from: Brad BirdI have people asking me what it's like to be working in the animation "genre". It's not a genre. It's an art form that can do any genre, and it's been limited by people's perceptions, but I think it can tell any story there is.

Quote from: Gold TrumpetAfter revolutionizing digital animation to acceptable quality with Toy Story
i think the quality was a little more than "acceptable".  it was pretty great.  plus digital animation had been pretty acceptable for a while (like in Jurassic Park), but Pixar were responsible for making the first fully computer animated feature film.

Quote from: Gold TrumpetThe characters look simple, but there's an intense focus on the nuances of their realistic expressions.
yes its pretty great.  on the extras (though you probably know by now) Bird talks about how he wanted to make sure they didnt look too realistic though because he still wanted it to be exaggerated because thats what makes animation unique/fun.  whats the point of just replicating reality?

Quote from: Gold TrumpetThis film is as entertaining as it is poignant. Watching the film in theaters, I was moved to tears by once scene. Helen is flying the plane to the island and the two kids, Dash and Violet, secretly stow away. Though she normally forces her kids to not use their powers, Helen asks Violet to make a force field around the airplane as a missile is heading toward it. The interaction between both characters as time runs out reveals Violet's heartbreaking lack of confidence.
yeah i cried at that moment too.

good article.  i wonder if anyone is convinced its better than they thought it was?  i doubt it, because like you mentioned, although most people love the film they dont pay it the respect of placing it at the top of their lists because of the bias against 'these types' of movies.  oh well, their loss.

:yabbse-thumbup:
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

SHAFTR

Perhaps the "bias" of animation isn't intentional.  It could just be an inherent quality of animation.  People enjoy reality, there is a reason that films with a cinema verte feel tend to be more powerful.  A documentary style lends itself to a personal cinema.  Perhaps, with animation...this intimacy between the viewer and the screen is lost.

I don't know if this makes sense.  I'm not even sure if I believe it.  It is just a theory.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

life_boy

Quote from: themodernage02
Quote from: life_boyFor a genre, such as animation.
ANIMATION IS NOT A GENRE!  its a medium.  animation can be used to do any genre!

Geez, sorry.  Is the genre "family?"  That's where you find it at Blockbuster.

...or maybe the genre's "New Release."