It?s fair to say Pixar is one of the best computer-animation houses around, if not the best, and The Incredibles is the latest film to show why the Midas-like studio has that reputation. From animation and sound to story and character development, The Incredibles definitely deserved the Oscar for Best Animated Feature this year. Some, including director/writer Brad Bird, would argue that the movie should?ve been a contender for overall film of the year, and I wouldn?t disagree. Some will also argue that tomorrow?s DVD release of The Incredibles will be one of the best DVD releases in months, and after walking the two-disk set through its paces, I will once again be at the front of the line to support that argument.
As in most two-disk sets, the first disk in The Incredibles collector?s set includes the feature film and a Director?s commentary track. With a movie this good, this disk alone would warrant the purchase price. Really, the film is that good. The story and characters are fabulous, the animation is (of course) top-notch, and the 5.1 audio brings the whole superhero shtick, complete with soundtrack, together. Disk two, however, is where you?ll really start to feel as though you?re taking advantage of ?a deal you can?t refuse.?
The last time I watched a DVD bonus set this good was Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, and that took three disks to get the job done. Yet on just one disk, The Incredibles manages to pull off the same level of intimacy with the producers and immersion in the production, and it does so with the same comic flair that makes the movie so special.
The first extra, Jack-Jack Attack, is a special four-minute short created specifically for the DVD release, and it fills in the blanks of the babysitter?s experience when the rest of the Incredibles are off saving the world. Where many animated-feature bonuses are simple storyboarded pieces, Jack-Jack Attack is a fully animated, fully scored and fully voiced-over segment. Although the film itself is better for having not included this segment, the short provides some great laughs and is a solid complement to an already-strong film.
The next bonus feature, Behind the Scenes, actually encompasses several segments, and it?s where the meat of the bonus features lie. The first option is the requisite Deleted Scenes, a series of sketched-out sequences pulled from the storyboard before they were animated. Where other DVD releases often treat these as simple ?add-ons,? The Incredibles? DVD release goes the extra step in providing full sit-down interviews with Brad Bird in which he discusses why each and every scene in this segment was cut.
The Making-Of featurette, another requisite for DVD releases, is actually divided into two parts: Making of The Incredibles and, creatively enough, More Making of The Incredibles. The first segment provides a 27-minute overview of the movie?s production, delving not into specifics but into more big-picture ?how?d they get this done?? presentation. The next segment, meanwhile, goes into a 40-minute in-depth description of specific aspects of the production, including sound, character design, set design, animation and lighting. This is followed up with a brief blooper reel, but it?s comprised of animation/technical snafus (similar to the Shrek DVD releases), so it?ll probably be more interesting for programmers and kids than it will for the average viewer.
Following the Making Of segments is Boundin?, the original short that appeared before the movie in the theater. Including this on the DVD is a great move, because waiting in line for a Pixar film is as much a lesson in eavesdropping about plot points as it is an exercise in guessing the nature of the short that appears before each Pixar film.
The final feature is called Top Secret, and while kids might appreciate the NSA Files (bios for each of the superheroes mentioned in the film), adults will find much more humor in this section?s other two components: Mr. Incredible & Friends and Mr. Incredible & Friends With Commentary. These segments revolve around a ridiculously low-budget, pseudo-archival film about Mr. Incredible and his sidekicks. For the first minute or so it?s tempting to turn the segment off, because its intentionally poor production value differs so remarkably from the main film on disk one. Acclimating to the humor is essential, though, because only once you?ve watched the ?historical? short in its entirety can you appreciate the commentary from Mr. Incredible and Frozone, the latter of which is voiced by Samuel L. Jackson. Suffice it to say, Mr. Jackson isn?t exactly taken with being portrayed as a white man in the mockumentary, and Mr. Incredible?s attempts to quell Frozone?s concerns are hilarious.
There?s little praise I can heap onto The Incredibles that hasn?t already been heaped, but I can say this: the DVD release of The Incredibles is just as incredible as the film itself. If you?re a fan of Brad Bird, of Pixar, of animation or even just good clean humor, picking up The Incredibles DVD is one of the best decisions you can make. Clear room on your entertainment center, because The Incredibles are about to rescue your living room from the evil clutches of mundane entertainment.
— Jonas Allen
