#400: The Incredibles (2004)

Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Spencer Fox, Sarah Vowell & Jason Lee



After a string of lawsuits against the superheroes of the world, they’ve been forced to remain in their secret identities. Among them, the former Mr. Incredible works in an insurance agency to support his wife (the former Elastigirl) and his three kids, two of which have already shown signs of superpowers while the third is still an infant. An unexpected message is found in his home offering him a job in which his powers are required. The chance to perform at his best once again is too tempting, but he soon discovers that he is in fact working for who used to be his biggest fan who is now bent on killing all superheroes, especially Mr. Incredible himself.

What makes The Incredibles especially stand out is beyond the exterior of a great action/comedy animation is its use of themes inspired directly from Ayn Rand. The moment this connection is made, the viewer will never quite see the movie the same way again. But first, let me give a brief summary of Ayn Rand.

Rand was a Russian-born American writer and the founder of objectivism. This philosophy puts emphasis on the individual, demanding that one strives to be the best, and talent should always be promoted. She also rejected altruism, believing that it supports those who have no reason to be supported. Spreading her philosophy through her two greatest novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, she became one of the most controversial characters in American literature.

The Incredibles takes all of the greatness from Atlas Shrugged and takes only the good stuff from objectivism. Throughout the film, various characters make the statement that if everyone is special, then nobody is. With superheroes representing talented people, we see that some people are special, and their work should be appreciated, not brought down to mediocrity. However, the film rejects Rand’s disdain for altruism and family ideals (of which there is no sign in the characters of Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead). Family is one of the most important themes in the film, and of course altruism is a must for any good guy in a superhero flick. Also, in true Randian flare, a great visual reference is made when Mr. Incredible is holding up a gigantic spherical robot on his shoulders, paying tribute to the classic image of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders, which was the cover of Atlas Shrugged.

But I simply can’t end with my praise for the Randian themes. The film has got both flesh and blood, so now let’s talk about what we see outwardly. The characters are each so colorful, and the voice acting is second to none. The action is thrilling; nobody will get through this movie without wanting to run as fast as Dash, who finds himself so fast that he can run across water. And the action is enhanced greatly by the jazzy score by Michael Giacchino, whose music references back to the classic James Bond scores. Other references to 60’s action films are made throughout, such as the googie architecture (see the trivia section below), and most especially the montage of interviews with some of the main heroes just before they were forced underground.

This is one of Pixar’s best thanks to its highly original animation style, its energetic soundtrack, and its – ahem – incredible story. The film is undoubtedly the most action-packed of all Pixar films, and it’s a great watch, no matter how many times you watch. I’m hoping this first step into the top 400 is a sign that the horrible choices Empire had made are coming to an end…!

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Syndrome's zero-point energy beam is based on an actual physics concept, the zero-point field, demonstrated in 1948 via the Casimir Effect and essential to Stephen Hawking's theory that black holes eventually evaporate. Harnessing the zero-point field would be quite a feat, as it would yield a truly infinite source of energy.
• The unusual architecture in the film was based on a distinctive style of 1950s space-age futurism known as Googie, most often seen in coffee shops and bowling alleys of the era. Tiki architecture, another 1950s pop style and often considered a form of Googie, is also exemplified in many of the island sets.
• In the whole movie, you can see 35 explosions, 189 buttons being pressed, and approximately 640 gunshots.
• Edna, the costume lady, is based on Edith Head, who worked as a studio costume designer on hundreds of movies over more than fifty years.
• Samuel L. Jackson was cast as the voice of Frozone because Brad Bird wanted the character to have the coolest voice.
• The name of the island that Mr. Incredible is summoned to, Nomanisan Island, is a reference to the well-known book title: "No Man is an Island", written by Thomas Merton, in turn a reference to John Donne's Meditation XVII, 'The Bell': "No man is an island, entire of itself..."

#407: The Jungle Book (1967)

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Cast: Bruce Reitherman, Phil Harris & Sebastian Cabot

Mowgli was a boy brought up by a pack of wolves in the jungles of India, living peacefully among the animals until rumors begin that he is sought to be killed by the tiger Shere Khan. The panther Bagheera attempts to return Mowgli to the human village, but on the way Mowgli befriends the carefree bear, Baloo. Mowgli is determined to continue his life in the jungle, despite his encounters with Kaa, the malicious python, as well as King Louie and the apes who are determined to learn the ways of man from Mowgli.

This film has a huge historical significance. It was the last film produced by Walt Disney himself, and was released after his death. Upon his death, the future of the animation division of Disney Studios was in jeopardy, and only the success of The Jungle Book the animators that they wouldn't be laid off.

Another historically significant bit of information on The Jungle Book is the animation process itself. The process of xerography (basically, Xeroxing images instead of hand-drawing frame by frame) was first used in 101 Dalmatians (1961) out of sheer necessity due to the number of images of dalmatians needed. The process was continued to be used throughout the 60's, which was terrible news for the animation crew at the studio. This film began combining both xerography and traditional animation, bringing back a more classic visual aspect to the film than some other Disney films of the time.

The characters of the film are enormously representative of the lifestyles and viewpoints of the 1960's. There's Bagheera, the straight-laced and fatherly character; Baloo, the beatnik bear who can't live as plainly as Bagheera; there's the vultures, who clearly represent The Beatles (and were originally planned to be voiced by them - see the Trivia section below). And then... there's the apes, a clearly racist entry into the character list, which I'll describe more in a moment.

The soundtrack has some of Disney's best... and some of Disney's worst. The most memorable song of the film is "Bear Necessities", which went on to be nominated for Best Song at the Oscars (but lost out to "Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle). On the other end of the spectrum is Louis Prima's "I Wanna Be Like You". The song is sung by the King of the Apes who hopes to learn how to create fire with the aid of Mowgli. It's a sad thought that Disney was so certain that African-Americans would never be equal to whites that he set it into his final film in song. The song is actually featured on a Cracked.com article titled The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters.

Certainly an interesting film to look back on for the first time since childhood, though not one of Disney's best as far as I'm concerned.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• Her role as Winifred the Elephant (Colonel Hathi's mate) was the last film role for Verna Felton, before her death in December 1966. Her first role in an animated Disney film was also that of an elephant: she was The Elephant Matriarch in Dumbo (1941).
• According to Elsie Kipling Baimbridge, Rudyard Kipling's daughter, "Mowgli" is pronounced "MAU-glee", not "MOH-glee". She reportedly never forgave Walt Disney for the gaffe.
• The xerographic system, which had been used since One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), was further refined to combine both Xeroxed cels with hand inked details. For example, while the basic animation on the village girl at the end of the movie was with Xeroxed cels, her mouth was inked by hand. The backgrounds also moved back towards the more traditional look of earlier films.
• The Vultures were originally going to be voiced by The Beatles. The band's manager, Brian Epstein, approached the Disney studios about having The Beatles appear in the film, and Disney had his animators create the Vultures specifically to be voiced by the band. But when Epstein took the idea to the Beatles, John Lennon vetoed the idea, and told Epstein to tell Disney he should hire Elvis Presley instead. The look of The Vultures, with their mop-top haircuts and Liverpool voices, are a homage to The Beatles.
• Kaa's song "Trust in me" was originally written for Mary Poppins (1964) as "Land of sand" but not used.

#413: Finding Nemo (2003)

Directors: Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich
Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres & Alexander Gould

Marlin is a father who is extremely cautious over the safety of his son, Nemo, after Nemo’s mother was attacked while expecting multiple children. Nemo was the only one to survive the attack. On Nemo’s first day of school, Marlin anxiously watches the class head off on a field trip. After discovering that the class is exploring the dangerous ‘drop-off’, Marlin chases after them, only to witness Nemo get kidnapped. With the aid of Dory, who suffers short-term memory loss, Marlin hunts down the kidnappers and plans to save Nemo before he’s flushed down the toilet.

Oh, did I not mention? Nemo’s a fish.

Needless to say, this film covers some pretty intense material for a kids movie. With Marlin’s back story being given immediately is shocking for adults let alone kids, and the emotional roller coaster he endures is remarkably deep. Not gonna lie, this is the one cartoon that can give me shivers.

The animation for Finding Nemo surpasses all of Pixar’s films to date. That’s right, even WALL-E. There was just so much to work with, from the anatomy of many species of underwater life to the light coming through the water. The opening scenes are absolutely dazzling, and the quality never fails throughout.

The voice acting is also extraordinary. Albert Brooks, though he has admitted that he didn’t enjoy making this film, gives a wonderful tenderness to Marlin. But the star voice actor of the film, no doubt, is Ellen DeGeneres. Dory could have been one of the most irritating characters of all times, but Ellen just made her fun, care-free, and extremely loving.

And the music! Thomas Newman at his best. It’s unfortunate that this Newman has been put to the side for so many years to make room for his cousin Randy, though the tides are turning, with such huge titles under his belt as WALL-E, Revolutionary Road, Jarhead, Cinderella Man and The Good German.

Accessible for adults, kids, and everything in between. Absolutely wonderful.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• The seagulls ("Mine, mine") were modeled after the penguins in the claymation Wallace and Gromit short Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers (1993).
• Afraid that kids would try releasing their pet fish by flushing them down a drain, a company that manufactures equipment used by water filtration and sewage treatment plants released a warning the Thursday after the film came out saying that, even though drains do eventually reach the ocean, before it got there the water would go through equipment which breaks down solids, and went on to say that in real life the movie would more appropriately be called "Grinding Nemo".
• As "research" the key figures of the production crew had to get SCUBA certification and go to the Great Barrier Reef on the insistence of John Lasseter.
• 'Bruce' the great white shark was named after 'Bruce' the animatronic great white that was used in making the movie Jaws (1975).

#436: Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Directors: Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise

Cast: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson & Richard White

Based on the French fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast tells the story of Belle, a girl from a small provincial village, who comes across an enchanted castle. Under a spell, the castle's inhabitants have all been transformed into common household furniture and appliances, except for the Prince, who has become a terrifying beast. The only way to break the spell is for the Beast to fall in love, and to be loved in return. However, the Beast doesn't know how to control himself in front of Belle, who is terrified of him.

The fairy tale La Belle et La Bête was first published in 1740. In this original version, the character of Gaston does not exist. Belle is the youngest of three daughters, whose father, a merchant, goes on a mission to a far away land to discover if there are riches to be found. He asks his daughters if they would like a gift on his return; the older two request jewels, while Belle asks only for a rose, as no grow in their homeland.

On his journey, the father encounters the Beast's castle, though there at first appear to be no inhabitants. He takes food from the already-set table, as well as jewels for his two daughters. Outside, he finds a rose garden. When he plucks the most beautiful rose, the Beast appears and holds him prisoner for taking the most prized possession of the house. As the father tells the Beast of his daughters, the Beast tells him he will be freed as long as Belle comes to live with him.

When Belle arrives at the castle, she is treated royally. Every night, the Beast asks for her hand in marriage, and every night, she refuses. However, in her dreams she encounters a Prince asking her why she will not marry the Beast. She responds that she loves him only as a friend. In the morning, she assumes the Prince is a prisoner in the castle, but never finds him.

Soon, Belle becomes homesick and begs the Beast to return home temporarily. He permits her to leave, on the condition that she returns in one week. She is given a mirror that shows the Beast's location, as well as a ring that brings her back to the castle if it is spun around her finger three times. While home, the sisters grow jealous of Belle's luxurious lifestyle. After hearing of her deadline to return, they decide to persuade Belle to stay just a day longer, hoping the Beast will kill her. Belle agrees, believing the sisters truly wish her to stay. However, the following day, she looks in the mirror to find the Beast lying motionless in the rose garden.

Belle immediately returns to find the Beast is dead. She tells him she loves him, and begins to cry. When her tears hit the Beast's body, he revives and is transformed into the Prince.

Although the Disney film keeps a good deal of the original tale in tact - and in fact enhancing it with a backstory - the French are not too keen on the animated version. The story was famous from the beginning, becoming an opera in 1771. In 1946, Jean Cocteau directed the renowned film version of the story, La Belle et La Bête. This film (which is in fact in the 500 list) is considered a classic of French film, though Disney has stolen its thunder. Today, many French people are concerned that though the cartoon is charming, it is Americanizing French youth.

Aside from the controversy in France, this film is a Disney classic, and for good reason. The music is sensational, winning Oscars for both Best Score and Best Song. The voice acting is excellent on all parts, and the animation... well, the animation.

This film is not only another great Disney film, but it is also in fact a landmark in the history of animation. It is the first animated film to use computer imaging to enhance the visuals. This is predominantly used in the ballroom scene, as well as for the chandelier in "Be Our Guest". The style was an immediate success, though it has led to the downfall of hand-drawn cartoons.

Oh, and just so you know, there was an extra song cut in the original, but added to the 2002 DVD release, titled "Human Again". It completely baffled me watching this on SurftheChannel and not recognizing a scene after seeing it so many times. It's actually quite a good song, with most of it being sung by the wardrobe (wow, that sounds awkward).

I doubt anyone's out there who hasn't seen this already. If there is, you're crazy.

Fun Trivia (Stolen from IMDB):

• "Be Our Guest" was originally animated with Maurice (not Belle) as the guest, but they decided not to waste such a wonderful song on a secondary character.
• Nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, losing to The Silence of the Lambs (1991). It was, however, the first full length animated feature to win the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).
• In the 1930s and again in the 1950s, Walt Disney attempted to adapt Beauty and the Beast (1991) into a feature but could not come up with a suitable treatment, so the project was shelved. It wasn't until The Little Mermaid (1989) became hugely successful that they decided to try it a third time.
• Robby Benson's voice was altered by the growls of real panthers and lions so that it is virtually unrecognizable. This is why near the end when the Beast transforms into the prince his voice changes. His voice is also not changed on the original motion picture soundtrack.
• Rupert Everett auditioned for the role of Gaston, but was told by the directors he didn't sound arrogant enough. He remembered this when he voiced Prince Charming in Shrek 2 (2004).