‘THERE'S NO MORE TRAUMATIC MOVIE THAN BAMBI BECAUSE THE MOM DIES. BUT I WOULDN'T CHANGE A FRAME'
Bttrton. By WSZ Bird was directing the memorable l-‘umi/y Dug segment of Steyen Spielberg‘s .timurinu Stories and then it was (ill to work on The Slut/twin l'or nigh on a decade. It was here that Bird and creator Matt (iroening dill‘used their darkly comic ()regon humour through the modern American dyslunctional lamily. Their idea of making the eyeryday heroic is a key lieatttre to all Bird's work.
Somewhere along the line. however. Bird mucked up and tnade The [run (Hunt. a brilliant but deeply unlashionable Zl) animation take on Ted Hughes anti—war noyella The Iron Man. The film stil‘l‘ed. ‘lt played well to the “men who cry" audience and we all know how big a demographic that is.’ Bird laughs.
'l‘hen Bird threw down a gauntlet to l’ixar. ‘l was hanging around l’ixar and John (Lasseter) was mixing 'Iiiy Story 3. I asked it. they would contemplate making a tnore adult lilm that could still be seen by kids.‘ l.asseter knew it was a lair question. il‘ a hard sell to the moneymen. and one that would liaye to be addressed it the company was to mold tailing into the complacent. simplistic or lormulaic traps that had plagued just about every other animation factory in history.
And so l’isar opened their doors to Bird. and thank the Lord. because The liiet'erlihles is a reyelation. As well as looking great. the lilm is clever. l'unny. thrilling. and yet genuinely moying without being moralistic. In short. it is the moin for people who don‘t like Pisar movies. With its nods to Hitchcock. HG Wells. The Pink Panther. .l/Ii's's‘ion [Hi/mssi/rle. 771R .S'eeret Agent. The Mun l't‘nm ('.\'('l.l~.‘. this is something very special. ln under two hours Bird manages to say tnore about the ordinary. the jealous. the diseased and the lonely than Mike Leigh or Ken l.oach have been able to squee/e out ot’ a feature in a decade. but Bird still pretends to know his place.
"l‘he world may not \‘lL‘W me as a filmmaker yet. but as some sub-species of animation. but I refuse to stay there. I plan to do a lot of different things. There are different styles ol‘ animation. I hope to do live action. I hope to do blends ot‘ the two. I have some small ideas and l have hugely ambitious. crazy ideas. l'nt‘ortunately those always tend to influence me more. at least at this stage in my life. .-\ll of the era/y. impossible ones attract me and it's the bane ol~ my existence.‘ Shine on. you crazy diamond.
The Incredibles is on general release from Fri 26 Nov.
16 THE LIST ‘28 Non—Q Sec 300.1
MEET A snapshot of the main characters
v Mr Incredible 3“
Height v
Weight . ’
Special Power :4 .: Backgroun .' -r :: : _. 1' x .: .
Mrs Incredible AKA t .
AKA l’ltrllfl‘ pill!
Height:
Weight: .‘i Hint“,- :‘llx.
Special power: t lt:Xllllll’.. Background: int: .'.llt: wt Mv ln<;rtz<lihlt2. Helen If; happ. to accept llltrl' fitllttlllliil‘l llll?f3l,lt7 tltlt
she's i(}(}lllll_.} tht; naught ot lltfl husband's unhappiness at not 4 l)(?|llt] £1l)l<: to tlfit? lllfS
Til ll )0“ )( )‘.‘./( :l T 5.
Dash AKA lJtlfillltrl Pan A Height: 3.1:)"
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Special power. Hullntntl we, last
Background: lull ,tai old Dash if; a ll,l)‘:lillii|‘.“ it'll? and so
ll‘1Tlll’)lll{ll/f: fasth-r than just about anmnt: talst: Il‘. tht: .VUll’l. lint :nuttmzl oi
humanntlnnt
rtinnlnt; aux/a. til it. In nil)l‘.‘_ ht: Hill‘s into ll.
4 Violet AKA Violet l’arr Height: ll" Weight: '0 stunt,- ‘lllfi. Special power: lll.’l‘,|l)llll‘/' antl i“)l(,‘: i!(:l’l Background: Daughter of Bot) and Helen, Violet 1', lll’t’: an. other adolescent <;:rl: uh; and hateful of net littlt: brother Slit: nan alum lltt'll“: l':‘:t li‘n’t’l ’li‘létldt‘n’tl lti .‘tth which r. ti'iltt: helpful a‘, she hears a remeliltllanut; to that
near“, .'.”)lll{t'lIlllll‘1/{l'li/I'llllll'i.
E AKA Edna Made 5 Height Weight: Not/oft, knows Super power: Super fashiQn (lesagtier Background: !t is i'l‘: eternal question: she designs the Superheroes ccsturiieg? wm, its; Ar‘ ta l.‘.’:ntzur lookalike Edna Made of course. a halt German. halt Japanese shrew Of a .‘JQn‘lan .vno {guts the giarr:
back into the heroes.
Syndrome A 1
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 1 1 stone les
Special powers: Being bat: and playing With weapons Background: The ultimate Jealous bad guy. Syndrome hates Mr Incredible and his mole iali‘lll‘, and has made at his life's 'Y‘llSSlO" to kzll all Superheroes.