The Incredible Legacy of Pixar

By Todd Robinson

Animation has evolved so much through the years, but the studio that has had the most impact on animation is Pixar. This studio is responsible for making Toy Story, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E and Up. Pixar put out a ton of good movies, but we are going to focus on the masterpiece, The Incredibles.

The Incredibles was something special when it came out. Most comic book fans could see the parallels and similarities to the Fantastic Four, but the film was way more than that. This film has a lot of themes that many people didn’t notice. The most obvious theme is the importance of family.

Throughout the whole film, The Incredibles is constantly arguing and not getting along, which is relatable. Everybody knows what it’s like being a part of a family who gets along one minute, then the next minute turns into a long ridiculous argument about nothing. Eventually though, they start changing their ways, once they have embraced who they are and what they are meant to be.

The second theme, however, isn’t as obvious and that is how society affects your true potential. An article from Long Beach Current, Natalie Salajczyk states, “Brad Bird, director of the film, takes on heady issues such as morality, nostalgia, the unfulfilling suburban lifestyle, government involvement in the lives of citizens and the downfalls of bureaucracy.” These topics are mainly what Bob is going through, which is why he is arguably the most relatable character.

In the beginning of the film, Bob is working for an insurance company. We can tell that he is tired and depressed because of his lack of passion. His true passion however is being a superhero, but the government shut all that down. Now Bob must live his life according to what the government says. Eventually though, Bob realizes that working for this insurance company is ruining his potential, so he finally decides to go against the system. Society and the government can pressure us to be a certain kind of person, but we must remember who we are and what defines us because we are all unique.

What makes Bob a compelling character is that he is a flawed character as well. His wife Helen/Elastigirl, gets frustrated with him because all he talks about is “The Glory Days,” when he was a popular superhero. Helen wants him to be more than just a superhero, she wants him to be a father and a role model for Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack.

This is why Pixar is different compared to other animated studios because they are not afraid to tackle mature themes. Sometimes films in this genre tend to avoid these kinds of themes, which is understandable, however, it is important for animated films to address these topics. Not only kids need these movies, but adults as well. Salajczyk also said “It gives me hope to know that a movie with these kinds of ideals was made by a major Hollywood studio.” This is proof that Hollywood can put out films with deep meaning, even if it is a kid’s movie.