The Incredibles

The Incredibles is Pixar Animation Studios' sixth animated feature film, released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution in the United States on November 5, 2004 and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on November 26, 2004. It was released in a two-disc DVD (in both widescreen and full frame versions) in the U.S. on March 15, 2005.

Tributes and references to various comic books, television series, and movies

The world of The Incredibles has several similarities to constructs from other comic book, film, and television universes.

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• Watchmen: The basic theme and plot structure of the Incredibles is quite similar to that of Watchmen, although their ultimate philosophical outlooks appear to be nearly exact opposites (with The Incredibles apparently being a celebration of superheroes for their exceptionalness, while Watchmen has been interpreted as a warning about the consequences for ordinary people that arise from the actions of powerful and extraordinary individuals). The theme of superheroes being resented by ordinary people is also shared with Watchmen, although most of the "superheroes" in Watchmen do not have any extra-normal powers beyond superior skill, technology or intellect. The heroes in Watchmen are also forced into retirement for similar reasons - lawsuits and public backlash. More obvious and direct tributes to Watchmen include: Mr. Incredible discovers that Syndrome is responsible for systematically attacking and murdering superheroes one by one, a conspiracy that Rorschach suspected in Watchmen. In addition, in an attempt to set him up as a superhero, Syndrome sends a robot through space to destroy a city and make it appear like an alien attack. This is a key element of the climax of the Watchmen story. A less direct reference is Edna's rant against superhero capes echoes a minor background detail, in which a 1940s hero named Dollar Bill was killed because his cape was caught in a door and he was shot to death by a bank robber.http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptionscomic/watchmen/dollarbill.html
• The Simpsons: Brad Bird's experience working on The Simpsons seems to have had a strong influence in creating the Parr family. The framework for the Parr family structure has many similarites to the Simpson's family: the father stuck in a dead-end job with a tyrannical boss; the wife who has to deal with the problems of her two older children, and deal with the consequences of her husband's mistakes all while repressing her inner wants and needs; and finally, the three children: the girl a social outcast; the boy, a troublemaker at school; and the baby, who never speaks a word, but at times evidences amazing abilites.
• The Fantastic Four: There are several similarities to the world of Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four, another family-unit that fights evil in matching specialized costumes. The moniker "Mr. Incredible" is similar to that of the Fantastic Four's leader, Mr. Fantastic. Elastigirl and Violet's powers are the same as Mr. Fantastic's and Invisible Woman's, while Jack-Jack briefly displays powers similar to that of the Human Torch. Mr. Incredible's super-strength and easy-to-lose temper reflect the powers and personality of The Thing. Jack-Jack could also represent Franklin Richards (see Marvel Comics paragraph). In the end of the movie, a villain called the Underminer appears which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Fantastic Four's villain, the Mole Man. Syndrome's army of henchmen, near unlimited resources, and high-technology all echo the Fantastic Four's greatest villain, Doctor Doom. In the Fantastic Four comics, Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman carry on a romantic relationship before eventually marrying; this is mirrored by the courtship and marriage of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl. Ironically, the ending of the 2005 Fantastic Four movie was rewritten because it was deemed too similiar to the ending of The Incredibles.
• Superman: The city where all of the superheroes live after the batch of lawsuits is called "Metroville", possibly as a tribute to Superman's Metropolis combined with "Smallville". Also, a telephone booth appears in the background of one scene, and in another scene, Mr. Incredible opens his shirt to reveal his costume underneath.
• Marvel Comics: Frozone's power is the same as Iceman's. Dash Parr's powers appear to be quite similar to Quicksilver's, as well as arguably parts of his personality. Jack-Jack's (the baby's) powers are quite similar to those of Vision of Marvel's Avengers, while some fans suggest Jack-Jack might actually be a reference to Franklin Richards, son of Reed and Susan Richards from the FF, who with his reality-altering powers could be the most powerful being in the Marvel universe. Jack-Jack's ability to set himself on fire is similar to the Human Torch, and the ability to turn himself into iron closely resembles the powers of Absorbing Man, who can absorb the properties of anything he makes physical contact with. This metal-changing ability could also be a nod to Colossus of X-Men fame.
• Hulk: There are some similarities to the film Hulk, such as the pitiful attempts to destroy the monster by shooting at it with a machine gun or armored tank.
• DC Comics: Mr. Incredible's rocket-propelled car has a direct likeness to the Batmobile. Dash's power could also be a reference to The Flash. The movie's disparaging treatment of child sidekicks ("Incrediboy") is a response to the number of pre-teen wards like Robin that accompanied Batman, Green Arrow, and other crime fighters from the 1940s onward. The movie also deals with the government's edict that causes the supers to retire, a plotline reminiscent of the explanation of the Justice Society of America's pseudo-retirement in the McCarthy era. Mr. Incredible's nemesis Bomb Voyage bears a close physical resemblance to The Batman's nemesis The Joker. Elastigirl's stretching powers also reference the DC hero Elongated Man, particularly her tendency to stretch her neck, which is a trademark of the DC character more so than Mr. Fantastic. Jack-Jack's transformation into a monster could be a reference to Beast Boy, who only turns into animals, or the Demon; his ability to turn into fire and metal could be a reference to Metamorpho, a superhero that could change his body's chemical structure. This change could just be benign or else is a reference to the previous Pixar film Monsters, Inc.
• Powers: Certain people are born with superpowers, without an explanation (such as mutation). After a public-relations fiasco, superheroes are forced by the government to live in seclusion without the use of their powers. This reflects the anti-mutant sentiment exhibited in the Marvel Comics universe (particularly in The X-Men) and in a more limited fashion in the DC Comics universe.
• Astro City: The plot of the storyline "The Tarnished Angel" concerns a hero who wants to improve his reputation among the citizenry. He commissions a giant robot from a super villain that he will defeat in combat using a special remote control. Unfortunately for him, the villain double-crosses him and causes the robot to rampage out of control until another superhero teams intervenes to stop it. The hero's sidekick, realizing what his mentor has done endangering innocents for a mere publicity stunt, leaves him in disgust.
• Kronos: The Omnidroid's appearance is likely inspired by the massive giant robot "Kronos" from the 1957 film of the same name. Syndrome's password is an obvious nod.
• Doom Patrol: Elastigirl's name was presumably inspired by Elasti-Girl, a founding member of the DC Comics superhero team The Doom Patrol who had the power to alter her size. The name Elastigirl, in fact, had to be licensed from DC Comics. Another Doom Patrol reference appears when Mr. Incredible refers to his family as "my greatest adventure". The Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80, June 1963.
• X-Men: Syndrome's main computer bears a striking resemblance to Professor X's Cerebro chamber as presented in the X-Men movies. Also, several of the superheroes, including Frozone, have goggles similar to Cyclops'. One of them, Gazerbeam, is seen to have incised letters into a cave wall while his body was pinned in place. In addition, in a attempt to stop Syndrome from carrying off Jack-Jack, Elastigirl tells her husband to throw her upwards toward the villain. That move is called "The Fastball Special" where a strong superhero throws a willing partner toward an opponent to attack, a favorite move of Colossus and Wolverine. The "missile lock" sequence on the plane also bears strong similarities to the Blackbird jet sequence in X2.
• The Spirit: In one scene, Mr. Incredible wears a blue suit with a red tie and a black domino mask. This is similar to the costume worn by The Spirit, a superhero whose adventures were published from 1940 to 1952. There are two differences: The Spirit's mask is blue and he always wears a blue fedora.
• The Black Hole: Some may not recall Disney's modestly successful 1979 theatrical release, but Brad Bird obviously did: his final Omnidroid version has some striking similarities to Maximilian, the evil servant of the mad-man scientist Dr. Reinhardt. If inverted, the head of Omnidroid has the same configuration and red glowing eye of Maximilian's head. The spinning blade arms are strikingly similar. The "sound" of the Omnidroid's laser cannon is virtually identical to Maximilian's similar weaponry.
• The War of the Worlds: Another possibility for the inspiration of the final Omnidroid may come from H.G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds. Mostly visible in the scene directly prior to it emerges from its giant spherical container. Also, basic design for the Omnidroid has some similarities to the Martian war machines in the War of the Worlds.
• James Bond: There are numerous Bond tributes, including many musical cues in the soundtrack. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond had a Lotus Esprit which became a submarine, bearing more than a passing resemblance to the aircraft which becomes a submarine to carry Mr. Incredible to Nomanisan Island; in fact, most of the appearance of Syndrome's "lair" bear a huge debt to many of the headquarters of Bond's villains, from the modest Dr. No underwater base to the sophisticated sets from Tomorrow Never Dies. In particular, the use of a volcanic crater as a villain's rocket launch site is quite similar to You Only Live Twice. The use of Mirage as the beautiful but evil character who turns to the side of good is a common Bond characteristic. Mr. Incredible's car, the Incredibile, has a passenger-side ejection system similar to the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger. Finally, Edna Mode has been equated to Q in her role as provider to the heroes, as sarcastic commentator of the heroes' actions, and for her single-letter nickname "E". The soundtrack used for one of the trailers was The Propellerheads' track On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which shares its title with the Bond film and borrows heavily from many Bond themes.
• ': Elastigirl's methods of stealth and espionage are reminiscent of the television show, as is the classic 5/4 time signature in the main musical theme. Also, the self-destructive device through which Mirage contacts Mr. Incredible is akin to those used in Mission: Impossible to assign missions.
• Star Wars: Dash's chase sequence with Syndrome's hover-saucer squads echoes, both in sound and visuals, the Endor Forest chase sequence between Luke, Leia and Stormtroopers on hoverbikes from Return of the Jedi, as well as the Podrace scene from The Phantom Menace. On the second disc of the DVD, there is shown a video clip of the "100 Mile Dash" scene in an early rendering stage. In the background is played the actual soundtrack from the speederbike scene from Return of the Jedi.
• Dragon Ball Z: Syndrome's appearance and costume is reminiscent of the diminutive Saiyan Vegeta from the manga and anime series.
• Freakazoid: In the deleted scenes part of the DVD, an early version of Syndrome is shown that makes him look like an evil version of Freakazoid.
• Mallrats: At one point, Mr. Incredible mistakenly refers to Buddy (the boy who would later become Syndrome) as "Brodie".
• The Avengers: The plot of deliberately creating a destructive crisis so he could look the hero when he stops it was used by Avenger Henry Pym (Ant-Man, Giant Man, Goliath, and Yellowjacket at various times) who felt underappreciated as a superhero. The Avengers found out the truth and expelled him. Like the Fantastic Four, The Avengers team also features its share of married superheroes, such as Ant-Man and Wasp.
• Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston: These highly respected animators, two of Disney's Nine Old Men and authors of The Illusion of Life, make a cameo appearance in the movie at the end, providing their own voices. They had advised Brad Bird during the making of the film. They also had a cameo appearance in The Iron Giant. Unfortunately, Frank Thomas didn't see the finished movie, because he died in September of 2004.
• The Year Without a Santa Claus: This Rankin-Bass stop motion special included the character Heat Miser - Syndrome's hair is clearly modeled on Heat Miser's. In addition, the design of several characters (out-of-proportion heads, facial features) mirror characters in Rankin-Bass productions.
• Jack-Jack Parr was not named for the late pioneering talk show host Jack Parr. The name came from a nickname director Brad Bird and his wife had for one of their sons. Incredibles trivia from imdb.com
• Those Who Walk in Darkness, a novel by the author/director, John Ridley, tells the story of an Los Angeles cop (Soledad O'Rourke) who was part of a special squad called M-Tac which hunts superhumans, former superheroes, and villains called 'metanormals' who had been outlawed in U.S.
• Die Hard 3 When Frozone and Mr. Incredible are in the jewelry store, Samuel L. Jackson's character asks to take a drink from a water cooler while at gunpoint. This scene is modeled after the scene in Die Hard 3 where Jackson's character is making a call at a phone booth while being held at gunpoint.