# The obligatory "Incredibles" thread! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061 "2004-11-04T22:10:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/121 "2004-11-12T10:36:57Z")
Ok, I decided to post to this thread before reading it, because I didn’t want my ideas influenced by those of others. I’ll go back and read when I post. I’m almost fifty, and my sister and I thought this movie was fantastic! The quality of the animation, the strong plot, the humor, the pathos, they were all great. It was hysterical when “Bob” was hunched into that cube farm. I almost expected his boss to have pointy hair. Was he a cariacature of someone? I thought I should recognize him. And when Elastigirl used her stretching ability in daily household chores I found myself thinking “how would I deal with that” When Bob went to the designer, and we got out first good look at her I about lost it. I leaned over to my sister and whispered “That’s gotta be a parody of Edith Head!” Well, it was, wasn’t it? Sequels don’t usually live up to the original, but I want to see more of this family! One more thing, when Dash and his mom are in the car, coming home from school, Dash had that really cross look on his face. You know what I flashed on? Calvin, and those cranky looks he would get. Wouldn’t this media be perfect for doing Calvin and Hobbes? The morphing from stuffed toy to “real tiger”? The fantasies? Snow goons marching, dinosaurs rampaging? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/122 "2004-11-12T14:27:44Z")
My thoughts: That was “Larry The Cable Guy” doing the Truck’s voice in “Cars”. I loved the singing/dancing sheep. I liked the movie quite a bit. I didn’t think it was as witty as Shrek or even Nemo. It was different though. The humor was more adult and it was as much an action movie as anything. Some great bits though. Very creative uses of the character’s powers. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/123 "2004-11-12T14:34:07Z")
The teacher was pretty short. Yes he was standing while the others were sitting but he was only as tall as the other adults and they were sitting down. Mirage reminded physically of Donnatella Versace. (the SNL version anyway) Of course she was basically Miss Teschmacher but I was expecting her to turn out to be a robot built by Syndrome. And isn’t this film basically SpyKids but with Super Heros? Don’t get me wrong, I still loved it. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/124 "2004-11-12T20:04:05Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > And when Elastigirl used her stretching ability in daily household chores I found myself thinking “how would I deal with that” Never mind the chores, I couldn’t help thinking those must have been the three easiest labor-and-deliveries on record. I know what superpower I want in my next life. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/125 "2004-11-12T20:21:36Z")
Okay, I’ve finally gotten the “kronos” bit figured out. First, the mildly-spoilerish bit: [spoiler]The part I missed when seeing the movie is that the word “kronos” was etched on the cave wall by the dead superhero, Gazerbeam (the skeleton Mr. Incredible hides behind). So somehow Gazerbeam was an earlier visitor to the island, found the “kronos” password, and wrote it down for someone else to use before he expired. _This_ I can accept. [/quote] Second, the in-joke pop-culture reference bit: “Kronos” is a reference to the schlocky sci-fi movie, “Kronos, Ravager of Planets” (link [here](http://www.classicscifi.com/title_detail.jsp?title=Kronos)). In the movie, a giant asteroid crashes onto Earth, then cracks open to reveal a giant robot, which goes on a city-destroying rampage – which mirrors Syndrone’s plot completely… 😃 > [@Baker](#): > > It was hysterical when “Bob” was hunched into that cube farm. I almost expected his boss to have pointy hair. Was he a cariacature of someone? I thought I should recognize him. I hear it’s supposed to be Michael Eisner, but I keep thinking it’s Homer Simpson with a wig. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/126 "2004-11-12T20:25:37Z")
Arrrgh, messed up the tags there… Can a passing mod fix that for me? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/127 "2004-11-13T00:37:59Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > I hear it’s supposed to be Michael Eisner, but I keep thinking it’s Homer Simpson with a wig. ## Looked like Stephen King to me. As I sat through the credits, I noticed that one of the animators (specifically, one of the guys who did the shadowing) was named “Stephen King.” ## At first, I was a little put off by the Fantastic Four similarities–did Violet really need invisibility _[and_ force fields?–but resigned myself to the fact that these resemble “real” superheroes the way the _Toy Story_ characters resemble “real” toys. They’re satirizing an existing genre, which exempts them from breaking new ground in it. Disney is preparing for post-Pixar computer animation, and will wreak it on some _Toy Story_ sequels. I’ve seen ads for some new CGI cartoon featuring Mickey, Donald, _et al_.; be very afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/128 "2004-11-13T01:28:17Z")
Did anyone else see the trailer for _[Chicken](http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/chickenlittle/) [Little](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371606/)_? They played it at the screening I went to. It looks like it has lots of potential to be a good movie, and it’s made by Disney, but not by Pixar. I haven’t heard anything about it before this. ---
**Author:** ![Kingspades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@Kingspades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kingspades)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/129 "2004-11-13T01:45:06Z")
My wife and I caught an early evening show for our date night Wednesday, and both loved it. A couple of comments have been made about the soundtrack, which I enjoyed too - when it was there. I have to say that I noticed the silence in the film more than the music. Many scenes have no background music at all. It took me awhile to settle in and enjoy “Incredibles,” mostly because I kept expecting a comedy in the vein of the other Pixar movies. Once I realized that it’s supposed to be more adventure than comedy, that distraction went away. The best compliment I know to give this movie is that it’s a really good Bond flick. All you need to do is take away the animation and make the superpowers into gadgets. You’ve even got “Q” in the form of Edna, and a villain with a ridiculous ovoid monorail system. Anyone know what an “Omnidroid” is, and why Lucasfilm gets a credit for the name? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/130 "2004-11-13T01:54:18Z")
Just got back from seeing it. Thought it was fantastic. My favorite lines: “Are we there yet?” “We’ll get there when we GET there!” “OK, if somebody runs, you take a shot.” “Edna Mode.” ::Guns pop out:: “And guest.” (Actually, all of Edna’s lines were hilarious. Frozone’s war story about tricking the villain into giving a “monologue.” “You married Elastigirl! And got BI-ZZAY!!!” I loved the scene where the computer showed a superhero as “deceased” and every few superheros you’d get a “deceased” robot, then the robot was upgraded, then the superhero was “deceased.” No way kids would follow that but I loved it. And it showed Frozone’s whereabouts as “known” as they surely would be after Mirage surveilled them together - although I thought they were going to make more of that). Loved Mirage’s business card with the holographic text that would disappear based on the angle. Anyone else notice the “two short trumpet bursts” on the soundtrack while Mr. Incredible was creeping around, taking out that one guard with a rock? Straight out of **Goldfinger**. My favorite throwaway scene: As Edna is comforting Elstigirl, she uses her newspaper to bat the tissues into the trash. When they fall in the trash, you can see a very dim glow as they are incinerated. Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/131 "2004-11-13T04:52:58Z")
> [@Kingspades](#): > > Anyone know what an “Omnidroid” is, and why Lucasfilm gets a credit for the name? Well, the [Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia](http://www1.theforce.net/cuswe/) has nothing on it, nor does the [Star Wars Databank,](http://www.starwars.com/databank/) both of which have lots of Expanded Universe (EU) stuff in them. Maybe it’s something coming out in Episode III. I caught _The Incredibles_ Monday afternnon in a nearly deserted theater, and loved it. Pixar has done it again. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/132 "2004-11-13T07:03:46Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > did Violet really need invisibility _[and_ force fields? According to Brad Bird, the powers are metaphors for the characters’ personalities. As a teen with heavy doses of self-doubt, Violet gets the powers that let her (a) avoid being seen and (b) keep a safe distance from other people. > [@Kingspades](#): > > Anyone know what an “Omnidroid” is, and why Lucasfilm gets a credit for the name? I’ve heard Lucasfilm has a trademark on the word “-droid”. :rolleyes: > [@Dooku](#): > > Loved Mirage’s business card with the holographic text that would disappear based on the angle. Did you notice it was a 877 area code? I’m tempted to dig up that number and call it… ---
**Author:** ![Hot\_Buttered\_Toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b38774/32.png) [@Hot\_Buttered\_Toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hot_Buttered_Toast)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/133 "2004-11-13T10:17:47Z")
Just saw it, thanks to the _delayed release dates_ here and weekend previews. Thanks to the magic of digital cinema, the picture cut out halfway in the beginning and kept doing that at certain intervals throughout the first part. I was practically foaming at the mouth. Of course, due to the tragic technical issues, I will see it once more to make up for the minute I missed. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/134 "2004-11-13T16:52:55Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > I’ve heard Lucasfilm has a trademark on the word “-droid”. :rolleyes: Why does that merit a rolleyes? Calling robots “droids” is a Star Wars thing. Sure, its derivation is from “android,” which is a common word, but the meaning and usage of “droid” is significantly different. (The Omnidroid is not manlike in any way.) ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/135 "2004-11-13T17:26:14Z")
I laughted so hard I nearly pissed myself several times, especially the squabbling within the couples: “Oh, no, you don’t! We have been planning this dinner for two months!” [Robot rampages past window] “The greater good!? I am your _wife_, and I am the greatest good that will ever happen to you!” “You asked me for directions, and I told you, take the 7th Street exit.” “That will take me downtown!” “You’re going to miss it!” ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/136 "2004-11-13T19:08:59Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Why does that merit a rolleyes? Calling robots “droids” is a Star Wars thing. \ It just seems needlessly petty. I could understand if there was a _Star Wars_ character called “Droid,” but claiming a trademark on “droid” seems as silly as TSR claiming a trademark on “dragons”. \ ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/137 "2004-11-13T20:50:45Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > \ > > It just seems needlessly petty. I could understand if there was a _Star Wars_ character called “Droid,” but claiming a trademark on “droid” seems as silly as TSR claiming a trademark on “dragons”. > > \ Well, ISTR that Steve Jackson Games has the trademark to the eye-in-the-pyramid used in role-playing settings. That seems surprisingly similar (and I know of one publisher that changed a book’s design in response). ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/138 "2004-11-13T22:18:41Z")
I don’t know why, but I think that Syndrome looked like [Emilio Lizardo](http://www.rageboy.com/lizardo.jpg), from _Buckaroo Banzai_. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/139 "2004-11-13T23:02:24Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > …claiming a trademark on “droid” seems as silly as TSR claiming a trademark on “dragons”. It might, if anyone called robots “droids” before Lucas did in _Star Wars_. “Android” has been around for something like 300 years, and has a very specific meaning, but “droids” are unique to _Star Wars_. To be honest though, I think a lot of the _Star Wars_ references in _The Incredibles_, including the OmniDroid, are a bit of a piss-taking at the expense of George Lucas, who set up the folks who became Pixar, poured a couple of million into them, and then short-sightedly sold the division off when it seemed like a losing proposition. Same mistake he made with DroidWorks, oddly enough. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061/140 "2004-11-13T23:29:51Z")
I just saw it a second time today. I also own the soundtrack, & to books on it. I love it. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-obligatory-incredibles-thread/273061.md?page=8)