The Incredibles
© James C. Hess
Since this particular writing competition was first began certain writing talent with storytelling abilities and skills have been discovered. I am pleased and honored to report they have joined the ranks of true storytellers and I believe they will do so for many years to come.
But such joy is bittersweet: In order to find but two true storytellers it was necessary to sift through more than fifty thousand would-be storytellers.
While doing this a truth came to my attention: By way of these sheer numbers those who can tell a story are being revealed to be an increasingly rare creature. Which may go to explain why a given audience is so quick to embrace them.
Take as proof of this assertion the group of storytellers known as Pixar Studios. Since their first effort not so many years they have demonstrated time and again their ability to tell a good story. Telling a good story is one thing, but doing it again and again gives cause to attention one might not otherwise receive. In the case of Pixar it owes much to how they tell a story, with the latest example of their style and method being "The Incredibles", a superhero spoof that alternates between white-knuckle, breakneck action and sedated suburban life, by way of computer generated animation.
Admittedly, "The Incredibles" is not quite on par with "Toy Story" or "Finding Nemo", but what film or movie nowadays is? Despite this inherent and inherited prejudice "The Incredibles" is, well, incredible: The story is about the weakness of a superhero's armor; for example, if Superman had not had kryptonite to keep him in check he might have been more than just super, and ultimately boring. In the case of The Incredibles the chink in their armor, collectively and individually, is trying to be what they are not: Average. Mr. Incredible, for example, is a superhero in the tried-and-true traditional mold of a 1950s superhero, complete with a cape and given to dashing about fighting crime and saving the lives of those otherwise endangered. But despite the good intentions obviously involved in his actions and deeds there are those who do not appreciate his efforts: He comes to find himself faced with so many lawsuits for unlawful rescue and subsequent good, but unwanted, deeds he has no choice but to retire. Under the government's Superhero Relocation Program Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) moves to the suburbs with his wife, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and their children, Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dashiell (Spencer Fox), and little Jack Jack (Eli Fucile, Maeve Andrews). There they become the Parr Family, headed by Bob and Helen. Bob works at an insurance agency while Helen raises the children, each position with its own unique trials and tribulations: Because of his muscle-bound supertorso Bob can barely fit into his cubicle while Helen finds raising three kids as an average mother is a task even a superhero has trouble with: When the world becomes too much for the teenager Violet she gives over to turning invisible and creating force fields. Her brother Dashiell--Dash--can run at the speed of light, but finds it does him little good, especially when it comes to track meets at school, where he finds the only way to win is to not be himself. Then there is Jack Jack, who has his share of superpowers, but who has yet to master using the toilet.
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