We have all dreamed of powers most Super. We have imagined how it might be to fly without the benefit of plane, cape rippling in the relentless wind, or to linger while completely invisible, as our friends discuss our finer points unknowingly right there smack dab in front of the unseen us. Some have pondered how Super-speed might make the commute quicker, invulnerability lead to fewer bruises and Band-Aids and immortality eliminate that crying need for life insurance and Canadian meds.
It's a fantasy to be Super, to fly up, up and away and fight the never-ending battle against evil, all while basking in the worshipful admiration of your fellow citizens. Take those powers — and the glory — away and relegate the Supers to mundane jobs in faceless companies, why, then you would have adventure, comedy and frustration on a heroic scale. In short, you would have a movie like The Incredibles, writer-director Brad Bird's new CG-animated epic from Pixar Animation Studios and distribution partner the Walt Disney Company.
Early on, while Bird was still at Warner Bros, on The Iron Giant circa 1999, he recruited colleague Teddy Newton (an artist who had done story work, costumes and other tasks on Iron Giant) for a Super mission. "He told me, I know you didn't have much to sink your teeth into on Iron Giant, but I have another movie that I would like to do that would be more of a "Teddy" type of film,' " recalls Newton. "He said we could really go all out on this one."
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