Mr. Incredible and Pals
| Mr. Incredible and Pals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by |
Roger L. Gould Brad Bird (commentary) |
| Produced by |
Ann Brilz Brad Bird (executive) Osnat Shurer (executive) |
| Written by |
Roger Gould Brad Bird (commentary) |
| Starring |
Craig T. Nelson (commentary) Samuel L. Jackson (commentary) Roger Jackson Pete Docter Michael Asberry Celia Schuman |
| Music by | Alex Mandel |
| Edited by | Steve Bloom |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
Walt Disney Pictures (2005 release with The Incredibles DVD) |
Release date | March 15, 2005 |
Running time | 4 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Mr. Incredible and Pals is a 2005 animated short film produced by Pixar, and included as a bonus on the DVD edition of its 2004 feature film The Incredibles.[1] It features the characters of Mr. Incredible and Frozone from the movie, plus a "cute animal" rabbit sidekick named Mister Skipperdoo.
The film is produced in a style of limited animation that intentionally parodies the low budget, low quality television Saturday morning cartoons that aired regularly during the era of the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, television animation studios were contracted to turn out high quantities of product on low budgets, and this resulted in a large number of television cartoons that have been derided and mocked by television critics, film and animation historians, and audiences in general. Mr. Incredible and Pals provides examples of this style of low budget television animation, which produced such stereotypical fare as:
- Still shots of drawn scenes, rather than actual frame by frame animation.
- Actual footage of live actors' mouths moving instead of animated lips on the characters, a technique known as Synchro-Vox. The most well known example of this form of "animation" was the Clutch Cargo series.
- A Cold War era plot pitting the true, freedom loving American superheroes Mr. Incredible and Frozone against a stereotypical "Communist" supervillain, Lady Lightbug.
- The sidekick is ensnared by the supervillain and there is complete emphasis on the main hero, who nevertheless thanks the sidekick for his involvement in stopping the villain.
- Frozone speaking in forced "beatnik" slang, showing the out of touch depiction of minority characters in cartoons at the time.
- A "cute animal" sidekick only added for "children's appeal." In this film, a glasses wearing rabbit named Mister Skipperdoo does nothing but hop up and down, yet his actions are seen as crucial to solving the "mystery" that comprises the plot of the cartoon.
As of 2017, Mr. Incredible and Pals is the first of only three short films produced by Pixar Animation Studios in the traditional hand drawn method, instead of CGI animation. The second film, Your Friend the Rat, was produced in 2007 and included as part of the DVD release of Ratatouille, the third, Day & Night, produced in 2010, was attached to the theatrical release of Toy Story 3. The later two films feature a combination of hand-drawn and CGI animation.
Plot
The episode begins with Mr. Incredible, Frozone, and Mr. Skipperdoo discussing the previous events, that while they were gone an evil villainess named Lady Lightbug (described by Mr. Incredible as "sinister, yet lovely") stole the bridge connecting the city, leaving cars stuck on either side of the river trapped. Resolving to amend the situation, Frozone builds a temporary bridge of ice, and the three skate away to find the nemesis.
Arriving at an abandoned carnival, Mr. Incredible goes about searching for Lady Lightbug, lifting up various objects while stating that she is not under any of them. Mr. Skipperdoo hops to point out that the missing bridge is behind him. Lady Lightbug then flies out at that moment and informs them all of her evil plan to steal the free world's bridges, creating massive traffic jams and thus destroying their economies.
She then proceeds to shoot a line of radioactive silk out of the end of her abdomen, tying up Frozone and leaving all as lost. Mr. Incredible throws a Ferris wheel at her, which she dodges. He then hops in a roller coaster, which then takes off flying toward Lady Lightbug. Mr Incredible knocks her out of the air, leaving her defeated.
The missing bridge piece is restored and all returns to normal thanks to Mr. Incredible, Frozone, Mr. Skipperdoo, and democracy. The end of the episode features a brief teaser of the next episode, featuring a gigantic anthropomorphic ear of corn yelling, “I’ll crush you, Mr. Incredible!” then laughs evilly as the two prepare to fight.
Commentary
In addition to the many in jokes and animation references included in this cartoon, the voice actors for Mr. Incredible and Frozone (Craig T. Nelson and Samuel L. Jackson) provided a DVD commentary for the short film, acting in character as Mr. Incredible and Frozone, watching this film for the first time more than thirty years after it was produced. The "background story" behind Mr. Incredible and Pals stated that Mr. Incredible and Frozone licensed their names and images to a television animation company, and this was the pilot episode for an animated television series that never aired.
The commentary of the two characters provides additional entertainment for the DVD's viewers, as they react with shock and disbelief to the poor quality of the film. While Mr. Incredible appears to display only apathy for the episode, Frozone is aghast and disgusted at its campiness and supposed racism (the cartoon version of himself appears to be white, or "tan" as Mr. Incredible puts it). He is also annoyed by Mr. Skipperdoo. By the end of the short, Frozone is so annoyed that he walks out of the commentary at the end, demanding the episode never be aired.
References
- ↑ Pixar Animation Studios (January 21, 2005). "Smash Box-Office Success Comes Home March 15!". PR Newswire. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
