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Bird has made some feel-good knockouts, and I find it particularly hard to choose between The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Ultimately, though, I have to go with rats over superheroes. Ratatouille is a film that manages to be entertaining and appealing to mass audiences, while providing one of the best presentations of aesthetic theory (Gadamer, anyone?) that I can think of in recent cinematic history. It's unpretentious, devoid of camp, and one of those rare works of art that works well on all levels - from a popcorn muncher to academic fodder.
I also think it's interesting to note that Bird keeps returning to ideas of nostalgia (see Ratatouille's 'answer' to the problem of snobbery), our relationship with the past, and the American pop-culture golden age--issues which all take center stage in Tomorrowland.
I rarely write, but this poll really got me thinking for 2 reasons.-1 because all the movies were so entertaining and 2-because I instantly knew which film I would choose. Ghost Protocol was a surprise, though there is barely a scene that completely stuck with me. Ratatouille was clever and quaint, but lagged at moments and made me too hungry to watch in one sitting. The Incredibles is only my third favorite pixar movie behind Wall-e and Up. The Iron Giant stands alone. It has all the elements of the other films, and an element that they do not have--a viable message. The message may be old, but until we learn it, it will still be of utmost importance. In a time in US history when we spend more money on defense than the next 7 countries combined, and yet the most likely person to kill you is another american, we all must ask why. We are the Iron Giant, and Hogarth has a message for us..."You are who you choose to be."
The Incredibles gets my vote, because its best trick is also its simplest: Bird juggles a massive narrative arc and the movie never sags. Where other directors would have nervously rushed portions or permitted the quieter episodes to stagnate, The Incredibles covers a remarkable amount of territory without missing a beat or cheating a scene. Think on it: Bird's film takes its time with a documentary pre-title sequence, an extended, multi-threaded prologue featuring both crime-fighting, courtship, and local politics. Early chapters delving into the Parrs' family life and Bob's disappointing career are compelling, funny, and un-rushed. We see dad's awkward return to solo hero work, the reinvigoration of his marriage, and the careful reveal of a duplicitous benefactor-cum-villain. The family evolves, stakes shift, feelings are hurt, children come of age; schemes are foiled, priorities reconsidered, loyalties rediscovered and killer robots obliterated. Dash revisits track and field. Violet makes a date. The baby rescues himself. Narrative thread after narrative thread builds into a series of false climaxes, and though the film's arc reaches with dizzying ambition, Bird never misses a step. His movie is utterly entertaining throughout.
It may lack The Iron Giant's thematic heft and gravitas, and Ratatouille generates richer textures with unlikelier tools - but neither flies as close to perfection with as little effort as The Incredibles.
I'm with Jonathan. Ghost Protocol is the only obvious one to drop - the other three are probably the best popular animated pictures of their era (even tough Ratatouille is '07 and Incredibles is '04, they seem like distinct periods.) Incredibles is the funnest overall (humor, action sequences, fluidity of story), Ratatouille has the gravity of a story based solidly on a real world environment (professional kitchens, I was a career chef at one point) and Iron Giant is easily the best piece of art of the bunch - from it's cold war mythos, to the surreal Vin-Diesel voice work and the utterly emotional through-line of "I am not a gun"...'Giant' transcends popular entertainment (where the other two remain) and enters a more complex world, with a more complex cinematic value - while remaining populist and accesible. I voted for 'Giant' because it touched me the most deeply.
Got to be The Iron Giant for me because:1. Perfect blend of hand drawn and computer animation gives it an awesome feel that no film since has successfully replicated. 2. Like ET it is a emotional story about acceptance, friendship and paranoia through a child's perspective 3. Best ever movie performance by Jennifer Aniston and the new film spotting golden boy Vin Diesel 4. "Superman"
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I love Incredibles coz its Incredible
This is the toughest poll for me since I started listening. There's not a terrible choice in the bunch, but I ultimately voted for The Incredibles because it's sometimes my answer to the dreaded "what's your favorite movie" question. Plus, his voice performance in it deserves a couple of extra credit points.
For me, Brad Bird has yet to disappoint, which makes this poll question extremely difficult! For anyone, I think this choice will come down to the film that personally speaks to them - and for me, it is Ratatouille. I am a hopeful artist myself, so the film's simple story of an overlooked dreamer still leaves me in a puddle of tears after every viewing. Ratatouille encourages an active pursuit of one's passions, without becoming a syrupy, wish-fulfillment fantasy. A masterful achievement, in my mind!
I recently started revisiting all the Pixar films in preparation for Inside Out, and I started with The Incredibles. What a rewarding film to revisit. It is so densely packed and I think it only shows greater value in the face of all the recent Marvel films. That said, I didn't hesitate for a second when I cast my vote for The Iron Giant. It isn't that none of Bird's films after his debut have met it in terms of quality, but it feels like it has the most soul.
As much as I appreciate 3D animation there is something so inherently magical about watching hand drawn animation, and I find it to be a bit of shame we didn't get more of it from Bird. The Iron Giant is brimming with what I would consider to be iconic imagery that couldn't have been made any other way. From monumental shots like the giant flying past the face of a cliff to small ones like the body of a deer laying on the ground there is no doubt in my mind that part of what makes those images so powerful is the gorgeous traditional animation.
In many ways The Iron Giant is the most simple film in Bird's filmography. It is a coming of age story for both a boy and his robot. I think the brilliance of it comes from that simplicity. Yes, there are the interesting themes of nuclear destruction and the question of what makes a weapon, but there is a reason a generation of film addicts tear up when they see clips of the giant closing his eyes. Before Bird made The Incredibles he made a much better superhero film that much more sincerely believe that anyone could be super.
While The Iron Giant is a fantastic movie, The Incredibles is in every way a bigger achievement. The way it balances exciting and flawlessly executed action with a complex and truthful family situation is a superheroic feat worthy of the movie's name.
Without rewatching all of them, this would be tough to answer. I voted for The Incredibles, but I probably haven't seen The Incredibles in ten years. I probably prefer Ratatouille (which I just saw for the first time a few weeks ago) to the other two films, but I also haven't seen The Iron Giant in at least as long.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol could be the best film by a good director. Brad Bird just happens to be a great one.
All these movies are wonderful. I votes for Ratatouille because few movies have left me with the joy I had seeing Ratatouille for the first time.
My brain would not let me rest until I used all four computers in the lobby here at work to tally a vote for each movie. I just...I can't pick one. I mean, Ghost Protocol can't be it in light of the other three, but I still like that movie so, so much. I...ugh. This one broke me.