thefword.org.uk/reviews/2005 … ncredibles
Humanity you fail…AGAIN!
blinks
Did that just happen? Personally, I thought Helen was a pretty strong character, but, you know, I obviously didn’t read that much into it. Eh. There will always be psychos who pull this stuff out, I suppose. Clearly the film’s success wasn’t affected by it.
Thanks for the evening’s lolz 
What?
What movie was she watching?
There are plenty of other awful sentences and bits I could quote, but I won’t.
This really burns me.
I thought The Incredibles was an amazing movie, not a stereotype-ridden bore, as this reviewer seems to think.
Furthermore, Dash is not a brat, and Bob is not an idiot. And the jabs at Violet were uncalled for.
Ugh, I hate people like that. They just want to prove what a headstrong and tough woman they are by being utter witches (replace the “w” with a “b”)
I’m for Woman’s rights as much as the next person, but most femanists I’ve met are just really, really annoying and complain about everything.
We were actually talking about it in Ag Ambassadors. One girl in my class friend goes to a different college, and is in a Femanist club. And guess how they raised money? They had a bake sale. 
Wow, that’s all I can say… wow.
I’m male, but consider myself a feminist and I think that all Pixar films have portrayed females extremely well (better than most Disney movies, but that’s obviously a topic of another time).
I agree with EJE. Women’s rights are important, but most feminists are just whiners.
And I also agree with Wheezy’sBestBud. Personally, I thought Helen was a strong character, like all the other female Pixar characters.
Wow …this piece of epic rubbish is even worse than what Armond White usually lets loose on humanity.
Especially considering what she wrote about Violet, one of the greatest characters ever to grace a movie screen, all I can say is this:
Dear Ms Razorblade (is that supposed to be a superhero name? ), you seem to have misplaced your heart.
Epic fail.
The one thing I can agree with the author of this article is about Violet. Now, before people attack me for saying that, let me tell you that Violet is my favorite character in the movie.
I don’t agree with everything ‘Razorblade’ says about Violet. However, I do agree that it is a bit disgusting how thin Violet is. It’s just unhealthy looking.
And yes, I do know that “this is a cartoon”. Still, put a little meat on the girl’s bones.
^ Mirage is just as thin. Its just stylistic.
While the writer comes off as whiney and extremely sarcastic, she does have a few good points in there:
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It is a celebration of the traditional nuclear family unit of one dad, one mum, two-and-a-half kids, and a dog (metaphorically, I know the Parrs are two parents and three kids). Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to the viewer to decide, but it would be more contemporary if they did something along the lines of ‘Modern Family’.
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I don’t agree that the Parrs perpetuate stereotypes, and I agree with the author that Edna Moe is the most interesting character. Bomb Voyage is indeed a stereotypical French villain (why can’t they make him Italian, or Korean, instead of the usual French/British variety), but I suppose his personal appearance is ‘visual shorthand’ so that the audience knows he’s a) French and b) a baddie.
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The author does point out the irony in Helen being a strong feminist in the beginning, but then gradually turning into a subservient house servant who wants to maintain the status quo. It is only when Bob gets involved in superheroics again that she rediscovers her former glory.
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I disagree that Bob had happy times and found fulfillment only because he had a high-paying salary (though the money probably helped out a bit, judging from his expensive purchases during the ‘Life is Incredible Again’ scene). It was because he found a job that he actually enjoyed doing and that allowed him to relive his glory days, which led to his contentment.
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The author has a good point on the moral hypocrisy of the film. While it is never shown explicitly whether the Incredibles killed the bad guys (well, actually, maybe indirectly through explosions) or injured civilians, I disliked the double-standard morality at play here. Just because they’re heroes, doesn’t give them carte-blanche to pre-emptively strike guards on Nomanisan, or drive recklessly down the highway (even though it’s for a good cause). One scene I would have liked to see was Bob showing remorse for having to kill some of the villains he fought over his lifetime, or Helen explaining to Violet and Dash the permanence of murder.
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I do feel sorry for the way Mirage was treated throughout the film. She was merely a pawn in Syndrome’s schemes, and after helping out the Incredibles, she was never mentioned again for the rest of the film.
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I disagree Violet is intentionally portrayed to be thin. Although this would be ridiculously impossible in real-life, I think it’s a caricutarisation. I do agree, though, that is very ironic that Tony commented she “looked different” when she abandoned her unique Goth hair to look like everyone else.
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I now realise The Incredibles is a paean to elitism in the sense that it implies heroes are born, not made. And although it is anti-bureaucracy, it is indeed pro-health-and-safety (“No capes!”).
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The Incredibles is a great post-modern society on James Bond films! That’s why Mr Bird is doing M:I:4!
Well of course, and even Helen in the beginning. But I just used Violet as a main example, because that’s who the author made the biggest point as it came too weight with Violet
And I know it’s charactization, and that it’s just a cartoon. It’s already sad enough we see unhealthy weights like Violet’s in magazines and on television, let alone seeing it in a cartoon movie.
I like stylazations as much as the next peson, but how skinny she is is just sad.
Oh my gravy, I knew this was coming. Well, as ignorant as I believe this woman to be, that’s her opinion, and we can’t change it.
Helen is awesome.
Chiming in to repeat what others have said regarding the stylization of the film. Notice a lot of Disney girls, i.e. Sleeping Beauty, have similarly narrow waists. They weren’t anorexic, probably just regularly thin - it’s part of a design scheme.
Personally, I like the look. It’s an exhaggerated form of how “hot” girls look in real life, I would guess. This “person” wishes I could say what I mean needs to remember that this movie was directed by a guy, and most of the crew were men. I don’t mean this offensively, but why would a Conservative like Mr. Bird want to promote her (Radical) Feminist, rather narrow-minded view? Personally, I see house wives as a role model. I want a job,but I find nothing more respectable, or to me personally, touching, than being a stay at home mom.
P.S. I do not dislike Feminists, just Radical Feminists.
^You took the words outta my mouth! I think feminists have good intentions, but the radical ones have a tendency to jump to conclusions and make wrong assumptions. There is nothing wrong with the role of house wife. It’s when they start goin’ “Stay in the kitchen!” to every woman in existence should it be taken the wrong way. 
As I’ve said before, I understand that stylized/characterazation of the film. I know that Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella have incredibly tiny waists. But they were designed way back in the 50s. The Incredibles came out in a more modern time, and these days many look down on the protrayal of woman figures that small.
I know this is a cartoon. I mean look at Pocahontas. She was designed with her own style, and she still had a cute figure. But is was much more realistic, with a realistic waist. And she’s still beautiful. And at least the most recent Disney gal, Tiana, had a neck larger than her waist.
Just look at Violet. As totally cool and awesome as she is, her nose is about the same size as her waist. wtf?
I have to agree with eje. I didn’t notice how abnormally thin Violet was until subsequent viewings. I know what I’m about to say runs contrary to my earlier statement, but just because the creators didn’t intentionally want her to be a role model for thinness, I agree they could’ve done better. For a femme-fatale like Mirage, it is part of her character to be extraordinarily sexy, so her appearance called for a pencil-thin waistline. For an average ‘ordinary-hero’ teenager like Violet, it was a (IMHO) poor design choice, when they could’ve gone with a more ordinary look.
One of the best scenes in The Incredibles was when Helen stopped in the middle of infiltrating the base to stop and stare at her reflection in the mirror. She has noticeably grown ‘wider’ since her first appearance in the opening sequence, but she still smiles and admires her svelte curves, as if to say “Still got it!” That, to me, was a very empowering message to appreciate your body, while still having the pride to work hard at keeping it in good shape.
I don’t know. I could be reading too much into this scene. My point is, they could’ve put more meat on Violet while still maintaining her feminine appeal, like Susan from Monsters vs Aliens or Colette from Ratatouille. I personally don’t really mind if she had the hips of a stick-insect, but I can see how people might wish for otherwise.
And again, the author of the review raised a very good point of the irony of the Tony end scene. Why would he remark that she “looked different” at the point at which she started to look like everyone else? I know he meant that she looked different from her previous appearance, but it does send the message that conformity is the only way to get noticed, which is a little hypocritical.
And the whole theme that you have to be born with superhero genes to be ‘qualified’, while the one who wants to be a hero (even though he’s not blessed with powers) becomes the villain, has a sinister eugenics undertone to it.