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June 4, 2005
The Incredibles is an Incredible movie.
I've always had a dear place in my heart for cartoons and animation. Wonderful memories of sitting in my pajamas on Saturday mornings while eating cereal and watching television flood back to mind each time I watch cartoons as an adult. I recently saw The Incredibles for the first time and am pleased in a greater sense than mere nostalgia for my past childhood. The Incredibles actually presented themes and plot lines which I seriously investigate and identify with as an adult. When the film first came out I heard a number of rumors claiming it to hold an Objectivist message. After seeing it I tend to agree and was quite pleased with the general theme even though I don't consider myself an Objectivist and in fact disagree on a number of key issues with the ideology. But generally speaking it was good to see an animated feature which drew attention to my broader areas of interest.
My contention and reason for posting about the film doesn't pertain to the film itself but the bonus features which I viewed on the collectors edition DVD. First, is the short film which apparently preceded the Incredibles in the theaters, "Boundin'." In this breif skit the audience watches a story, told through song, about a sheep. The sheep had a thick coat of fur which it was proud to show and happy to have. He danced in merriment until the farmer came and sheered it clean off. Then, the sheep is down and depressed until a freindly jackalope tells him to bound on and keep his head up. In time his coat grows back and sure enough the farmer sheers it clean again, but the sheep no longer gets down and glum he just bounds on.
Ordinarily I may have thought nothing of this cutesy cartoon, but a freind I was watching with pointed out that he and his freinds couldn't help but interpret the message as an acceptance of taxation which I in turn also noticed and tend to agree with.
The second feature which struck me as interesting was a short story by voice actor, Sarah Vowell, the voice of Violet. Ms Vowell is apparently an academic historian and relished in the opportunity to take on the role of heroine in the Incredibles. She held such anxiousness because she held such close connection to a personal hero in her academia, Abe Lincoln.
It struck me as particularly odd that a film which expressed ideals which I generally agree with, mainly personal responsibility, individuality, and striving for success, could be packaged with such antithetical items such as taxation and Lincoln support. I don't know what to make of this but maybe someone can offer helpful commentary.
Posted by djdamico at June 4, 2005 4:46 PM
Comments
This is most likely not what you would consider helpful commentary, but, it's what I've got.
1) /Boundin'/ doesn't show /support/ for taxation, but for stoicism in the face of it.
2) I gathered that Sarah Vowell was not an academic historian, as you thought, but an independent writer. As such, perhaps she's just ignorant of Lincoln's true nature, and knows only that image--of the benign liberator--who's consistent with the message of the movie. Anyway, the point of the little essay ("Vowellet") didn't seem to hinge on a support for Lincoln, but rather, to be simply a playful, funny and weird documentary exercise. As such, the filmmakers can be forgiven for associating their celebration of individuality and whatnot with it.
Posted by: Vardaman ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://AustrianAddiction.rationalmind.net/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 7, 2005 4:41 AM
Just a heads up, but I think you mean "heroine," not "heroin" -- keep up the good work
Posted by: Steve Ziskey at June 8, 2005 1:08 PM
Danny, Sarah Vowell kinda freaks me out. She was in that documentary about They Might Be Giants and I've even seen her on Conan. She reminds me a lot of Candace Gregory, if you remember her. Gregory was also a big They Might Be Giants fan, leading to my theory that all small, mousy, nerdy female historians are. Let's do some research.
Posted by: Patrick McDermott at June 14, 2005 9:57 AM