The Oscar nominations were announced today. I haven't seen any of the films nominated for best picture, but I have seen the best picture of the year, The Incredibles. The Incredibles was nominated for best animated feature film, which I'm sure it will win. But it is in the wrong category. Why am I a bit upset about the Academy's slighting of The Incredibles? In short, because it is an excellent movie. It has a great story; excellent acting (in this case a combination of wonderful voicing and animation); believable, likeable, characters; substantial comment on the human condition; and high humor. Unlike Shrek 2, The Incredibles does not rely on fart jokes for laughs, and lest you be tempted to laugh at my claim that it has substantial comment on the human condition, recall the scene where Dash -- the wonderboy with superspeed -- mutters that in a society where everybody is "special," nobody is. Consider also the lessons learned by Mr. Incredible -- real, honest lessons about life. But unlike other movies with real, honest lessons about life, this one does not need to make us sympathize with unvirtuous characters (see, e.g., Matchstick Men).
I've not seen Brad Bird's other movie, Iron Giant, but I think I'll try to see it soon. I've heard it's good.
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