It’s hardly a hot take to compare Brad Bird’s animated featureThe Incredibleswith Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novelWatchmen, because parallels were drawn between the twoas soon as the Pixar movie hit theatersin 2004. If there’s one distinction between the two, it’s that Moore’s comic is a deconstruction of the superhero myth for grownups and Bird’s movie is a deconstruction of the same myth for children.Watchmenhas been called “the moment comic books grew up.”The Incredibleswasn’t exactly the moment cartoons grew up – like all Pixar movies, it appeals to viewers of all ages – but it did recycle some of the themes fromWatchmento make them more digestible for younger viewers.
BothWatchmenandThe Incrediblesare captivating superhero stories with retro visuals that take place in the “real” world and explore what the reality of superheroes would be as opposed to the fantastical, optimistic worldview ofstories about characters like Supermanand the Fantastic Four. Instead of being celebrated, after making one mistake too many with the immense powers they’re grappling with, superhumans are vilified and banished from society, forced into hiding on the fringes. In both cases, superheroes settle into civilian life to protect their real identity. It’s a poignant subversion of the idea of a superhero’s mask. The real mask is the alter ego, like Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne – or Bob and Helen Parr, for that matter, although Helen finds it a lot easier to let go of her super-persona than Bob.
RELATED:Soul: How Pixar’s Imaginary Worlds Create Meaningful Stories
Moore’s work onWatchmenis noted for its use of much darker themes and storylines than readers would usually find on the pages of superhero comics. Similarly, Bird’s script forThe Incrediblesdeals with surprisingly heavy subject matter for a children’s animated movie. It has torture and marital tensions and children being shot at and a suicide attempt and people getting sucked into jet engines, which is a lot for kids to handle. But ultimately, it is a family-friendly cartoon.
The main characters ofWatchmenandThe Incrediblesline up pretty well. As an aging super who can’t face reality and insists on reliving the glory days, Mr. Incredible can be compared to Rorschach (and that would make Frozone, as Mr. Incredible’s closest confidant, the Nite Owl of the equation). As another aging super who left it behind and settled into suburban life, Elastigirl can be compared to Silk Spectre. As a genius optimist-turned-cynic who goes mad, Syndrome can be compared to Ozymandias. The kids are an anomaly, althoughJack Jack’s expansive library of superpowersrecalls the omnipotence of Dr. Manhattan.
In unraveling its many story threads,Watchmen’s timeline jumps all over the place.The Incrediblesfollows a linear story timeline – five-year-olds have to be able to comprehend the plot, after all – but it does open with a prologue that details Bob and Helen’s dark backstory. Once upon a time, they were on top of the world. Superheroes were the biggest celebrities in America and they worked with the police tofight crime and save lives. But after one fateful night, superheroics were illegalized and had to hide their abilities from society or face the long arm of the law. Then, it picks up with the Parrs’ tranquil suburban existence years later. There’s plenty of fun to be had transplanting superpowers into relatable domestic situations, but the prologue gives the movie the same dark subtext asWatchmen’s alternate history.The Incrediblesdoesn’t make any radical changes to America’s past like the Watergate scandal remaining a secret or the U.S. winning the Vietnam War, but its opening scene does position it in a post-superhero world.
The driving external conflict inThe Incrediblessees a disgruntled superhuman picking off ex-superheroes, which is also the driving external conflict inWatchmen. The emotional conflicts are very different, of course, becauseWatchmen’s graphic depictions of genocide and sexual assault certainly wouldn’t fly with the Disney crowd. Instead, Bird focusedThe Incredibleson a family. His years working onThe Simpsonshad made him more than familiar with the process ofturning grounded family situations into animated hilarity. The family element is what setsThe Incrediblesapart fromWatchmen. But just like the fractured relationships inWatchmenring painfully true, the Parrs feel like a real family, warts and all. Bob keeps secrets from Helen and Dash gets in a lot of trouble at school, but the love shared by all these characters is palpable from start to finish.
Like any great genre deconstruction, bothWatchmenandThe Incrediblessatisfy as entries in the genre they critique. There are a bunch of big, exciting set pieces in both stories and characters like Rorschach and Frozone have become as iconic as any other superhero. WhileThe Incrediblescan be enjoyed as a straight superhero story without any risk of audiences taking away dangerous misconceptions,Watchmen’s complicated ethics have led to it being misinterpreted by many readers who look up to its morally-squiffy antiheroes – and especially by viewers ofthe film adaptation helmed by Zack Snyder, who appears to have misinterpreted the comic himself.
While HBO’s critically acclaimed miniseries continuation is undoubtedlythe greatest on-screen portrayal of theWatchmenuniverse,The Incrediblesdoes a better job of packaging Moore’s themes and ideas than Snyder’s indulgent movie did. And in addition to being the best unofficialWatchmenmovie, as a lighthearted superhero story about the importance of family,The Incrediblesalso functions as the best unofficialFantastic Fourmovie to date.
