Sign in Subscribe

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 515 - "That Was Then: The Incredibles (feat. Eric Sipple)"

In an age where Deadpool & Wolverine is set to smash box office records, it can be hard to remember what things were like in the first wave of superhero blockbusters. That's the scene The Incredibles burst onto in 2004.

Arlo J. Wiley

• 2 min read
A screenshot of The Incredibles, with the full family hugging, jungle trees in the background.

Gobbledygeek Episode 515 "That Was Then: The Incredibles (feat. Eric Sipple)" is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, or on Apple Podcasts.

In an age where Deadpool & Wolverine is set to smash box office records, it can be hard to remember what things were like in the first wave of superhero blockbusters. Costumes were primarily made of black leather, nu-metal montages were all the rage, and yet–there was a willingness and desire to be experimental that is often lacking today. That's the scene The Incredibles burst onto in 2004, with its dynamic color palette, its retro-futuristic atmosphere, and (shockingly) its sharply defined point of view. For the next nostalgic installment of That Was Then, Paul and Arlo are joined by The Deli Counter of Justice co-founder Eric Sipple to discuss Brad Bird's landmark entry into the superhero canon. The gang discusses how Bird and his team utilized relatively primitive CGI to striking artistic effect, how comic books were not the film's main influence, and how Hollywood learned all the wrong lessons from The Incredibles’ success.

NEXT: let's head to 1994 for more That Was Then, as we gaze upon the horrors unleashed by the Oliver Stone/Quentin Tarantino collab Natural Born Killers.

MUSIC

  • “The Glory Days” by Michael Giacchino, The Incredibles (Music from the Motion Picture) (2004)
  • “The Incredits” by Michael Giacchino, The Incredibles (Music from the Motion Picture) (2004)

GOBBLEDYCARES