Ohhhh PIXAR…I was on the fence, but now I’ve decided. PIXAR good. Dreamworks not so good.

I’m sorry Dreamworks…we can still be friends, right? It’s not you, it’s me. I just don’t like you in that way. I love you, but I’m not IN LOVE with you. Am I seeing someone else? No, of course not. Oh, The Incredibles? I just watched it once…it didn’t mean anything, I swear!

Maybe I’m being a little bit overdramatic, but I really do feel like I’ve dumped someone. For years, I’ve been singing the praises of Shrek and Shrek 2. I even watched several episodes of the ill-fated crapfest Father of the Pride. (Even I couldn’t handle all the Siegfried and Roy bestiality jokes.) But then I saw Over the Hedge. It didn’t suck, it just wasn’t exceptional in any way. In retrospect though, when compared to The Incredibles or Finding Nemo, yeah – it was pretty sucky.

So, The Incredibles was…would it be ridiculous to say it was incredible? I know that Superheroes are all the vogue these days and The Incredibles didn’t really bring anything new to the table – but somehow, it still felt incredibly fresh. The story had a good family-oriented message, but wasn’t sappy or cloying, something that is incredibly hard to find in a kid’s flick these days. It was incredibly long, but I never once got bored. The incredibly brisk pace managed to keep my toddler’s attention for fifteen minutes at a time in places – incredible!

Ok, I’ll stop using the word “incredibly.” It’s become incredibly unfunny in just one short paragraph. Doh!

Jason Lee makes me very happy in everything he’s in – Kevin Smith or not. (I think it’s his nostrils.) He made a great nemesis for Coach’s Mr. Incredible. (I can’t NOT think of Craig T. Nelson as Coach…sorry.) Holly Hunter I can usually take or leave, but she was pitch perfect as Elastigirl. I wouldn’t ordinarily buy Samuel L. Jackson as a sidekick, but his performance was so subtle that it took me a few minutes to figure out it was him. Now THAT’S some acting. As a matter of fact, all the voice talent seemed to acting, as opposed to reading. How incredibly refreshing! (Oops, I did it again.)

Jack Jack is the stuff of nightmares. Seriously.

P.S. I still haven’t seen Toy Story. Or Monsters, Inc. Or A Bug’s Life. Or Cars. Is my rebuke of Dreamworks premature? Or am I spot on? As I start watching more of these films with my son, I think I’m going to start keeping score.