Possibly the best family/action/superhero movie of all time? I do think it one of the best action pictures. But this category is not about the best of things, its about my favorite things. So I try to explain why I like it rather than why its good. There will be some entries in Faves: that are, from a critical point of view, crap. This movie is not one of them.
As always with Pixar, the foundation is a first-rate script. But what I absoloutly love about the picture are the visuals. The animation is showy in a big way, but at the same time very subtle. They have chosen certain elements and thrown resources at depicting them in lush, fanatic detail. Hair, for example. Textures of things like clothes, leaves, water and flame. Others elements are purposefully vague. Faces are simplified. Not simplistic or lacking character, just slightly generalized.
The other thing I love is the '60's retro art-direction. I grew up in the '60's, and loved all that stuff at the time. It felt clean and modern and optimistic. This is not pure nostalgia. I remember those couches and tables in places that were otherwise antagonistic, narrow and ugly. There was a lot of kitsch as well, which it is best to conveniently forget. But there's no kitsch in this movie. Just the sleek, stylish progressive side of '60's style.
