2004 was a pivotal year in my relationship with films. I always lived close to NYC, but never had the means to take in all the wonderful films being released there for those week-long awards qualifying runs. That changed in 2004 when I packed up and left for college in the city. Every spare cent I had went towards live theater and film. I was able to write more than ever before and eventually funded my insatiable appetite for art with my own work in writing. It was a glorious time.

I bring this up because The Incredibles was one of the rare 2004 releases I did not see in theaters. I was nowhere near as interested in superheroes then as I am now (my go-to comics were always horror, not super) and Pixar’s early big hits hit me at that awful time in development where everything cool is automatically terrible and anything geared for children is even worse. I’ve matured and learned the error of my ways (Toy Story really is wonderful and superheroes are a lot of fun).