I've loved every Pixar film, although some more than others. Those of us who went to SDCC had a chance to see about 12 minutes or so of the film, and it looks fantastic. The government has stepped in and put a stop to superheroes, making their activity illegal. Bob Parr, previously Mr. Incredible, is forced to become an insurance agent, and his family of superheroes retire. But then a diabolical plot is uncovered, and he and his family must return to action if the world is to be saved!

How could it get better? An animated film from Pixar, geared toward a slightly older kid crowd than their last film Finding Nemo, about a bunch of superheroes, written AND directed by the same guy who wrote and directed the cult hit The Iron Giant. It's got all the ingredients to make a great, hit film - now to see if Pixar can continue their amazing success.

And if there's going to be an animated movie, you know there's going to be toys. Of course, a successful animated movie doesn't mean there will be a successful action figure tie in. Look at just about any Disney film of recent times, or movies like Shrek, Shrek 2, or even the Pixar film Monsters Inc. None of these huge hits spawned a similarly popular action figure line. So what makes the Incredibles any different?

It's all about the conflict, baby. You see, those films were great films, but lacked any real, serious, conflict. And that's the basis for all action figure play. Kids use action figures to act out themselves in those roles, and while little Billy might like to have a stuffed Sulley to sleep with, he doesn't want to pretend he's actually Sulley. It's just not that exciting.

Ah, but Spider-man? The toys are a huge hit, because little Billy can pretend HE is kicking the living crap out of Dr. Octopus. And with a superhero animated film, I'm betting we get some real conflict between good guys and bad guys, which makes an action figure line ripe to succeed.

The main theme of the line is based around a series of action figures in a 5 - 6" scale. Tonight's review at da Poop covers the deluxe set of figures, while my review over at my other site covers the basic set of figures. There are also 12" rotocast figures, several vehicles, PVC's, plush, a large 12" talking Mr. Incredible, not to mention a set of three very cool 12" 'interactive' talking figures, who actually talk to each other.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"The Incredibles Deluxe Figures"

The deluxe set includes Super Strength Mr. Incredible, Punch and Rescue Mr. Incredible (the younger version), Ice Action Frozone, Energy Blastin' Syndrome, and Rapid Run Dash. These five all have some sort of action feature, making the cost a little more than the basic figures, at around $7 each.

As I mentioned, I also have a review up of the basic figures, which includes Mr. Incredible, a two pack of Jack Jack and Mrs. Incredible, a two pack of Violet and Dash, and an evil henchman for Syndrome. Those run around $5 each at most retailers.

Packaging - **
The packaging is fairly basic, as is the design for the movie itself. If you've seen the posters, you know that red along with the letter 'i' makes up 90% of the design. The packages for the deluxe figures are also rather oddly shaped, a bit oversized, and in general fairly meh.

Sculpting - ***
The sculpting on the line is solid, and certainly better than Hasbro's last attempt at an animated line (Shrek 2). They aren't perfectly on model, but the scale and style capture the movie's feel extremely well.

Of the five, both of the Mr. Incredibles seem farthest off model to me. The chin is too square, and the later version, Super Strength, is just too fit. The hair's off as well, but the scale between these figures and the basic ones is extremely good. Everyone looks great together, and the Punch and Rescue version, who represents the younger Mr. Incredible, looks good next to his older counterpart.

My favorite sculpts here are Syndrome and Frozone. Frozone is another superhero, voiced by Sam Jackson in the film. His figure is looks more on model, but has trouble standing on his own. Syndrome is probably my favorite overall out of the deluxe figures, with flaming red hair and cloth cape.

Dash is someplace in between. The sculpt is good, but he's the only figure who is really effected by his action feature. He's sculpted as part of the overall 'dust cloud', so he's not as nice for general displays as the basic version.

Paint - **1/2
Okay, let's keep in mind that this is the usual paint quality you get with any mass market line. There's sloppy definition between the various colors, bleed here and there, and things don't line up particularly well from one body part to another.

Syndrome probably is hurt the most, with the difficult white and black colors causing issues on his suit. There's a fair amount of slop on Frozone's face as well, and every figure exhibits some number of stray marks or inconsistencies.

I certainly wish both the paint and sculpts were slightly better, but I still think these look fantastic on the shelf, particularly at this price point. For perfection I'll be looking to snag the maquettes...these are toys.

Articulation - **
The articulation is fairly basic, as you might imagine. Each of the four adult males have neck, shoulders and waist. The basic figures are a little better articulated (but only a little), and the action feature on these is probably the reason why.

Dash actually has neck, shoulders, hips and knees, but the hips and knees are designed to work with the action feature, not for posing.

Accessories - ***
Each of the guys comes with a display stand, done with the trademark "i." That's good, since several of them wouldn't be able to stand without it.

Frozone comes with a second stand, a sort of snow sled he can stand on. That pretty much makes his other stand unneccessary though, although it works quite well.

Super Strength Mr. Incredible includes another figure in the form of his boss, Mr. Humpph. Mr H has an articulated neck, but that's it, and his sole purpose is to be flung through the air by Mr. Incredible.

Punch and whatever Mr. Incredible comes with a brick wall, designed to practice his punching. The wall breaks in half at a strategic point.

Syndrome comes with a icey projectile, and a target to fire it at. On one side is a picture of Mr. Incredible, but better yet, on the other side is a picture of Bob Parr, watering the lawn. We really need a Bob Parr action figure...

Finally, there's Dash. He comes with two, count them two, of Syndrome's henchmen. Both are straight PVC's, sculpted with their guns permanently in their hands. One is kneeling, and the other standing, and are intended to be knocked down by the dashing Dash.

It's always great to get more figures, but there is something weird about these two - they are out of scale with the other henchmen. I've included a shot with the Henchman that comes in the basic assortment for you to see. Perhaps these are the guys from the shrimpy division.

Every figure also comes with a small poster. On once side is a full line up of all the toys so far, while on the other is a poster image for one of the characters. They say to collect all six, but I've only found five so far, although I've already bought way too many toys for the film.

Action Feature - ***
The only action feature of this set to really get in the way is Dash's - the rest are fairly unobtrusive.

There's Syndrome, who can fire the ice projetile from his hand. Without it though he still looks fine. The same is true for Frozone, the ying to Syndrome's frozen yang. There's an unpleasant mental picture. Frozone has an ice stick that pokes out of his hand when you push a button. It stays in his hand though, as it is not a projectile. Push it inside his hand, or leave it out - either way he looks fine.

The two Mr. Incredibles have arm actions. Super Strength can hold Mr. H over his head, and toss him. There's a lever on his back to make the action work, and while it won't cause you to do backflips, it ain't too bad. The Punchin' version is even more basic - twist his torso and let go, and if the wall is in the right place, and his hand is turned just right, he'll knock it down.

Finally, there's Dash. He's all part of a vehicle in reality. Rev him up on the floor and let him go - his little legs will pump as he races across the floor. It's actually the coolest action feature of the bunch, and works terrific, but keeps him from being very useful as a regular Dash figure.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
What these toys lack in paint ops and articulation, they make up for in fun. The action features on most are fairly unobtrusive, although that also means they aren't quite as good of action features as they could have been. That's a good thing for Frozone and Syndrome though, who you will need to fit in with the basic assortment of the family members.

Kids are going to have a great time playing with these, and I'm betting that Incredibles toys will be a huge seller for Christmas this year. That depends on how well the flic does of course, but I'm betting on Pixar's track record.

Value - ***
Most action figures these days - especially licensed action figures - are $8 - $10. These are between $7 and $8, depending on where you pick them up, which is a solid value. It's not quite as good as the five buck basic figures, but they are certainly worth seven bucks.

Overall - Dash ***
I love these figures. Combine these with the basic figures, and you have some amazing toys. Remember those? I've already bought both full sets of figures, both vehicles, and a whole set of the 12" rotocast. So if I love them so much, why the average score?

Because I wasn't recently dropped on my head. As much as I love the property, and as much as I think these are some truly fun toys, I also recognize that the sculpts, paint and articulation are not what they should or could be. They are certainly well above the quality of the recent Shrek stuff, but they aren't at the level of the best action figures out there.

If you're looking to pick up a definitive set of the family and main characters, you should definitely pick up the deluxe Frozone and Syndrome. You'll get a better version of Mr. Incredible with the basic figures, and if you want a better version of the blue suited Mr. Incredible, stick with the one that comes packed with the Incredobile.

Where to Buy -
These are hitting just about every retailer, including Wal-marts, Toys R Us, Kaybee, Target and Meijers. The only place I've found the basic figures at so far is Meijers, but I've seen these deluxe ones everywhere.