animation – Looking to God

Mr. Incredible

Posted on April 8, 2015April 14, 2015 by Jack Flacco

Mild mannered. Father of four. Husband to a flexible wife. The muscle-packed Bob seems out of place working for an insurance company. His forearm alone is about the size of his boss’ head. So what is this hulk of a man doing working in one of the most low-key positions the corporate world has to offer?

Wednesday Warriors presents Mr. Incredible (a.k.a. Bob Parr), the animated superhero who makes fighting an archenemy look easy.

[Spoilers lie therein.]

Mr. Incredible was once a daily headline. He, along with the rest of the other supers, protected the country from criminals hell-bent on robbing, pillaging and killing innocent bystanders. But with great power comes great lawsuits. Eventually, the supers couldn’t come up with the cash to pay the judgments for the massive damage they had caused to the nation’s infrastructure and had to go into hiding.

Bob is one of those supers.

Dressed in a white shirt, black pants and sporting a tie tucked tightly around his neck, Bob can imagine a better place than sitting in an office watching a mugging take place just outside his boss’ window. Suffice it to say, once his boss gives him an ultimatum, Bob doesn’t work there anymore. Neither does his boss, considering a trip to the hospital reveals that almost every bone in his body is broken.

Bob’s life from drab insurance adjuster takes a turn for the better when someone contacts the former superhero with a special mission. The mission isn’t exactly what he expected though. He finds himself the target of a sinister plan—a plan dedicated to eliminating supers everywhere.

What becomes his escape from the real world suddenly throws Bob wanting to escape from a nefarious genius. It doesn’t help him in the least that his wife and children are supers as well. If anything, they all become targets to the evil menace who wants to see his arch-rival dead.

The film The Incredibles highlights what happens when good intentions yield bad results. Among the hilarious jokes resides a powerful story built on the simple premise that good overcomes evil. Within the smart dialog comes the character Mr. Incredible. He’s strong, resilient and difficult to get rid of. His power though, does not come from his sheer physical strength but his willpower to do good, even if it means dying for what’s right.

That is what it means to be a true hero.

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Have you seen The Incredibles? What did you think of Bob?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Giselle

Posted on April 30, 2014May 2, 2014 by Jack Flacco

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom known as Andalasia, lived a maiden with whom the prince would share true love’s kiss. Her name was Giselle, and she dreamed of holding hands and dancing with her one true love.

How many of you think this is Sleeping Beauty? Show of hands, c’mon. How about Beauty and the Beast? Anyone for Shrek? I threw that last one in to see if you’re paying attention. Disney has the whole princess theme down pat. They even had it working in the movie Frozen. Well, it did have two princesses.

In the film Enchanted however, true love’s kiss is a bigger deal. It’s what brings ever-afterings so happy—that’s what the song says. The opening lyrics declare that to spend a life of endless bliss you’ll just need to find who you love through true love’s kiss. Pretty catchy, don’t you think?

This is where Giselle (Amy Adams) comes in. She’s the free-spirited embodiment of pure optimism. Her cheerfulness is so infectious that people dance in the street when she’s around, they sing in full choruses in the park, and even the animals gather to help with her chores. There’s nothing too difficult for Giselle, there’s nothing impossible for her.

That is, until we meet the prince. A real winner here. He believes in true love’s kiss, too. As soon as she drops into his lap, he’s dreaming of being married to her in the morning, finishing each other’s duets, and in years to come, reminiscing of how they grew love through true love’s kiss.

It gets better from here, but I’m not going to spoil it. Suffice it to say, Giselle learns what real love is all about. This includes the pain and the emotion attached to real love, the hardship and work behind it all, and the growth that takes place when real love hits someone who doesn’t expect it.

No matter how many times I watch this movie, and no matter how many times I listen to her voice, I always experience joy knowing I can relive my favorite moments over and over again. If anyone deserves to be part of Women Who Wow Wednesday, it’s Giselle, not because she can slay a dragon in one fell swoop, but because of her sense of wonder noticing the world around her. That childlike innocence captured on film makes her someone everyone ought to know in real life.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, now on sale.

What did you think of Enchanted? What did you think of Giselle?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Anna and Elsa

Posted on April 9, 2014April 11, 2014 by Jack Flacco

If you haven’t seen the movie Frozen and want to see it, don’t read this post. I will spoil it for you. Jump to the last paragraph. If you have seen it, then you will know why I chose both Anna and Elsa as this week’s Women Who Wow Wednesday feature. I couldn’t choose one or the other because one wouldn’t be complete without the other. Therefore, it’s a special day when I not only can chat about one inspiring character, but also present a second one who equally inspires.

Frozen's Anna and Elsa — Frozen’s Anna and Elsa

Princesses Anna and Elsa were little girls when it happened. Elsa has a magical gift. She’s able to spin snow from nothingness. With the wave of a hand, she’s also able to create frozen mountains, ice rinks and snow slides. But one morning Anna’s excitement got the best of her. Wanting Elsa to play with her in the palace, Anna coaxed her to create an indoor winterscape complete with an ice rink and snowman. Unable to keep up with Anna’s delightful exuberance, Elsa blames herself for the accident that follows.

Years later, when Elsa becomes Queen Elsa of Arendelle, during the evening festivities of her coronation, she turns on her sister, forbidding her to marry a man she just met. This doesn’t sit well with Anna prompting her to ask why Elsa has grown cold toward her. Little does Anna know that Elsa is attempting to protect her from her magical powers with, of which she believes she once supposedly attacked Anna.

This leads Elsa to lash out in fear of hurting anyone else. She retreats to the mountains, conjuring an ice castle where she plans to live for the rest of her life, alone from everyone and anyone she loves. Anna has all she can do to blame herself for her sister’s sudden departure from the kingdom and desire to live alone.

As the story progresses, the audience has a first class seat to enjoying one of the most interesting relationships Disney has ever created.

Anna’s optimism is contagious, and her forgiving nature, incredible. No matter how many times Elsa shuts her out, Anna remains firm in her belief that they will one day be sisters again, just like it was when they were little girls. At the same time, Elsa tries her best not to hurt anyone with her ice powers. She doesn’t care if no one understands, as long as everyone’s safe, that’s what’s important to her.

Frozen is nothing short of amazing. However, the characters Anna and Elsa are two personalities one will not easily forget. As beautiful the music is and as funny as the story goes, nothing comes close to the interactions these sisters have with one another and the ultimate joy they express when being together.

If you’re looking for a story to keep you entertained, Anna and Elsa’s will inspire and enrich in the film Frozen. One thing though, one view’s not enough to absorb all the little character nuances. Prepare to become enthralled many times over by the movie’s music and magic.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, now on sale.

Have you seen Frozen? Did you like the character Anna? What did you like most about her?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Incredible Women

Posted on June 26, 2013June 22, 2013 by Jack Flacco

When I first saw the movie The Incredibles, it was down the street from us at my friend’s house. I fell in love with the film. The charm, wit and sense of humor captured my imagination making me want to be a kid again. I thought, if I ever could have been part of a movie so wonderful, The Incredibles would have been that movie.

Today’s Women Who Wow Wednesday salutes the women of The Incredibles. Not only is this the first time an animated character made the cut, but also, much like the post I had written about Charlie’s Angels, I will feature three women who wow!

Elastigirl—Married to Bob Parr (a.k.a. Mr. Incredible), Helen Parr maintains her illusive identity as a middle-aged housewife (sorry—homemaker, uh, stay-at-home-mom) in an inconspicuous suburban neighborhood. True to fact, though, she’s a super. Years ago, she and her husband had to go into hiding because of the lawsuits. They destroyed half the city. The ungrateful citizens whose lives they saved turned around and sued them for all sorts damages. Okay, so maybe the supers went a little overboard, destroying a few buildings in the process of their heroic escapades, but that shouldn’t be a reason to litigate.

What is the big deal with Elastigirl? She can stretch. As far as her body will allow. She can also become objects such as parachutes in order to save those who hang on for dear life when a plane explodes. If someone needs a boat, she can become one. Hop aboard! Elastigirl wows with her awesome, stretchy skill sets.

Violet—Daughter to Elastigirl, Violet Parr may just as well remain invisible. The boys at her school don’t notice the teen. Her shyness keeps her from having friends. Self-confidence? Next to nothing. But why is she so special? The one cool thing Elastigirl or any of the other supers can’t do is create a force field. I’m talking about force fields that can wrap everyone in its grasp and protect them from screaming bullets. Violet can do that.

Is there more? Of course. Remember how I said she might just as well consider remaining invisible? Well, guess what. She can become invisible. One of her superpowers gives her the ability to disappear and reappear at will, anywhere. The other supers may have super strength, speed and flexibility, but the most important abilities Violet possesses. How’s that for irony. The introvert gets the cool stuff. Who doesn’t want to become invisible to listen in on what people really think of others?

Kari McKeen—The baby sitter. It’s like Carrie, only with a K instead of a C, and an “ah” instead of an “a”, only one R, and an I instead of an I-E. Kari. Featured in The Incredibles’ short film Jack-Jack Attack, Kari has all she can do to keep the Parr’s baby from getting into all sorts of trouble. For one thing, she saves the baby from falling off an ornament ledge. This is when the little tike’s supposedly primed for some neurological stimulation. Then there’s the cognitive development phase, Kari saves him after he bursts into flames, igniting the whole house on his way to toddle from room to room.

The greatest respect I have is in her ability to stay up all night battling the boy’s accidental spontaneous combustion episodes and laser-eyed hiccup sessions. It takes a true hero to look after a little one and remain sane the next day. That’s Kari with a K.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale October 22.

Have you seen The Incredibles? What do you think of the women in the movie?

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