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The last screening of The Incredibles I attended was a critics screening. Thankfully the usually quiet atmosphere I find among my fellow scribes was laced with more than a few hearty laughs. And with good reason, The Incredibles is a wonderful film.

The chance to see it again would have been invitation enough but the appearance of director Brad Bird, cinched my decision. Affable, quick witted and clearly in love with his vocation Bird followed a standing ovation of his film with a lengthy question and answer session that ended in the lobby of the theater where he signed promotional posters for every person who wanted one.

Bird deserves the attention he’s getting for another reason. His last film, The Iron Giant, is now considered a modern animation masterpiece but was dumped on an unsuspecting public by Warner Brothers whose, at best, indifferent marketing virtually ensured bad box office. To see Bird now basking in the warmth of what is sure to be a fiery hit with one of the hottest animation studios in the history of the medium warms this old geek heart.

The first question was whether he felt a lot of pressure about the success of his new film. Birds answer was to grab the sides of his head and say in a mock teary voice, "I can't think about that!" After everyone finished laughing he quoted John Lassiter as saying 'Let's just make the movie we want to see.' He also talked about Pixar's fear of complacency and how they make sure each project is director driven. His own journey making the The Incredibles started with an idea about twelve years ago and culminated with more than 250 people working round the clock to make it happen

And he warned us, the audience, to listen to the rumble. “That’s the sound of 600,000,000 CGI movies coming this way and a lot of them are going to be baaaaaad.”

Then he did something I had been waiting for all week. He crouched down, faced away from the crowd so as not to spoil the illusion and suddenly the voice of Edna Mode- Superhero Costume Designer and Arch-Snob/Therapist all rolled into one floated across the auditorium. He could have done it all night and we would have been happy. Trust me, once you see the film you’ll know why.

Another great moment was when he was asked what his next project was. I could have sworn he said something like “Picture me next to Walt in the vault for awhile” but it was probably more like- “I’m going on an extended vacation.” Seriously though, he said he has some ideas both live action and animated and would love to stay with Pixar if they’ll have him.

Then he practically got down on his knees and begged us online types not to reveal the plot online. I must say I’m pretty sympathetic. Seems like our culture has all the patience of a four year old. Then again this father of a four year old has seen the movie twice now.

Bird also talked a lot about the process of making the film. Seems he was never much of a comic book reader. His superhero influences come mainly from TV which explained a lot about the unusual tone of this film which moves from moments of absolute adventure, pedal to the metal action and cool gadgetry to out and out hilarity and warm family bonding. It’s nuff said that this is really a bona fide superhero flick and not just a spoof. The action stands with anything in X2 or the Spiderman series but the film also includes references to James Bond, Johnny Quest, and the Thunderbirds.

Look for The Iron Giant to come out in an SE DVD two weeks following release of The Incredibles. And look for mon director to become the hottest thing in animation since John Lassiter became the modern Walt Disney.