Image Credit: Stephen Vaughan; Disney/Pixar (2)This week, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Heat Vision blog reported that Brad Bird, director of the animated Oscar winners The Incredibles and Ratatouille, has emerged as a contender to helm Mission: Impossible IV. I chatted with Bird in 2007, when EW ranked The Incredibles No. 25 on our list of the greatest action films ever. Read a few of his comments and tell me if you’re not rooting for him, too:
• “People think that the explosions are it, but the greatest special effect is caring about the character that’s going through the explosions. That’s the one that people don’t spend enough energy on,” he said. “Many movies have giant explosions, but very few of them have characters that you worry about. The best action heroes are more often than not ones who show a little bit of fear.” Bird talked about Sean Connery as James Bond — when he got in trouble, you could see his life pass before him. Same thing with Bruce Willis as John McClane in the first Die Hard, and Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. “They let you know that they’re mortal even while they’re doing completely amazing things,” he said. “He’s not gonna die, but it’s gonna hurt.” READ FULL STORY »
