After getting his start on animated shows like The Simpsons, Brad Bird leapt into features with The Iron Giant. He then went on to make the Pixar classic The Incredibles, and his first live-action film, the blockbuster Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. With his new movie Tomorrowland, set to hit theaters, it's as good a time as any to remember why we love him.
1. His Distinct Storytelling Style
It’s actually pretty uncommon for a filmmaker to switch from animation to live action (and vice versa). Sometimes, that director’s voice can get lost during the transition, but not with Bird.
Ghost Protocol retains the same inventive storytelling and sense of adventure as the director’s previous animated efforts. It also features Bird’s whimsical sense of humor and effortless ability to ground the action on the backs of characters you laugh with, but never at.
2. His Movies Are Driven By Compelling Themes
If you show any of Bird’s movies to a college philosophy class, you’ll probably spark a lively discussion.
While each and every one of his movies function as a piece of standalone entertainment, viewers who want to dig a little deeper will find more than what the average Hollywood film has in store. From the antiwar messages of Iron Giant, to the dissection of artistic criticism in Ratatouille, Bird’s films are easy to love because their complex and compelling emotional stories.
3. He Directed One of the Best Superhero Movies Ever
The Incredibles isn’t based on a comic book (although it borrows liberally from Fantastic Four and Watchmen), but you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
The world of Bird’s clever superhero epic is so full of life and detail that it feels like it has decades of storytelling backing it up. In fact, the story of the super-powered Parr family makes for one of the best superhero movies of all time, capturing the wit and excitement we’ve come to expect from the best live-action comic book adaptations.
4. He Knows When to Go BIG
Sometimes, directors who leap into feature filmmaking after cutting their teeth in animation and television stumble. The challenges inherent in making a live action spectacle require a skill set that is totally unique.
That didn’t seem to hinder Bird when he made Ghost Protocol. Here, he makes the whole “blockbuster action film” thing look easy. By shooting some of the most dangerous stunts in Hollywood history with IMAX cameras, Bird and his team created an experience that just had to be seen in theaters to be believed. Four years later, you’d be hard-pressed to find an action set piece that can top Tom Cruise hanging off the tallest building in the world.
5. His Movies Are All About Teamwork
If there is one theme uniting all of Bird’s films, it’s the concept of teamwork being the best solution to any problem.
He must have learned this firsthand in the animation world, where everyone has a specific job that is vital to finished film. He must have doubled-down on this during his tenure at Pixar, where collaboration is famously encouraged. The result is a director who has made four (and soon to be five) movies about people coming together for the greater good. Whether they’re a family of superheroes, a team of spies or a bunch of rats with a penchant for cooking, Bird’s films are all about having a team of friends to help get through life.
