Brad Bird

The Incredibles is unique among Pixar films in that it that was both written and directed by one person: Brad Bird. Any film is a massive team effort, of course, but it's notable that The Incredibles' initial creative vision came from the head of just one person.

With a career in animation stretching back to the 1980's, Bird was more than up to the challenge. He worked for Disney in his early career, collaborating on The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron, and even served as a consultant on The Simpsons for eight seasons. His directorial debut didn't come until 1999's The Iron Giant, which although not a box office hit, would go on to become a cult classic.

Though he had the experience, Bird was operating on a whole new level with The Incredibles. The Incredibles presented some serious technical challenge to the Pixar team, primarily because it was their first time working on a film with mostly human characters, which is always tricky in an animation context. Fish? Easy. Humans? Hard. 

Super hard. 

Whether thanks to Brad Bird's skills as a director, Pixar's skill as animators, or a combination of both, The Incredibles well exceeded anyone's expectations, becoming one of the most popular franchises in Pixar's well-stocked repertoire.