It's always an exciting time of year when I can crack open a brand new copy of the latest Pixar "Art of" book by Chronicle Books publishing. There's just something magical about flipping through the pages in anticipation of the upcoming film and smelling that new book smell. And of course, most importantly, getting a glimpse at some of the incredible art that went into the creation of the film! This time around I'm taking a closer look at—you guessed it—The Art of Incredibles 2.
First of all, if you're not familiar with this ongoing series of "Art of" books, they're essentially the definitive source for all officially released Pixar concept art and "making of" content (storyboards, colors scripts, lighting studies, character/location sketches, clay sculpts, digital renderings and so much more— as well as a sprinkling of quotes, stories and insights from the creators). This one is no exception! I have purchased and reviewed every single one of these books since they started in 2001 with The Art of Monsters Inc., so I guess we're on number 17? Needless to say, I'm a big time fan of the series.
Let's take a look at the outer covers. You'll notice the front (seen above) is a bit different because, in the past, the front cover has always featured one of the beautiful art pieces from within the book. Here though, they kept it super simple by just featuring the film's logo against a black background—which I suppose is just as striking, but I do kind of miss the art. What's cool though is that the front cover logo is actually a digital creation done by the director himself, Brad Bird! The back cover does include a piece of concept art however, which looks to be the lush green road leading to the Parr family's new cliffside home (done by artist Kyle Macnaughton). Really pretty stuff.
As usual, remove the slipcover to reveal the sturdy hardcover book itself; this time around featuring five subtle embossed minimal designs of Jack-Jack's head (one for each of his powers) front and center. They look great against that awesome bright yellow orange color.
Now we'll open things up to give you a peek at some of the opening pages!
You'll notice the title page below has those same minimal Jack-Jack heads as seen on the front cover, only this time it's the actual colored digital art. I LOVE these. Can you spot each of Jack-Jack's forms/powers? From left to right, there's regular baby Jack-Jack, then chrome, then fire, then laser vision and then demon/monster.
I'm happy to see that the foreword to this book is done by John Lasseter (regardless of the current situation) and I always love hearing what writer/director Brad Bird, who wrote the introduction, has to say. There are so many nice insights from both of these guys who I admire a ton. This book was edited by Karen Paik, author of several Pixar books including To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios.
Here's a fun fact: the art of Edna and Jack-Jack on the inside jacket flaps was done by Domee Shi, the director of the upcoming short film Bao which will pair with Incredibles 2 in theaters!
This is also the first time in one of these books that they send you to a website for additional content, such as more artwork and filmmaker interviews. You can check it out at disney.com/artofincredibles (which basically just brings you to a link to buy this book and connects you to a separate Oh My Disney article).
Every "Art of" book is organized a little differently. This time around, the book is divided into four sections after the foreword and intro: Characters, Environments, Vehicles and Outtakes (which are essentially deleted scenes/concepts). The book closes out with some acknowledgments (special thanks) by the producers of the film, John Walker and Nicole Grindle. Throughout this book, there's just the right amount of text (it doesn't get overwhelming like some previous releases) and hundreds of pieces of art to sink your teeth into. You certainly get your money's worth.
Below is a peek at some of the many, many pages of colorful art you'll discover inside! I'm not wanting to show a lot here (I don't want to to give anything away that might spoil the film), but here's at least a little sampling of what you can expect. And by the way, if you're avoiding spoilers for the film as I am, tread carefully when opening this book. I for one will not deep dive into it until after I see the film on June 14th. Honestly for now, I've just skimmed a couple of sections just so I knew enough for this review.
From what I've gathered based on what I've seen and read thus far, I can absolutely tell you that this is a must have. If you're a fan of The Incredibles or film art/animation in general, you won't want to miss this one. If you're looking to get into this industry (or perhaps you already are), this is a great learning tool; for everyone else, it's just a feast for the eyes. There are so many details in this book that you really could look through and study it for hours (and I'm sure I will). If you're interested in adding this to your collection, I recommend picking it up at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon using the direct link below.
And there you go! That's my review, which is just a small taste at what you can expect inside. Per usual, this is a really beautiful tribute to the incredibly talented artists who worked so hard at making the film what it is today, yet who too often go unnoticed. Do you have a favorite Pixar artist whose work you look forward to seeing? One of mine is Ralph Eggleston, so it excited me to see that he was hired as the production designer for this film. Let me know all your thoughts on this book and any questions you might have down in the comments.
Size: 11.4" x 9.4"
Pages: 168
Retail Price: $40 (though it's always on sale for less, usually around $26)
Original Release Date: May 8th, 2018
My Rating: 9/10
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