In 2011, Brad Bird presents his very successful and amazing “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”. The fourth opus of the famous saga worn by Tom Cruise contrasts with the previous film directed by JJ Abrams, and makes several references to the universe from which Brad Bird comes: the Pixar films.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocolthe UFO of the franchise
In the franchise MID, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the fourth opus released in 2011, occupies a special place. Indeed, after mission impossible 3 and its very dramatic tone – with a terrifying Philip Seymour Hoffman -, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol offers a welcome lightness, humor, and visual innovations that delight the public.
It is, at the time, the chapter of the franchise carried by Tom Cruise who knows biggest box office hit with $694 million in worldwide revenue.
Moreover, it is the last film of the franchise before the era of Christopher McQuarrie in the realization. After Brian De Palma, John Woo and JJ Abrams, it is indeed Brad Birdan animation specialist, who is at the helm of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. After him, the franchise develops with a perfectly homogeneous visual identity and story tone under the direction of McQuarrie, quickly became one of the closest collaborators of Tom Cruise, chief producer of the franchise. And like his predecessors, Brad Bird thus integrates into his film MID his style and ideas.
“A113”, the signature of Pixar directors
Brad Bird directs with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol his first live-action film. Prior to that, he distinguished himself as one of the greatest directors from Pixar studios, with The Incredibles in 2004 and Ratatouille in 2007. He will return there in 2018 with The Incredibles 2 in 2018. And like any Pixar animator-director, he integrated into his film MID the famous easter eggs “A113“, a code found in almost every Pixar movieas well as in a few other live-action films, such as The Truman Show, Avengers and Hunger Games – Catching Fire.
This code corresponds to classroom number of California Institute of the Arts used by graphic design and animation students. A room through which John Lasseter, Tim Burton, Michael Peraza and therefore Brad Bird have passed. A wink and a tribute, which lies four times in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. For the first time when we see thewith modified ring of Agent Hanaway, which is engraved with the code A113. A second time when Ethan Hunt gives his extraction code (Alpha 1-1-3). Then on a license plate from a car parked in front of the Kremlin, and finally for the remaining seconds when the nuclear warhead is deactivated (1.13 seconds)
These references to Brad Bird’s original universe contribute to the somewhat offbeat aspect of Impossible mission. Alongside these, there is also the director’s desire to return to pure espionage while disarming the use of gadgets. Indeed, Brad Bird wished thatnone of the gimmicks in the movie workthus bringing as much suspense as humor to Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
