Described by the late, great film critic Roger Ebert at the time as “another example of Pixar’s mastery of popular animation, 2004’s The Incredibles continued the animation’s giant’s unsurpassed critical run of successes. And, 14 years later, that success has gone on unabated. The success of that film merited a sequel and here it is, at time of writing, The Incredibles 2 has ratcheted up a, well, incredible €773 million at the international box office.
The first Incredibles adventure ended on a bit of a cliff-hanger, as the Parr family – a.k.a. The Incredibles – foiled the nefarious attempts of villain Syndrome. Their exploits brought the family – Father Bob / Mr Incredible (voiced by Craig T Nelson); mother Helen / Elastigirl (Holly Hunter); daughter Violet (Sarah Vowell); son Dash (Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack – even closer together than ever. It was, by all accounts, a very happy ending – until, that is, a new nemesis by the name of The Underminer declared “war on peace and happiness”.
And so, the story continues as the powerful superheroes take on another planet-threatening villain. Yet, writer/director Brad Bird says it wasn’t necessarily the characters’ powers – or the villains – that fuelled the first film’s success. What seems to interest him more is the family dynamic.
“I think that people see themselves in these characters. That’s why they fell for them the way that they did. These are really stories about a family.”
I think that people see themselves in these characters and that’s why they fell for them the way they did. These are really stories about a family
The past decade and a half has seen a colossal upsurge in the super-hero genre. “The landscape has certainly changed since our last movie,” proffers Bird. “But the idea of our Supers worrying about getting jobs and paying the rent is still compelling. The challenge of juggling everything life throws at you – even if you have super powers – is still relatable.
“Everyone’s powers are inspired by their role within the family and where they are in their lives at that time,” continues the director. “We played with traditional archetypes – the strong father figure, the multitasking mother – but in the end, we found that most of us can relate to all the characters in some way. We have all been that impatient 10-year-old or the insecure teenager. We’ve all felt like we’re shouldering an impossible load between home, work or school and we’ve all felt like we’re being pulled in too many directions.”
In the second instalment, Helen is the one to go out to work, on a campaign to rebuild the Supers’ reputation (they are still illegal, after all), while Bob takes on the stay-at-home dad role with Violet, Dash and baby Jack-Jack and his budding powers. Bird wanted to tackle the dynamics of how Bob would handle the responsibilities at home… including having to care for a toddler like Jack-Jack, who is no different to any other child, “except, when he gets mad, he bursts into flames”, remarks producer Nicole Paradis Grindle.
According to Bird, the film’s story strives to strike a balance between the adventure and the more ordinary aspects of typical family life, describing it as a dance between the mundane and the fantastic,” he says. “We don’t do one for very long without doing the other.
“Helen might take a call in the middle of battling the bad guys to help her kid find his shoes,” he continues. “Or Violet might use her power of invisibility when she is feeling totally humiliated. Audiences see that and think: ‘Yeah, I’d do that, too.’”
Samuel L. Jackson, reprising his role as the voice of Frozone – opines that ultimately, the characters are easy to channel because they are typical, everyday people. “They could be anybody,” he says. “They’re out there trying to make ends meet. They just happen to have super powers!”
Incredibles 2 also features the voices of Bird himself as fashion visionary Edna ‘E’ Mode; Bob Odenkirk as savvy businessman and Super fan Winston Deavor; Catherine Keener as technology pro Evelyn Deavor; Jonathan Banks as Rick Dicker; Sophia Bush as “wannabe” hero Voyd; and Isabella Rossellini as an influential advocate and ambassador for Supers.