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Amanda Naccarato | TV & Movies
The highly anticipated Incredibles 2Â has been in theatres for two weeks and is still dominating at the box office.
Incredibles 2, a sequel to the original 2004 Pixar film The Incredibles, raked in $180 million during its opening weekend, completely smashing records at the box office. Despite being released nearly 14 years after its predecessor, Incredibles 2 seemingly leaves off right where the first one ended.
It has become a trend within Disney-Pixar to create sequels or even pre-sequels to animated films created in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Take Monster’s University (2013), for instance, the prequel to the original Monsters Inc film and Finding Dori (2016), a sequel to the Finding Nemo film.
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It was only a matter of time before Pixar created a follow-up film to The Incredibles and it surely did not disappoint!
Directed by Brad Bird, Incredibles 2 reintroduces Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), Elasticgirl (Holly Hunter), Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), Edna (Brad Bird) and so many other monumental characters in a new, yet still familiar way.
The film primarily centers around Helen Parr, or more commonly known as Elasticgirl, fulfilling her duties as a crime-fighting hero in a larger attempt to restore the reputation of Supers.
This theme is largely carried over from the plot of the first film, in which superheroes were forced into hiding after being attack by lawmakers for all the damage caused while fighting crime.
While Helen embraces her new job, Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible is seemingly left to stay home and take care of their three kids, which proves to be a real challenge.
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As the film progresses, the audience is introduced to a new set of Supers who have been hiding in the shadows. This is juxtaposed with a new villain, who is arguably much more intimidating than the fiery red-headed antagonist of the first film.
Incredibles 2 so effectively balances its thrilling action scenes with its much-needed comic relief to create such a charismatic movie you can’t help but be completely entranced by.
Empowering Women
Elasticgirl represents a strong empowering female character who proves time and time again that she can fight, and more importantly, succeed on her own. It is a gratifying image, especially amidst the normalized projection of dominant male heroes.
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Furthermore, scenes of Helen protecting people all around town are so greatly contrasted with Bob struggling to help Dash with school, Violet with her journey into adolescence and Jack-Jack’s discovery of his own superpowers.
Pixar‘s take on this reversal of gender roles is refreshing to see, especially in a film targeted towards children.
It ultimately provides a look into both perspectives, revealing that staying at home and working to support a family each come with their own set of challenges.
A Story About Family
Overall, the storyline is continuously engaging and the animation is truly stunning. It has arguably improved so much since the first film.
Each character grows and develops throughout the film. But it is perhaps baby Jack-Jack’s unruly powers that seem to unify this film from start to finish and create some hilarious scenes.
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Incredibles 2 is not just an animated action film but is rather a story about family and the sacrifices we make for them — whether that be accepting a new job or dropping everything to take care of them.
This film is about doing what one believes is right and honouring that no matter what.
Pixar truly outdid itself with this film, reviving these memorable characters in such a brilliant and entertaining way.
Pixar Short: Bao
(Spoilers ahead)
Pixar is famous for its short films which commonly play before the start of the movie and always seem to leave an outstanding impact on the audience.
Before Incredibles 2 started, the short film Bao premiered and truly pulled on the heartstrings. Bao, directed by Domme Shi — the first woman to direct a Pixar short — centers around a baozi that comes to life. The woman who made the traditional, anthropomorphic Chinese bread dumpling begins to raise the adorable being as her own child.
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Viewers watch as the bao grows before their eyes and journeys from childhood to adulthood.
As the dumpling is ready to leave home and venture out on its own, the woman refuses to let go of it. She cannot stand that her once little dumpling is straying away from her, and so out of spite, she eats the dumpling to stop it from leaving.
It becomes apparent towards the end of the short that the dumpling was a figurative representation of the woman’s son. Like the bao, she raised him with all her love but he eventually leaves home and lacerates his relationship with his mom.
Shi’s short hits home not only to parents who can connect to this hesitance of letting go of the baby they raised but also to their kids who see themselves as this little bao.
Our overall rating:
9.5 out of 10!
Watch the trailer below and check out showtimes at Cineplex.com!