Footage of the upcoming Incredibles 2 screened at a press event sets the story in motion, revealing one of the main cruxes of the narrative. Pixar’s beloved superhero series takes place in a universe where the use of powers is strictly illegal, forcing everyone’s favorite heroes to get mundane jobs and live “normal” everyday lives. It’s an interesting angle that gets carried over into the sequel, which picks up just moments after the first film ended. As many know, the villainous Underminer emerged from below the ground to wreck havoc, forcing the Parr family to spring into action. However, doing so would put them in the crosshairs of the law.
Screen Rant had the opportunity to visit Pixar Animation Studios for an Incredibles 2 media day, where we saw an extended reel of footage - consisting of a good portion of the first act. The film opens with Rick Dicker (Jonathan Banks) interrogating student Tony Rydinger (Michael Bird) about the incident in the parking lot after Dash’s track meet. Tony reveals he saw Violet without her mask on and worries how that will impact their upcoming date. Dicker then wipes Tony’s mind so he forgets about the whole ordeal. This transitions to the opening title card and then we jump into the main story, which has been teased in marketing materials.
Brad Bird wastes no time in getting right to the action, staging a fittingly terrific set piece depicting a fight between the Underminer and the Incredibles. As seen in the original movie, the Underminer has a very destructive vehicle he uses to tunnel underground and steal people’s money. Mr. Incredible catches the villain in the midst of a bank robbery, but is forced to let Underminer escape with the money because the thief set his vehicle up to automatically drive down the street, destroying everything in its path. The family has to work together to stop it before it annihilates city hall. The sequence isn’t all just action, however, as the question of who’s watching Jack Jack permeates through the whole chase. The baby gets passed between Violet, Dash, and Bob as everyone tries to help. Much like the first film, there’s a nice balance between superheroes and family life.
The Incredibles (along with their pal, Frozone) are able to stop the vehicle, but the Parrs are apprehended by the authorities because superheroes are illegal. Frozone manages to escape the scene before he’s caught, where he encounters an associate of Winston and Evelyn Deavor, bosses of the telecommunications company DevTech. Meanwhile, the Parrs are detained and let go. As his last action as part of the superhero relocation program (which is being shut down), Dicker places the family in a motel for a couple of weeks. Over dinner, the Parrs have a heated discussion about the importance of following the law, even when the law isn’t fair. The kids in particular are eager to embrace their powers now that they got a taste of battling the bad guys. Bob and Helen have a private conversation about their next course of action, with Bob reluctantly stating it’s time for him to find another job. That’s when Lucious comes in and tells his friends about DevTech. The three set up a meeting with Winston and Evelyn.
Winston, Bob Odenkirk’s character, is positioned as a supers fanboy who wants to see the heroes back in the public spotlight. Winston’s father was one of the biggest supporters of superhero rights and was murdered by a burglar after heroes were made illegal. He pitches the main trio on his idea. According to Winston, the main problem is perception; citizens only see the aftermath of heroes’ actions, and not their good deeds that keep people safe. His solution is to design new super suits with built-in cameras that record everything, which will change peoples’ perception of supers. Elastigirl is chosen for the first mission since studies conducted by Evelyn indicate she’s the most cost-effective in terms of insurance claims. Mr. Incredible, much to his chagrin, is too much of a destructive force to launch the program. As you could guess, Helen agrees to take the job, with Bob promising to keep a close eye on the kids. The Parrs move into a fancy mansion that looks like something out of Iron Man, which is one of Helen’s many perks.
All in all, the footage showed how Incredibles 2 is going to build upon its predecessor and flesh out the universe. Supers came back in a huge way at the end of the first movie, so it only makes sense for the sequel to deal with the repercussions of that and how the world reacts. If there are people committed to keeping superheroes illegal, then of course there’d be those who want to help them out. It remains to be seen if Incredibles 2 can live up to the standard set by the original film, but if this footage is any indication, Bird and his team found an entertaining and heartfelt story to tell.
MORE: Watch the Incredibles 2 Trailer
- The Incredibles 2 Release Date: 2018-06-15
