Villains. What’s a hero to do? 

As The Incredibles adventure came to an edge-of-your-seat finale, Syndrome was foiled — thanks to baby Jack-Jack and an ill-advised cape-and his jet exploded into a firey ball, destroying the Parr family home. But the family was more bonded than ever; Violet showed off her new-found confidence, and Dash discovered that second place would do just fine. It seemed like a happily-ever-after ending until someone called the Underminer declared “war on peace and happiness.” 

Nearly a decade-and-a-half later, fans will learn the fate of the Underminer when Incredibles 2  releases this Friday. When The Incredibles first burst onto the big screen, Mr. Incredible’s super strength and Elastigirl’s stretchy flexibility wowed audiences around the globe — the film grossed more than $633 million worldwide, earning an Oscar for best animated film. But according to writer-director Brad Bird, it wasn’t the characters’ powers — or the villains — that fuelled the film’s success. “I realised that the crime-fighting aspect of the story didn’t interest me nearly as much as the whole family dynamic,” he says. “I think that people see themselves in these characters and that’s why they fell for them the way they did. The Incredibles and now Incredibles 2 are really stories about a family.”

Changed landscape but still relatable

Since The Incredibles debuted in 2004, the comic-book hero genre has skyrocketed within the film and television industry with major franchises exploding and new heroes emerging every few months. “The landscape has certainly changed since our last movie,” says Bird. “But the idea of our hero worrying about getting a job 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.”

In Incredibles 2, Helen is called on to lead a campaign to rebuild the supers’ reputation, while Bob navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home with Violet, Dash and baby Jack-Jack-whose super powers are about to be discovered by his family. Bird knew for a long time that Helen would step into the spotlight in Incredibles 2. “I wanted this to be Helen’s adventure,” he says. “And I was intrigued by how Bob would handle that, along with the responsibilities at home.”

“Bob isn’t a bad dad,” says producer Nicole Paradis Grindle. “He’s a little over-confident at first. He thinks, ‘I’m Mr. Incredible, I’ve got this.’ But I think any parent can relate to the idea that kids can wear you down. Add to that a toddler — they want what they want and they don’t like hearing ‘no.’ Jack-Jack is no different, except when he gets mad, he bursts into flames.”

The film introduces a new villain with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything. “This villain is different,” says producer John Walker. “Helen has her work cut out for her to stop a villain who can manipulate people from a distance. And if Helen fails, her mission to bring back supers fails. A lot is at stake.”

According to Bird, the story strives to strike a balance between the adventure and the more ordinary aspects of family life. “It’s a dance between the mundane and the fantastic,” he says. “That’s what makes the idea work.
“Helen might take a call in the middle of battling the bad guys to help her kid find his shoes,” continues Bird. “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.’”

Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson return as the voices of Helen and Bob Parr, who still struggle to juggle their duties as parents and supers. Sarah Vowell once again provides the voice of the teen queen of sarcasm Violet, while Huck Milner joins the cast as the voice of 10-year-old Dash, and Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as the voice of Lucius Best — aka Frozone. Incredibles 2 also features the voices of Brad Bird as fashion visionary Edna “E” Mode, Bob Odenkirk as savvy businessman and super fan Winston Deavor, Catherine Keener as tech pro Evelyn Deavor, Jonathan Banks as Rick Dicker, Sophia Bush as “wannabe” hero Voyd, and Isabella Rossellini as an influential ambassador and advocate for supers.

A new look, a heightened reality

In 2004, fans not only fell for the characters in The Incredibles, they also soaked up the mid-century world of the film. Since Incredibles 2 picks up where the first film left off, the look is back — and thanks to advances in technology, it’s even better. 

According to Brad Bird, the nostalgic look is remiscent of a movie genre that sparked his imagination back when the first film was in development. But the genre had nothing to do with comic-book heroes. “I was inspired by spy series and spy movies,” says Bird. James Bond, Mission: Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Our Man Flint, as well as a prime-time adventure cartoon called Jonny Quest. There were a bunch of them in the ’60s that had that cool, elegant flavour that we wanted to capture.”

From the architecture to the cars on the streets to the characters themselves, the original film invoked a ’50s vibe with a contemporary twist and a nod to the future. In short, it was a style all its own. Says production designer Ralph Eggleston, “We aren’t trying to capture the ’50s, but people’s memory of the era. It’s the retro future that never became.”

The team gravitated toward the clean lines celebrated in mid-century architecture-garnering inspiration from a research trip to Palm Springs. According to Eggleston, it’s all about simplicity. “Brad Bird’s writing of characters and his storytelling skills are such that it allowed us to really caricature the world,” he says. “It’s not about reality. It’s about believability. And the believability in The Incredibles was less the look than the storytelling. That’s what was so real. The characters just felt real — even though Bob’s ankles are about two inches in diameter and he can’t fit both shoulders through that doorway at the same time. It’s heightened reality.”

Since the Parrs’ home was destroyed at the end of The Incredibles, filmmakers knew they’d need new digs for Incredibles 2. Eggleston’s team originally designed a 2,300 sq ft house, but the story later called for a much larger state-of-the-art home that the Deavors provide to the Parrs. “The new house is a cantilevered house built on a precipice outside of the city,” says Eggleston. “Inspired by a rocket with influence from a lot of different architects, we wanted a heavily caricatured look.” 

According to Eggleston, at about 38,000 sq ft of virtual space, the house features multiple rooms and unusual architectural features. “We want the audience to be in awe, but still believe this is a real place,” says Eggleston. “So we had to create a layout that would work with what was still an emerging story, which is challenging but really important to establish that believability.”

Powering up

While the Parrs haven’t yet discovered Jack-Jack’s super potential, the audience is privy to several of the toddler’s powers — some revealed high in the sky at the end of The Incredibles, some shared in the 2005 short Jack-Jack Attack in which the tot inadvertently terrorises his babysitter, and others were recently unveiled in a trailer for Incredibles 2. Even more will be discovered in theatres this Friday. 

Jack-Jack’s powers so far include bursting into flames, invisibilitylaser vision, levitation, multiplication, phasing, projecting bolts of electricity, telekinesis,teleportation, transforming into heavy metal or goo and turning into a demon baby.

According to effects supervisor Bill Watral, many of Jack-Jack’s powers are effects driven. But achieving the actual effects wasn’t the toughest task the team had to address. “One of our biggest challenges with Jack-Jack was maintaining the look of the baby —whether he’s turning to goo or on fire,” says Watral. “Nobody wants to see a burning baby, for instance, so we spent a lot of time making sure he was always appealing.”

Technological advances over the years allowed Watral and his team to enhance the character’s look within effects like flames. “Reading Jack-Jack’s face was really important,” he says. “We created a shading treatment so that his facial expressions were clear: ‘I’m on fire but that’s okay! This is fun!’ We never want anyone to forget that this is a baby with powers. The effect should never outshine the humour, which is a lot harder to do than a big explosion.” 

THE PLAYERS 

Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl, hung up her supersuit to raise the family with husband Bob. But when she’s tapped to lead a campaign to bring the supers back into the spotlight, she finds she can still bend, stretch and twist herself into any shape needed to solve the trickiest of mysteries. 

Ever since supers were outlawed, Bob Parr aka Mr Incredible has been lying low. But when Helen is called on to stretch her super skills, Bob must manage the household on his own. 

Violet Parr, the first-born of the Parr clan, is an introverted and intelligent 14-year-old teen who is socially awkward, outspoken and sarcastic. She secretly masters her super powers of invisibility and creating force fields. 

Ten-year-old Dashiell Parr is restless, relentless and curious — with the remarkable power of super speed. 

Jack-Jack Parr, the baby of the family, likes to sit back with a bottle and a good story. Well-versed in gibberish with a penchant for throwing food, Jack-Jack just might turn out to be the most powerful Parr in the household.  

Lucius Best is not only Bob’s best friend, he’s a fellow former super who’s so chill he can make ice with the point of a finger! But even when he’s not fighting crime as Frozone, Lucius is all about style. 

Edna ‘E’ Mode possesses impeccable design sense, a keen understanding of cutting-edge technology and an unmatched skill set. A creative visionary, she longs for the return of supers so she can once again create functional yet cutting-edge supersuits. 

Winston and Evelyn Deavor lead a world-class telecommunications company. Ultra-wealthy, savvy and suave, Winston goes big in everything he does, including his plan to bring back the supers. His brilliant but laid-back sister and business partner Evelyn knows her way around tech — she’s never met a problem she can’t solve.