'The Incredibles 2'

It took Pixar Animation Studios fourteen years from the release of its hit superhero film The Incredibles to release the long-awaited sequel The Incredibles 2. I am pleasantly surprised with how the film turned out given my distrust of most sequels. I believe what set this film apart was the engaging story-telling that it provided audiences.

It's not easy to create a sequel without running into some very real and catastrophic creative risks. The first and foremost being that you need a story worth telling and the second being sure that story can stand alone and not depend on the nostalgia of the first film. The Incredibles 2 avoids both of these traps.

Fans of the first film will remember that in the first film superheroes are illegal and that's the lead this second installment takes. Which to me, was an ideal starting point for the film because it addresses a problem that was left unsolved in the first film. There was a need for that problem to be solved and how the team at Pixar set about solving this problem was extremely well developed and believable.

An obvious challenge seems to be with making a movie like The Incredibles 2 is to make a movie that is entertaining for all ages and avoids the extraneous amount of cheese that many superhero movies tend to have. In addition, the traditional conception of animation in the United States is that animation is a genre geared towards children. I have always hated this misconception. The animation is a medium and a medium is only as powerful as the story its portraying.

Enchanting, captivating and everlasting stories are present in all mediums. It is the story that's important and that is exactly what the Pixar team focused on. Which, I think is the most important thing you can focus on when you're working with a film of this nature. The team was not focused on making a great animated movie, they weren't focused on making a believable superhero movie without the extra cheese, they were focused on telling a great story. The other elements fell into place as a byproduct of this ambition.

If you know me, then you will know that I go after superhero films with a specific ire. Mainly for their focus on special effects and the often neglected components of storytelling. The Incredibles 2 was not such a superhero film. It was fresh with a powerful worthwhile story and exciting action-packed sequences. In films like Spiderman or Batman, the story often gets lost. It is often the case that in these movies impressive CGI detracts from the story as if to somehow compensate for the lack of a story.

This method of moviemaking is like making a flashy car with all the bells and whistles that has a very poor engine. Sure, the car looks great but it's not like a Toyota or a Honda which has a tasteful well thought out utilitarian design and a fantastic engine. Great cars are like great films in that they can be enjoyed for years to come. The CGI geared films have to constantly be expanded upon because of the lack of storytelling and the need to constantly provide the wow factor.

The films that are truly timeless don't worry about being timeless. The directors take the time to create a believable world in which the audience members forget its a film. Throughout the Incredibles 2, I never once felt like what I was watching on screen was not believable. The characters were so real and the fact that they were superheroes was secondary. Because the team at Pixar made believable human beings who also happened to be superheroes.

Seth MacFarlane did something similar when he made the films Ted and Ted 2. The onlooker might say to themselves "It's a just a foul-mouthed Teddy Bear". But, Ted is so much more than that. Seth MacFarlane gave a human quality to this everyday object. Ted has relationships, he's concerned about those relationships, he has problems that are as real as any humans. This is another key to great films. When you have fantastic storytelling accompanied with believable, relatable characters that you can empathize with.

n both of these films, the characters develop and grow. The film sequels do an excellent job in expanding on the dynamics and psychologies of various characters as they find themselves in places they don't desire. As Bob Parr A.K.A. Mr. Incredible stays at home with the kids while his wife Helen Parr A.K.A. Elastigirl goes on a quest to restore the public's faith in superheroes.

This could have easily been an action-packed series of sequences dominated by special effects void of any real substance. However, the film manages to maintain a high level of action-packed sequences with compelling character development. Bob Par has to grapple with being a single parent while his wife is out saving the world. His eldest daughter Violet is starting to date, his son Dash is struggling in school and his infant son Jack-Jack can't control his new powers. In addition, Parr must grapple with his wife's tremendous fame for doing what he longs to do himself.

All of the Parr family develops and behaves in very real and compelling ways. Violet Parr's arc is a great commentary on adolescence and the transition into adulthood. Violet must make very real choices that will guide her future. Questions about what kind of person do you want to be are presented to her. Do you want to remain resentful and bitter at life or do you roll with the punches life offers you? She comes into her own and is no longer the isolated teenager but a competent and vibrant young woman with a newfound sense of agency and responsibility.

In The Incredibles 2, the problem of legal status for superheroes reflects a very real social reality. That all of us should be able to express who we are no matter how strange we may seem to others free from persecution. It also emphasizes the need for us as a society to not fear the dangerous slippery slope rhetoric used by those who fear such embracing attitudes. Because by denying the unique talents we each have we are neglecting the betterment and possible preservation of society in the process.

The team at Pixar did not neglect the essence of what makes a great film in this sequel. The relationships and problems of the characters enhance a compelling, believable and necessary story. This should be applauded considering it would be incredibly easy to make a story like this cheesy, action-driven, and derivative of its predecessor and other superhero films. The Incredibles 2 is an enjoyable film and true to the Pixar tradition of great storytelling geared to humanity as a whole.