Pixar Era Analysis – Incredibles 2
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ll be writing analysis content on all 28 of Pixar’s animated feature films and their film making eras.
The third era is the Experimental Era, which ran from 2011 to 2019 and started with Cars 2. As mentioned in a previous blog post, the Experimental Era is known for its large number of sequels, original films that thought outside the box, and an animation style perfected in each film rather than exploring new ground.
So how did Incredibles 2 measure up to the above features of the Experimental Era?
Large number of sequels:
Incredibles 2 is the sequel to The Incredibles, which was released in 2004. This sequel came out 14 years after its predecessor, according to the film’s IMDb page, this gap is the longest waiting time between a Pixar film and its sequel.
Original films that thought outside the box:
According to the film’s IMDb page, writer and director, Brad Bird, had stated in the years since the film’s predecessor release that he would only do a sequel if he could come up with a story that was just as good as, or better than, the predecessor. The idea of Mr. Incredible becoming a stay-at-home dad, while Elastigirl becomes the breadwinner was there from the beginning, but it took several years for Bird to come up with the perfect story to go with this idea.
Unlike when its predecessor was released, Incredibles 2 had to stand out amongst the large number of superhero films and TV series, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to the film’s Wikipedia page, Brad Bird’s strategy to make the film stand out and avoid this problem was to avoid superhero genre tropes and to have it focus on the family and its dynamics, rather than superhero aspect of it.
The film’s Wikipedia page also states that Brad Bird’s preference was to continue the plot of the film where its predecessor left off to avoid having to deal with developing new superpowers, as well as the Parr children as adults. Conversely, this film ends on an almost symmetrical note to its predecessor by ending on a cliffhanger involving the family pursuing a threat.
Animation style perfected in each film rather than exploring new ground:
According to the film’s IMDb page, the main advantage that Pixar had with the animation of the film was the advancement of technology since its predecessor’s release, as well as a team of much more experienced animators. Due to the advancement of technology, Pixar no longer used the same systems as this film’s predecessor and had to be created from scratch on the computer again. The film’s Wikipedia page also states that human eye models for characters were used for the first time, which enabled for the characters eyes to be larger, more stylised and human-like.
According to the film’s IMDb page, the animators admitted that the only reason they included a shot of Violet blow-drying her hair was purely to show off that they could animate it.
The film’s IMDb page also states that Voyd’s super power required technical intervention to make it easier to achieve in layout animation. Pixar wrote software to duplicate the characters and connect multiple cameras, so that when one looked through one side of the void hole, one would see what a camera at another location sees. If a character stuck their arm through the hole on one side, they needed to place a duplicate of the character’s arm on the other side. For me personally, the animation of void holes was one of my favourite animation moments.
Some of my other favourite animation moments in this film include: the realism of the water in the swimming pool, reflections, and a motel neon sign, the ice ball being used as a magnifier when it’s in Jack-Jack’s mouth, Helen’s body reacting to the below-freezing temperatures, and the flashbacks being presented in a muted colour palette.
My overall thoughts:
Overall, whilst this film wasn’t bad by any means, I wouldn’t say it’s Pixar’s best either. The film competently showcases improved animation with improved technology, and a story that is reflective of the then-current political climate despites its retro-futuristic 1960s setting, which is consistent of themes that apply to both its setting and the real world. However, I felt that it fell flat due to the story being too similar to its predecessor and the predictable reveal of the villain’s identity, and was honestly a bit of a letdown, considering it had 14 years to work with.
The next part of the Pixar Era Analysis series will focus on Toy Story 4.
Fun Facts and Trivia (from the film’s IMDb page):
- At 1 hour, 58 minutes, this film is not only the longest Pixar film to date, but also the longest computer-animated feature film to date. The latter record was beaten by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which was released five years later.
- Kari, the babysitter and her parents were supposed to get a cameo appearance in the opening, but it was dropped as Brad Bird thought it didn’t fit into the movie.
- Dermot Mulroney plays the cello in the scoring orchestra for the film. Mulroney is better known as an actor but is also a classical cellist who occasionally plays in recording sessions for soundtracks.
- This was the first sequel to a Pixar film that takes place through a human’s perspective.
- The Underminer is one of the few Disney or Pixar villains to succeed in his goal.
- Overall, Jack-Jack has 17 superpowers, the most for any superhero in the film.
- Elastigirl’s new supersuit is designed by DevTech and the only one to be damaged, indicating Edna Mode’s superior designing ability.
- Violet is the only super in the movie to resist the Screenslaver goggles when they are forced on her.
References:
Loveday Writing 