By: Lynn Barker
The animated film Incredibles 2 picks up right where the original animated film, made fourteen years ago, left off. At the end, the whole family was suited up to battle baddies. In Incredibles 2, we still have our family of undercover superheroes trying to live a quiet suburban life but being called upon to save the world from supervillain the Underminer (voice of John Ratzenberger). Superheroes are still banned, due to the destruction they can cause, so saving the world is quite complicated. There are new “Supers” who may or may not actually be villains.
Elastigirl in the spotlightCourtesy of Disney•Pixar
This time, it's Elastigirl (voice of Holly Hunter) who gets the assignment from a philanthropist and his tech-genius sister to fight crime with body cameras to help change public perception and reverse the anti-super laws. Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) must then become a stay-at-home dad in charge of things on the home front including taking care of baby Jack-Jack.
Dad feeds Jack-Jack, Dash and VioletCourtesy of Disney•Pixar
Talking with press in L.A. are Craig T. Nelson (Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible), Holly Hunter (Helen Parr/Elastigirl), Huck Milner (Dash Parr), Sarah Vowell (Violet Parr) Sam Jackson (Lucius Best/Frozone), and Sophia Bush (a new character called Voyd, a young, overeager “wannabe” Super and a mega-fan of Elastigirl. Her superpower is the ability to divert and manipulate objects around her by creating voids that allow the objects to appear and disappear, and shift in space).
Mr. Incredible has to stay at homeCourtesy of Disney•Pixar
Q: Huck, you are 10 so when did you see the first movie for the first time and how did it come about that you were going to be a part of Incredibles 2?
- Huck: Well, I saw the first movie when I was like five or something. My dad showed me it because he really loved the first one and I really loved it, too. And my favorite character was Dash probably. When I got the audition, I just was watching the movie over and over again and when my mom got sick of watching it, I used the audition as an excuse to watch it again.
Dad is trying to multi-taskCourtesy of Disney•Pixar
Q: What was your first premiere like for you?
- Huck: It was amazing and overwhelming. Because like in the beginning when I got out of the car, everyone was like sign this, sign this. And I'm not used to that. And then when I got inside, I felt more welcome and I felt, it was just really amazing to be there.
Will Elastigirl help make Supers okay again?Courtesy of Disney•Pixar
Q: Holly, Elastigirl is really in charge with this film. She’s busy saving the world while Mr. Incredible stays home caring for baby Jack-Jack. How do you feel about that?
- Holly: To me, it was just really fun. I don't think that this is a message movie in any way. I think it's purely luck of the draw that this happens to be dovetailing with the “Me Too” and the “Times Up” movement). And it happens to be serendipitously reflected in this particular movie. Every character is having revelations including Jack-Jack. I'm no exception as Elastigirl.
- Craig: I was resentful when I was told where Mr. Incredible was going to be in this film. Not saving lives. Not exhibiting any kind of strength at all. We argued about it and then I found out that I was going to be helping save the family. And Bob is going to learn how to be a dad and he's going to learn about these kids. It was just so much fun. He was dealing with Elastigirl out there doing what he wants to do and being able to give her encouragement. Let her know that everything is okay. It was just a lot of fun. I'm so honored to be a part of it.
Can the Supers regain public trust?Courtesy of Disney•Pixar
Q: So Holly, is this a movie more for young people or the whole family?
- Holly: It's not a kids’ movie. In a way, this one is particularly more not a kids’ movie although kids totally dig it. There were a lot of kids in the audience in the premier night who loved it. And even small kids love Jack-Jack and love Dash. But I think it works. The movie has complexity that is really astonishing in that it has got like five different (stories). And they all work in concert with each other. They all need each other, all five. But it's an incredible fabric that's been woven together. It's very sophisticated.
Sometimes baby Jack-Jack shapeshiftsCourtesy of Disney•Pixar
Q: Would you say true to real life, Sarah?
- Sarah: Yeah. I like that one scene with Holly and Craig like early on in the film, and you go outside to talk because you're both out of a job. And it happens to everyone. Your house just got like blown up by a super villain. And you're like, where are we going to live? What are we going to do for money? And there is shared love there. But also just that shared worry that is a really grown up affecting beautiful scene between the two of you.
Frozone in actionCourtesy of Disney•Pixar
Q: For Holly, Craig, Sam, ever since the first movie came out, do you have kids come up to you, recognize your voice and associate you with this movie particularly?
- Sam: Kids don't do that. Their parents do. And they try to make the kid know who you are. ‘That's Frozone, honey’. He's looking at you like, ‘You don't have a blue suit on. You're not making ice stuff’. So nah. They don't know who we are from Adam. Now as they got older, the kids who were four and saw the first movie and now are 18, they've been waiting. They're knocking little kids over to get in line. And my daughter is 35. She's knocking big kids over to get in.
- Craig: It's embarrassing really. Because the moms or dads are saying ‘Look Bill, there's Mr. Incredible. That's Mr. Incredible there’. And the kid is just staring at you. You don't look anything like him. He's got his thumb in his mouth. ‘Take a picture with Mr. Incredible’. This kid doesn't know who I am.
- Sophia: One of my best friends told her little daughter Anderson that I was going to be in this movie. And she took a video when she told her thinking she would be like, that's so cool. And she goes, ‘Mommy, that's not true’. ‘Andy, really, Sophia is going to be a superhero in the movie’. And she goes, ‘Mommy, she doesn't have all the things a superhero needs’. She just was not having it. I was like well, okay, ego checked. Got it. Cool. Thanks.
Q: Yeah, I guess being a voice actor in an animated film doesn’t feed the ego too much.
Courtesy of Disney•Pixar
See Incredibles 2 in theaters now!
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