The Incredibles (franchise)

The Incredibles
Official franchise logo
Created by	Brad Bird
Original work	The Incredibles (2004)
Owner	The Walt Disney Company
Years	2004–present
Films and television
Film(s)	The Incredibles (2004) Incredibles 2 (2018)
Short film(s)	Jack-Jack Attack (2005) Mr. Incredible and Pals (2005) Auntie Edna (2018) Chore Day – The Incredibles Way (2021) Cookie Num Num (2021)
Games
Video game(s)	The Incredibles (2004) Rise of the Underminer (2005) Disney Infinity (2013)^* Lego The Incredibles (2018)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)	The Incredibles Incredibles 2
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)	Incredicoaster (2018–present)^**
^* Crossover work where this franchise's characters and/or settings appear. ^** Roller coaster opened in 2001 as California Screamin'.

The Incredibles is an American media franchise created by Pixar Animation Studios. Brad Bird wrote and directed both films, and Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, and Samuel L. Jackson are part of the cast. The first film, The Incredibles, was released on November 5, 2004 and received acclaim from critics, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The second film, Incredibles 2, was released on June 15, 2018, received mostly positive reviews and set the record for best opening weekend for an animated film with $183 million. The series has grossed a combined $1.8 billion worldwide.

The franchise takes place in a fictional universe where superheroes, also known as "Supers," co-exist with society and are occasionally forced into action despite a ban issued on them by the government. The setting of said universe is a retro-futuristic version of the 1960s.

Films

The Incredibles (2004)

Main article: The Incredibles

The Incredibles is Pixar's sixth film. The story revolves around Bob and Helen Parr, a couple of superheroes, known as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, that attempt to live a quiet suburban life with their three children as a result of a government mandate that forces them to hide their powers and become ordinary citizens. However, Bob's desire of helping people draws the entire family into a confrontation with a vengeful fan-turned-foe.

Incredibles 2 (2018)

Main article: Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 is Pixar's twentieth film. The film follows Helen as she is chosen by a telecommunications corporation to pull off a publicity stunt with the goal of regaining the public's trust in superheroes while Bob is left to care for their kids, Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack. However, the family is called into action once again when Helen clashes against a new foe who seeks to turn the populace against all superheroes.

Future films

Following the release of Incredibles 2, director Brad Bird acknowledged that the film's truncated production schedule resulted in many plotlines and ideas he had for the film being cut from the final version. He cited Pixar's decision in October 2016 to swap the release dates of Toy Story 4 and Incredibles 2, which meant that Bird's film lost a full year of production. Bird stated that the lingering plotlines could lead to a third installment, just as they did with the second: "There were a lot of ideas that we had on this film that could be [used]... whether it's another Incredibles film, or something else".^[1][2] Cast members including Samuel L. Jackson and Sophia Bush have expressed interest in reprising their roles. Producer John Walker said of a potential third film: "I wouldn't ever rule it out. And if past is prologue, it'll be another 14 years — and a lot of people will probably need oxygen to make a third one".^[3]

Short films

Jack-Jack Attack (2005)

Main article: Jack-Jack Attack

A short film was released on March 15, 2005 on the first film's DVD release, entitled Jack-Jack Attack. Bird returned to write and direct the short. It was originally conceived to be part of the first film, but decided to make it into a short. The short takes place during the events of the first film and follows Kari as she babysits Jack-Jack while discovering his newly awakened superpowers in the process.

Mr. Incredible and Pals (2005)

Main article: Mr. Incredible and Pals

Another short film titled Mr. Incredible and Pals was also included on the first film's DVD release. The short is presented as an episode of a 1960s animated series animated in the style of Syncro-Vox (an animation technique famously used for Clutch Cargo). Craig T. Nelson and Samuel L. Jackson appear in character as Mr. Incredible and Frozone respectively in the short's commentary track.

Auntie Edna (2018)

A short film entitled Auntie Edna was released in Autumn 2018 with the film's digital, DVD and Blu-ray release of Incredibles 2. In a similar manner to Jack-Jack Attack, the short follows Edna during the events of Incredibles 2 as she babysits Jack-Jack while coping with his newly discovered powers.

Pixar Popcorn (2021)

Two short films entitled Chore Day – The Incredibles Way and Cookie Num Num, alongside eight other Pixar shorts, were released on Disney+ as part of the Pixar Popcorn series on January 22, 2021. Chore Day – The Incredibles Way follows the Parr family as they utilize their unique powers for daily chores. Cookie Num Num follows the Parr family as they race to eat the last cookie during midnight snack time.

Video games

The Incredibles (2004)

Main article: The Incredibles (video game)

A video game developed by Heavy Iron Studios and published by THQ based on the 2004 film was released on October 31, 2004 for PlayStation 2, Mobile phone, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and Xbox.

The Incredibles: When Danger Calls (2004)

A PC game developed by ImaginEngine and published by THQ based on the 2004 film was released on November 3, 2004. It is a collection of 10 minigames, which are variations of common arcade games, including side-scrolling avoidance games, catch-something-falling exercises, and games that require players to hit buttons at the appropriate moment.^[4]

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer (2005)

Main article: The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer

A video game presented as a direct continuation of The Incredibles (until Incredibles 2 rendered it non-canon), released in October 24, 2005 for PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and Xbox, once again developed by Heavy Iron Studios and published by THQ. The game takes place after the events of the film and follows Mr. Incredible and Frozone as they face off against the Underminer as he prepares his attack on the Earth's surface.

Lego The Incredibles (2018)

Main article: Lego The Incredibles

A Lego video game adaptation based on the events of the first two films was developed by TT Fusion and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on June 15, 2018 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 coinciding with the release of Incredibles 2.

Other miscellaneous titles

The Incredibles have made appearances in other Disney-related video games. The core cast of characters appear in all three Disney Infinity games in which characters from the films appear as playable characters, with the first game featuring a play set based on the franchise, along with the members of the Parr family (except Jack-Jack) and Syndrome as playable characters. Kinect Rush: A Disney–Pixar Adventure for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows 10, includes missions from various Pixar films including The Incredibles. The five members of the Parr family, Frozone and Syndrome appear as playable characters in Disney Magic Kingdoms, along with some attractions based on locations of the film.^[5][6] Additionally, the whole Parr family, Frozone, Syndrome, The Underminer, and Voyd are all playable heroes in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of The Incredibles characters

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the franchise.

• An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
•  ^A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
•  ^E indicates an appearance not included in the theatrical cut.

Characters	Theatrical films		Video games		Short films
	The Incredibles	Incredibles 2	The Incredibles: When Danger Calls	The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer	Jack-Jack Attack	Mr. Incredible and Pals	Auntie Edna
Robert "Bob" Parr Mr. Incredible	Craig T. Nelson		Richard McGonagle			Pete Docter	Craig T. Nelson
						Craig T. Nelson[a]
Helen Parr Elastigirl	Holly Hunter			Silent cameo
Violet Parr	Sarah Vowell
Dashiell "Dash" Parr	Spencer Fox	Huckleberry Milner	Spencer Fox
Jack-Jack Parr	Eli Fucile		Silent cameo		Eli Fucile		Eli Fucile
	Maeve Andrews	Nick Bird[b]					Maeve Andrews
							Nick Bird
							Noelle Zuber
Lucius Best Frozone	Samuel L. Jackson			Isaac C. Singleton Jr.		Michael Asberry
						Samuel L. Jackson[c]
Edna "E" Mode	Brad Bird						Brad Bird
Rick Dicker	Bud Luckey	Jonathan Banks			Bud Luckey
Tony Rydinger	Michael Bird
Honey Best	Kimberly Adair Clark
Buddy Pine IncrediBoy / Syndrome	Jason Lee	Deleted scene	Jason Lee		Jason Lee
Mirage	Elizabeth Peña		Elizabeth Peña^A
Mr. Gilbert Huph	Wallace Shawn
Bernie Kropp	Lou Romano		Lou Romano
Principal John Walker	Wayne Canney		Wayne Canney^A
Bomb Voyage	Dominique Louis
Kari McKeen	Bret Parker	Bret Parker^E			Bret Parker
Rusty McAllister	Nick Bird^U	Deleted scene
Mrs. Hoganson	Jean Sincere		Jean Sincere^A
The Underminer	John Ratzenberger			John Ratzenberger
Evelyn Deavor Screenslaver		Catherine Keener
Winston Deavor		Bob Odenkirk
Karen Voyd		Sophia Bush
Krushauer		Phil LaMarr
He-Lectrix
Gus Burns Reflux		Paul Eiding
Ambassador Henrietta Selick		Isabella Rossellini
Pizza Guy Screenslaver (decoy)		Bill Wise
Lady Lightbug						Celia Schuman

Note: A dark grey cell indicates that the character did not appear in that medium.

Production

Production for the first film

The Incredibles as a concept dates back to 1993 when Bird sketched the family during a period in which he tried to break into film.^[7][8] Personal issues had percolated into the story as they weighed on him in life.^[9] During this time, Bird had inked a production deal with Warner Bros. Animation and was in the process of directing his first feature, The Iron Giant.^[10] Approaching middle age and having high aspirations for his filmmaking, Bird pondered whether his career goals were attainable only at the price of his family life.^[9] He stated, "Consciously, this was just a funny movie about superheroes. But I think that what was going on in my life definitely filtered into the movie."^[11] After the box office failure of The Iron Giant, Bird gravitated toward his superhero story.^[9][10]

He imagined it as a homage to the 1960s comic books and spy films from his boyhood and he initially tried to develop it as a 2D cel animation.^[9] When The Iron Giant became a box office bomb, he reconnected with old friend John Lasseter at Pixar in March 2000 and pitched his story idea to him.^[8] Bird and Lasseter knew each other from their college years at CalArts in the 1970s.^[12] Lasseter was sold on the idea and convinced Bird to come to Pixar, where the film would be done in computer animation. The studio announced a multi-film contract with Bird on May 4, 2000,^[9] breaking Pixar's mold of having directors who had all risen through the ranks. The Incredibles was written and directed solely by Brad Bird, a departure from previous Pixar productions which typically had two or three directors and as many screenwriters.^[13] In addition, it would be the company's first film in which all characters are human.^[12]

"The dad is always expected in the family to be strong, so I made him strong. The moms are always pulled in a million different directions, so I made her stretch like taffy. Teenagers, particularly teenage girls, are insecure and defensive, so I made her turn invisible and turn on shields. And ten-year-old boys are hyperactive energy balls. Babies are unrealized potential."

– Brad Bird, writer and director of The Incredibles.^[14][15]

Production for the second film

Following the first film, Brad Bird directed his next film for Pixar, Ratatouille, which was released in June 2007. Near its premiere, Bird said he was open to an idea of a sequel to The Incredibles, but only if it could be even better than the original. He stated, "I have pieces that I think are good, but I don't have them all together."^[16]

In a May 2013 interview, Bird reiterated his interest in a sequel: "I have been thinking about it. People think that I have not been, but I have—because I love those characters, and love that world." He added: "I am stroking my chin and scratching my head. I have many, many elements that I think would work really well in another Incredibles film, and if I can get 'em to click all together, I would probably wanna do that."^[17] While publicizing the first film, Bird had already conceptualized the eventual approach where Bob and Helen would switch roles, and Jack-Jack would develop multiple powers yet known by the family.^[18]

Pixar announced in November 2016 that both Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson would return to reprise their roles,^[19][20] and at the July 2017 D23 Expo that both Craig T. Nelson and Sarah Vowell would also return with them. Spencer Fox, the original voice of Dashiell "Dash" Parr, was replaced in the sequel by younger newcomer Huck Milner.^[21] Also that July, Brad Bird and John Ratzenberger were confirmed as reprising their characters from the first film.^[22][23]

In November 2017, Pixar announced that Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener had been signed to the cast,^[23] but did not disclose their roles as new characters Winston and Evelyn Deavor until a later date.^{[citation needed]} In January 2018, it was announced that Sophia Bush and Isabella Rossellini would voice new characters Voyd and The Ambassador, while Jonathan Banks would voice Rick Dicker, after the character's original voice actor, Bud Luckey, retired in 2014;^[24][25] after his death in 2018, the film was dedicated to Luckey's memory.^[26]

Health concerns

Many disability advocates, including the Epilepsy Foundation, have raised concerns that scenes in Incredibles 2 with flashing lights, particularly the scene of Elastigirl's fight with a Screenslaver henchman, can trigger seizures in viewers affected by photosensitive epilepsy. Because of this, several theaters posted warnings for audiences with this condition. Disney issued a statement to USA Today stating that they appreciated the efforts the theaters had already made in making signs warning people seeing the movie. They then advised theaters to warn audiences about the scene in a sign that read, "Incredibles 2 contains a sequence of flashing lights, which may affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or other photosensitivities".^[27]

Crew

Film	Director	Writer	Producer(s)	Executive Producer	Composer	Editor	Cinematographer(s)
The Incredibles	Brad Bird		John Walker	John Lasseter	Michael Giacchino	Stephen Schaffer	Andrew Jimenez Patrick Lin Janet Lucroy
Incredibles 2			John Walker Nicole Paradis Grindle				Mahyar Abousaeedi Erik Smitt

Reception

Box office performance

Each film is linked to the "Box office" section of its article

Film	U.S. release date	Box office gross			All-time ranking[28]		Budget	Ref.
		U.S. and Canada	Other territories	Worldwide	U.S. and Canada	Worldwide
The Incredibles	November 5, 2004	$261,441,092	$370,000,000	$631,441,092	118	154	$92 million	[29]
Incredibles 2	June 15, 2018	$608,581,744	$634,223,615	$1,242,805,359	11	19	$200 million	[30]
Total		$870,022,836	$1,004,223,615	$1,874,246,451	28	41	$292 million

Critical and public response

Each film is linked to the "Critical response" section of its article

Film	Critical		Public
	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic	CinemaScore	PostTrak
The Incredibles	97% (250 reviews)[31]	90 (41 reviews)[32]	A+[33]	—
Incredibles 2	93% (390 reviews)[34]	80 (51 reviews)[35]	A+[33]	92%[33]

Academy Awards

See also: List of Pixar awards and nominations § The Incredibles

Category	The Incredibles	Incredibles 2
Best Animated Feature	Won	Nominated
Best Original Screenplay	Nominated
Best Sound Editing	Won
Best Sound Mixing	Nominated

Notes

1. Nelson appeared in-character as Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible on the shorts' DVD commentary.
2. Bird stood in as the voice of Jack-Jack in scenes in which the character transformed into a monster.
3. Jackson appeared in-character as Lucius Best / Frozone on the shorts' DVD commentary.

References

1. Snetiker, Marc (June 17, 2018). "Could there be an Incredibles 3? Director Brad Bird weighs in". Entertainment Weekly.
2. Siddiqui, Mariyam (March 23, 2022). "Incredibles 3 Release Date, Cast and Plot Updates". Chronicles News. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
3. Snetiker, Marc. "Could there be an 'Incredibles 3'? Director Brad Bird weighs in". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
4. "The Incredibles: When Danger Calls - Game Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. 2004-12-09. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
5. "Update 2: The Incredibles | Livestream". YouTube. June 10, 2016.
6. "Update 20: The Tower Challenge | Livestream". YouTube. June 1, 2018.
7. Brad Bird, John Walker et al. (2011). The Incredibles. Special Features: Making of The Incredibles (Blu-ray Disc). Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
8. Patrizio, Andy (March 9, 2005). "An Interview with Brad Bird". IGN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
9. Price, p. 220
10. Price, p. 219
11. Paik, Karen. (2007) To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios, Chronicle Books LLC, pg. 236–37.
12. Price, p. 217
13. Price, p. 222
14. Price, p. 220–221
15. Michael Barrier (February 27, 2005). "Brad Bird – Interview". MichaelBarrier.com. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
16. "Bird on Toy Story 3 and The Incredibles 2". June 22, 2007. Archived from the original on June 25, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2007.
17. "Brad Bird on 'Incredibles' Sequel: 'I Would Probably Wanna Do That' (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
18. Schoellkopf, Christina (June 7, 2018). "'Incredibles 2' team on the sequel's 14-year gap, and putting Elastigirl center stage". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
19. Goldberg, Lesley (November 17, 2016). "Holly Hunter to Star in HBO's Alan Ball Family Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
20. Romano, Nick (December 16, 2016). "Incredibles 2: Samuel L. Jackson is back to work on Frozone in new image". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
21. "D23 Expo: Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Upcoming Films". July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
22. Alexander, Julia (July 14, 2017). "The Incredibles 2 will focus on Elastigirl, include some noticeable upgrades". Polygon.
23. "Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener Join Voice Cast of Pixar's "The Incredibles 2" (Exclusive)". November 17, 2017.
24. "Follow this thread to meet the cast of #Incredibles2". Twitter. January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
25. "'Incredibles 2' Reveals New Cast, Character Details". The Hollywood Reporter.
26. Tenreyro, Tatiana. "'Incredibles 2' Has A Touching Dedication To A Pixar Animating Legend". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
27. Mallenbaum, Carly (2018-06-18). "Disney issues seizure warning about 'Incredibles 2' for fans with epilepsy". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
28. "Franchises". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
29. "The Incredibles (2004)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
30. "Incredibles 2 (2018)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
31. "The Incredibles". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
32. "The Incredibles". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
33. D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 18, 2018). "'Incredibles 2' Record $183M Beats 'Captain America: Civil War' Opening & Lifetime Totals Of 'Cars 3', 'A Bug's Life'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
34. "Incredibles 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
35. "Incredibles 2". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 30, 2022.