I’m a big fan of The Incredibles. It was a great movie with great characters and was more fun that maybe it should have been. It kind of stood out in the genre of superhero movies because it dealt with something I don’t think any previous superhero movies dealt with: The family. And not just any family, but a family comprised of superheroes, each dealing with the problems a typical person in their position would have to deal with. Dad, Mr. Incredible, hated his day job and worried about money. Mom, Mrs. Incredible, had to get the kids to school, tend to the baby and keep house. Brother, Dash was overactive and a little rebellious while sister Violet dealt with boy problems and the troubles of high school. All this while also having to deal with their hiding their abilities and a rising threat from an unknown enemy.
Since its release people have been clamoring for a sequel, since the end of the film is very, very open ended and hints at further adventures of the Parr family. Enter The Incredibles 2, a film that, so far, looks great. Graphically, I mean. Its been 12+ years since the original film and the advancements in computer rendering technology means we are going to see things looking much better, but perhaps not by too much, so as to keep the aesthetic of the previous movie.
Where I, personally, have issue with the recently released preview is that, instead of writing another genre breaking script and blowing everyone’s mind, Disney has opted to trot out the “dumb dad” trope! Watch the “Olympic sneak peak” released earlier this week:
First of all, it seems like a poor decision by the Parr’s to show interest in a mysterious benefactor who wants to bring back supers after the original dealt with the exact same issue! A mysterious benefactor who has a vested interest in bringing back supers, and ends up being someone who hates them and wants them all killed (and succeeded in killing many, btw). Secondly, while the original film differentiated itself from other superhero genre films with its super/family mashup this one looks to be the tired old, mom is awesome, dad is a moron play used by so many other movies and TV shows.
The first Incredibles film focused mostly with Mr. Incredible while Mrs. Incredible and kids had their own spy/hero adventure. Eventually the two stories would merge into a “family superhero” story. It would make sense for the second to focus more on Mrs. Incredible, but dad and kids “adventure” is going to be “dad is a moron and struggles with housework”?
“I’ve go to succeed so SHE can succeed!”
What?
By the end of this short preview Mr. Incredible looks haggard and beat. He can handle giant, hero killing robots, but math and babies are too much for him.
Albeit I can understand the family baby, Jack Jack, isn’t normal, but still. The Incredibles 2 has turned into a weekly episode of The Simpsons. Mom, Marge, is on point while dad, Homer, is just a moron who happens to get lucky sometimes.
I hope I’m wrong about the story, and I very well could be, as its only a short preview, but lately Disney has been shifting the focus of their films from family fun to girl power. Cars 3: Girl power by films end. Star Wars: Girl power all the way through, in both films, The Force Awakens and Rouge One. I haven’t even gone to see The Last Jedi simply because of all the horrible things I have heard about how “Girl Powery” it is.
Exactly who is running the House of Mouse these days?
Disney hasn’t exactly been ‘family friendly’ for decades. Leftist/liberal themes have taken center stage, not just the hyper-feminist ones. Though I don’t follow the so-called entertainment industry, I’m not in any way surprised this is the direction they’re taking.
I bailed on Disney years ago…
I’m considering it, but my history with Disney is pretty deep. Living in SoCal the family and I had a lot of trips to the park with my grandpa and other family members who have since passed away. Its very nostalgic for me and is probably the main reason I don’t ever seem to tire of going. Its a sad thing, really, to see a company that was once so innovative and kid friendly lacing their movies and TV shows with poison. It doesn’t have to be this way, but I’m quite sure leftists and feminists had taken over Disney corporate a long, long time ago.
Right on the mark. They’re not only pushing a heavy handed agenda, they’re using a tired concept to do so. We can’t even get the decency of productive or creative storytelling as the vehicle for this force fed schlock.
Yeah, hoping I am wrong, but from the last preview I saw its pretty much another “Moms Night Out”. Mom gets to go do cool stuff while dad gets to play Mr. Mom at home. I’ll give a little since the original was “Dad gets to go out and do stuff while mom stays (mostly) at home”, but the original was created quite a number of years ago and the sway of feminism has had a big affect on everything, but especially media in the form of movies and gaming.