"Incredibles 2" illustrates Pixar's award-winning quality in terms of story and animation and writer/director Brad Bird has an ability to show us ourselves in a fun and sympathetic way. This is why his films, more than any other Pixar offerings, resonate so strongly with adults on an adult level while still being enjoyable for kids. "Incredibles 2" opens with our superheroes battling The Underminer and causing extensive damage to the city. As a result, the powers-that-be shut down the 'supers' program, making them illegal. With no government support, the Parr family must try to live life as 'normal' people. That is, until an ally is found in Winston and Evelyn Deavor (Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener), who run the wildly successful communications firm Devtech. Evelyn is the tech genius and Winston is the firm's PR genius. They want the supers back in action. They convince Bob-Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Helen-Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) and Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) that they have a perception problem. The public sees the damage they cause, but not the results. By using body cams, the public can now see supers in action, fighting crime and catching bad guys. Winston decides to take the supers public with Elastigirl because she causes the least amount of damage. That means that Bob is now the stay-at-home dad to Violet, Dash (Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile). And it's not easy being a single parent: Violet is going through typical adolescent angst, Dash is having problems with new math and Jack-Jack has emerging powers. Meanwhile, Elastigirl is fighting Screensaver, a high tech villain that uses hypnotism to get others to commit crimes.
"Incredibles 2" deftly interweaves spousal and sibling rivalry along the fear and confusion that goes along with Jack-Jack's emerging powers. (One of the best sequences is when Jack-Jack faces off against a marauding raccoon.) Nonetheless, the family bonds when it's time to face off against a menace to society. And undergirding Screensavers' motivations is the metaphor for everyone being too addicted to their various screens. Like many villains, he's fond of monologuing and his screeds against Helen cast her and other superheroes as a safety net for the rest of society, draining the citizenry of their free will. He's the bad guy, but he has a philosophy that's more complex that the usual world domination. "The Incredibles 2" is definitely entertainment for adults and children alike.
Note" Be sure to arrive early enough to see the Pixar short, "Bao." It's full of emotional potency and poignancy, sure to cause you to break out a tissue or two.
