There’s quite a push and pull when it comes to the hesitant hopefulness regarding the sequel to the largely adored “The Incredibles.”
Both one of the best animated films and best superhero films of the 21st century, with a voice cast of immense talents who made these characters pop off the screen (Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson being obvious standouts), the affection for the Pixar film has only grown with the passage of time. Some of that is due to nostalgia, sure, but part is also due to the original intended audience aging with the film and finding the nuances and bits of artistry that they may have missed before. All of this is to say that, if we’re to be a little lukewarm on the idea of a sequel, we’re not totally being misguided. Despite the fact that it was the most poised for a sequel of its fellow Pixar pictures, few series have fared well passed their original with “Toy Story 2” and “Toy Story 3” being the lone exceptions. It’s exceptionally baffling when looking at “Inside Out” and “Coco,” two beloved originals compared to the okay reception to titles such as “Finding Dory” and “Cars 3“.
That being said, with Brad Bird back on board along with the rest of the original cast, we’re not so cynical to say that if it looks even remotely as good as the original, we’ll be first in line to see where the writing and this family of superheros brings us next. We may be at the point of no return with superhero over saturation, but “The Incredibles” remain a tentpole of the genre for a reason and while the hesitation remains, the promise is too great to be too reluctant about the final product.
The film also stars Craig T. Nelson, John Ratzenberger, Sarah Vowell and Huck Milner and opens on June 15, 2018.