To truly appreciate the opening of Brad Bird's anticipated sequel, Incredibles 2, you are going to want to revisit the last few minutes of The Incredibles. And seeing how it's been nearly 14 years since Pixar released that original superhero adventure comedy, take a moment and rewatch the ending of the first movie before you read on. I've even included it below for you!
Also, naturally, this article will contain spoilers for June's release, Incredibles 2, so if you really don't want to know what we learned, stop reading!
A few weeks back, CinemaBlend was invited to Pixar Animation's campus in Emeryville, California to learn more about Brad Bird's Incredibles 2. This included interviews with Bird and so many members of his amazing animation team. And in the process, we watched the opening 22 minutes of the sequel. Here's what happened!
The sequel opens on shadowy agent Rick Decker (voiced, this time out, but Better Call Saul standout Jonathan Banks). Decker is interviewing teenage Tony, the boy who might have a crush on Violet Parr (Sarah Vowell). And he's asking him what happened in the parking lot, the moment the Underminer (John Ratzenberger) emerged from the ground.
That's right, Incredibles 2 begins moments after The Incredibles, when this scene ended:
We asked Brad Bird why he chose to pick up the action on the sequel right after the ending of the original film, and he admitted:
I thought about aging everybody, the way everybody does, and then I thought, 'No, that sucks.' [Laughs] So, that's about as deep as it went.
What happens next? The opening of Incredibles 2 is a full-scale battle between the family and The Underminer that goes below and through the massive city, passing Jack-Jack from family member to family member as they go. The Underminer is trying to rob a bank using a giant vacuum tube, only he ends up vacuuming up Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) in the process. As the villain plots his escape, he pilots the large-scale drill that he drove at the end of The Incredibles... causing all sorts of damage. The battle involves all four members of the Parr family, and even Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), who uses his powers to create an ice bridge to catch a monorail.
We see a few moments of this sequence in the most recent Incredibles 2 trailer.
Following the battle, the Incredibles are back to being persona non grata. The city is upset that Supers created so much damage, so Rick Decker has to visit the Parrs -- who are staying at a motel, since their house was destroyed at the end of the first movie -- and tell them that he's discontinuing the Supers program. Luckily, right at that time, Frozone comes by with an offer.
The superhero has been approached by sibling entrepreneurs Winston (Bob Odenkirk) and Evelyn Deavor (Catherine Keener). They seek to repair the image of the Supers, and eliminate the law that makes Supers illegal. Their plan involves placing body cams on the suits worn by the Supers -- this is why Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) has a new costume in later footage. And for their first mission, they want to send Elastigirl out into the field.
There ends the bulk of the opening footage that we watched at Pixar. Some of this is teased in the new trailer. The rest will be revealed when Brad Bird's Incredibles 2 opens in theaters on June 15. We'll also have PLENTY more from our visit to Pixar in the coming days and weeks so leave it locked on CinemaBlend!
