The Incredibles is one of the best projects from Pixar’s golden age, which included the Toy Story trilogy, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Up, and Monsters Inc. It still stands as one of the greatest animated films and superhero films ever made. Ironically, a film based on Brad Bird’s original idea felt like a better attempt at a Fantastic Four movie than any of the actual films based on Marvel’s “first family.” Bob (Craig T. Nelson), Helen (Holly Hunter), Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Spencer Fox), and Jack-Jack felt like a real family unit that was dealing with relatable issues; the fact that they were a family of superheroes felt almost secondary.
It’s odd that so many other Pixar films received sequels before The Incredibles. Not only did the film tease another installment with its ending, but it seems well-suited for a time when superhero films were becoming more popular. While Monsters University and Finding Dory were satisfying enough, they hardly felt like natural considerations when compared to The Incredibles. After over a decade, Incredibles 2 finally hit theaters in 2018. While it was a good film, the fact that it wasn’t instantly hailed as one of the greatest superhero films of all-time felt somewhat of a disappointment. Compared to superhero sequels that improved upon their predecessors, such as Superman II, X2, Spider-Man 2, The Dark Knight, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Incredibles 2 was not nearly as satisfying as the first film.
Even though it’s been almost two decades, The Incredibles continues to attract acclaim; the highly respected Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers ranked it as one of the 10 best films of the decade. Although Incredibles 2 grossed over $1 billion worldwide, Bird has stated that he only wants to make a third film in the franchise if he has a great idea. While his trepidation is understandable, returning to make a third film could allow Bird to make one of the greatest trilogies of all time. Here’s why it’s time for The Incredibles 3 to become a reality.
Superhero Fatigue
It’s safe to say that audiences are finally getting sick of superhero movies, even if the term “superhero fatigue” has been used for quite some time. There was a period when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was at its peak and building towards the epic conclusion of The Infinity Saga with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame that the genre felt fresh and exciting, as there was a sense of genuine stakes and consequences. Audiences truly cared about the fates of characters like Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and were invested in seeing their stories concluded. Unfortunately, this has not remained true within the last few years in the wake of Phases Four and Five; the films have declined steeply in quality, and there is no sense of stakes when any character can be revived or brought back through the logic of the Multiverse.
As sharply as the Marvel films have declined in quality, the films based on DC Comics have fared even worse. While Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy remains the towering achievement of comic book cinema, the development of a connected DC universe based on the events of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was a complete disaster. Audiences simply didn’t care about a moody, violent Superman (Henry Cavill) or any of the other members of the team that emerged in Justice League. While there’s always the hope that James Gunn could revive the franchise with his upcoming reset of the DC timeline, it’s unclear if audiences are willing to sit through another attempt at a connected universe considering that Warner Brothers is still dealing with the sour taste that The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods left in many viewers’ mouths.
Compared to these superhero franchises that have done nothing to build up audience investment, it seems like viewers would be interested in seeing the Parr family return for another adventure. While Incredibles 2 is a flawed film, its mistakes had nothing to do with the characters themselves. The comedy of Bob having to become a stay-at-home-dad was great, and both Violet and Dash developed in interesting ways. A third Incredibles film has the chance to continue these compelling character arcs and lead to a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy that wraps up the definitive fate of the Parr family.
Pixar’s Need of Hits
Pixar was once a studio that demanded only the highest quality from its films. Unfortunately, the last few years have proven to be disastrous for the studio on both a critical and financial level. This was a result of the decision to send Pixar films directly to the Disney+ streaming service in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic’s height. Audiences became adjusted to the idea of seeing Pixar films at home, and the days when Toy Story 4 and Incredibles 2 could gross over $1 billion felt like they were over.
Up until a certain point, Pixar had at least maintained the quality of its films with masterpieces like Soul, but now even that has declined. Lightyear and Elemental were both box office disasters that earned some of the weakest reviews out of Pixar’s entire catalog. A quality, exciting Incredibles 3 could help Pixar return to the glory days that it has seemingly left behind.
Brad Bird’s Excellence
Despite his relatively short filmography, Bird is one of the best filmmakers of his generation. The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol are all masterpieces, and even Tomorrowland represents a creative failure that certainly doesn’t reflect any cynicism on Bird’s part. It’s unfortunate that Bird has yet to direct a new film in the wake of Incredibles 2, and seeing him return to complete his story would be a great way for him to remind audiences why he’s such a master of his craft.