5 Things We Learned From the “Incredibles 2” Press Conference

Recently, I had the chance to see a press screening of Incredibles 2 and take part in a press conference with many of the stars and folks who brought the Parr family back to the big screen almost 14 years after their debut. As most of the questions were asked by the moderator, we got to hear a lot of information and fun stories. But in order to share this event with our readers, I am going to boil it down to just five key points.

The New Voice of Dash Was Already a Fan

Huckleberry “Huck” Milner, the voice of Dash, was a fan of the original “Incredibles” and is in fact a kid – When asked when Huck saw the first film, he shared that he was five when his dad showed it to him. Since it was the favorite of his dad’s, it quickly became Huck’s also. He went on to share that Dash was his favorite character. He also said that he’d watch the film, as all kids do, to the point of his mom got sick of watching it, but then he would use the audition as an excuse to watch the film again. One of the funnier moments of the press conference was Brad Bird going on about how kids are used to cover for adults going to see the first film, he pointed out that we, the cast and crew, are not kids and they are like it and worked on it, to which Huck raised his hand and said “I’m a kid.”

Sam Jackson Explains How to Incredibles Relate to the MCU

Samuel L. Jackson should be in every super hero film to make things right… or at least funny. When asked about how Incredibles elements may have added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, in turn, the MCU added to Incredibles 2, he went on a tangent about how if he was “called in” during the family fall apart in Captain America: Civil War he could have quelled the fight. Sam related that, be it the Incredibles or the MCU, family is the common ground. He mentioned how Iron Man would be the bratty brother, Hulk would be the “special needs kids,” and the sister that turns out to be Black Widow who is a “real killer but with a heart of gold.” After a few more references to the MCU Brad Bird asked “how did this turn into an Avengers press conference?” and Sam said “it didn’t, I am just saying they didn’t let me work in all those movies for a reason, because I really don’t know what is going on but I can pretend I do!”

Holly Hunter’s Glee and Craig T. Nelson’s Resentment

Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson had very different reactions to their characters arcs in this film. Holly shared that, while she didn’t have a full script, Brad Bird was her “instruction manual.” She stated that she was “gleefully singing during our recording sessions about how great my part was.” Of course, as you have seen from all the trailers, she plays the true lead in this film. But on the flip side, Craig said jokingly, “I was resentful when I was told where Mr. Incredible was going to be in this film.” Craig did go on to talk about how much fun he had when he realized during the recording that helping with the kids and encouraging Elastagirl and wrapped up by saying “I’m so honored to be a part of it, to be doing this.”

Sophia Bush’s Questionable Superhero Qualifications

Sophia Bush, new to the cast as Void, apparently doesn’t have what it takes to be a super hero. Her friend shows a video of Sophia to her daughter and told her she was going to be in this movie and the daughter shut her down fast and said “she doesn’t have all the things a superhero needs.” To which Sophia said “okay, ego checked.”

Brad Bird’s Jonny Quest and Outer Limits Love

Brad Bird is just really cool and LOVES JONNY QUEST!  Brad, writer and director, really stole the show from a panel full of big name stars, he had jokes and one liner for just about every person but when it came down to it was just really cool. When Brad was asked about the discussion to pick up immediately after the first film ended, sure he went into talking about how “if they age their superpowers don’t reflect the part of the life they’re in or their role in the family” but in the same breath he says “I worked on the first eight seasons of the Simpsons. And the Simpsons haven’t aged a day and they’re still on the air. So it worked for them. And why not us?” Brad also shared that after the first film he already had an idea for the role reversal between Bob and Helen for the sequel, plus the raccoon fight was planned for the original and he loved it so he had to do a sequel.

By far my favorite part of the whole press conference was getting to ask Bird a question about the addition of a brief scene from the classic animated show, Jonny Quest as well as the show Outer Limits. Brad started out very simply talking about how Outer Limits opening scared him as a kid and it fit perfectly with the villain, Screenslaver, controlling the television screens, but just as the moderator was going to wrap up everything Brad had one more thing to say. He loved Jonny Quest, he talked about the show “it had everything an eight-year old wants in entertainment. It has mummies. It has pterodactyls and guns. And a kid from another country who can levitate things. And a bodyguard who has a fling with a girl that might be dangerous. And lasers and hydrofoils and jetpacks and reptiles and robot spies and I just about exploded when I saw the opening titles to it. So we just had to give Jonny Quest a shout out.”

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So there we have it, a few things I learned from the Incredibles 2 press conference. I hope you learned a few things and make sure you get out June 15th, 2018 and see the new adventures of your favorite Supers in a theater near you!