For Father’s Day, Irish Woman and Boo took me out to see Incredibles 2, the long-awaited sequel to 2004’s The Incredibles.  The sequel literally picks up right where the first one ended, and it’s a roller coaster from beginning to end.

The whole gang from the first movie, including the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Helen Hunt, and Craig T. Nelson, return for this installment.  Catherine Keener and Bob Odenkirk join the cast as brother and sister bazillionaires who want to help the supers regain their place in the sun.  As before, the development and voicing of the entire cast is excellent.  While the baby Jack-Jack stole the show, the most interesting character, to me, is Violet.  She spends the movie trying to figure out how to be a healthy teenage girl who happens to have superpowers, and goes to extremes in that quest.

We rewatched the original yesterday, and I am amazed at how well the animators and voice actors kept the same look, sound, and feel for both movies.  I was worried that after almost a decade and a half, the transition would have been rough, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Like I said, the plot moves quickly, and it’s easy to slip into it and stay there.  All three of us laughed, hard, at many points, and the places where there was action or tension were done with an expert touch.

The only quibble I had with the story is the shop-worn “Dad has to take over for Mom and he’s a mess” schtick, but it fit with the story and Mister Incredible figures it out eventually.  I guess I can’t blame Pixar for using a cliche if it’s done well.

If you’re a fan of the original, or if you have kids that can take a little action in their entertainment, Incredibles 2 is a great summer watch.  This one is definitely going to be added to our collection when it’s released on disk.