Parents' Guide to

The Incredibles

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Top-notch, action-packed fun for the entire family.

Movie PG 2004 105 minutes
The Incredibles Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • The Incredibles Movie: Scene #1
  • The Incredibles Movie: Scene #2
  • The Incredibles Movie: Scene #3
  • The Incredibles Movie: Scene #4

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 101 parent reviews

taybrig
taybrig Adult
April 8, 2022
age 8+

Depends on the kid

This movie is fantastic. It is honestly one of the best movies I have ever seen. I have always been annoyed about hollywoods garbage they make for kids. Children can understand complex plots, you don’t have to dumb it down to a mind-numbing degree. Pixar has always been great with making good kids movies but they really outdid themselves here. It tells a very mature and real story, has action that pulls no punches, and is great for pretty much the whole family. It’s really a must watch. But for kids it is ok but around the beginning a man tries to commit suicide by jumping off a building. He gets saved but it’s still pretty dark. But that’s too small a thing to keep you from experiencing this movie. Skip it if you have to, you won’t be disappointed.
CJ B.
CJ B. Parent of baby, 6 and 10-year-old
July 17, 2018
age 16+

"Hero" movies aren't for kids.

They aren't heros, they're just vengeful. The plot wasn't bad but the endless chase as fighting scenes were boring. Obviously inappropriate for children unless you want to teach them that vengeance is the way to go.
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What's the Story?

In THE INCREDIBLES, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), a superheroine whose limbs and torso can stretch the length of an Olympic swimming pool, pauses for just a second on the way to saving the world to check out her rear end in the form-fitting super-suit. Seems that after three kids, there's a bit of stretching there that doesn't have anything to do with superpowers. Her super-strong husband, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), finds that if he isn't careful throwing evil robots around, he can throw his back out, too. Everyday life is challenging enough for these superhero parents, especially with a young baby, a super-speedy son, and a middle-school daughter who can create force fields and make herself invisible. Cleverly these super-powers resemble some familiar family roles -- powerful dad, stretched-thin mom, hyperactive jock son, shy and awkward daughter -- and add resonance to this story of family who sticks together, no matter what.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (101 ):
Kids say (212 ):

What is most incredible and most engaging about this film is how, well, credible it is. Writer-director Brad Bird and the brainiacs at Pixar have climbed the Mount Everest of animation and created human characters as vivid and believable and utterly endearing as any who have ever appeared on film -- animation, live-action, and everything in between. In a witty prologue, we see the superheroes being interviewed. As Mr. Incredible leans toward the TV camera, he gets slightly out of focus. It must have been tempting to take advantage of the endless precision of computer images to keep the edges sharp. But this is a movie that is clever and confident enough to permit a little imperfection in pursuit of perfect believability.

The action sequences in The Incredibles are superbly staged, inventive, and exciting, especially the fights with a many-tentacled robot, and when the Incredible family is joined by the very, um, cool Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson), who can create ice out of the water molecules in the air. It's also a very funny movie, hilarious at every level, from school-age snickers to good-natured teen snarkiness to subtle grown-up laughter. Bird himself plays the funniest character in the film, the supersuit designer Edna Mode. Most of all, though, the movie has wisdom and tons of heart. It's a smart, fresh, and funny movie about the real superheroes: families who stick together.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what superpowers they would most like to have and why. What would your uniform look like? Why did Violet begin to wear her hair back after she used her superpowers, and what made Syndrome so angry?

  • Talk about the violence in The Incredibles. Did it bother you? Did you notice yourself feeling more aggressive after watching? Would the movie have been as effective without the violence?

  • How do the characters in The Incredibles demonstrate communication and perseverance? What about courage and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

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