Incredibles 3 is officially in the works and fans are speculating how the Parr family will age. Brad Bird has clarified why such a move would go wrong for the franchise and is pushing back on the idea of aging up the characters.
What did Brad Bird say about Incredibles 3?
In an interaction with The Direct, Bird said he has no interest in introducing a major time jump that would age up the characters in the film. The director of the first two Incredibles films believes the characters work because they represent timeless family archetypes rather than specific age groups.
He explained that each character represents different parts of life that we go through. He initially referred to the baby Jack-Jack’s archetype as a toddler. He emphasized they might have all powers or not have any at all. Jack-Jack has over a dozen abilities and can do anything at any given time.
He then referred to Dash’s super speed ability, which represents the boundless energy of a 10-year-old. Violet’s invisibility power represents her teenage shyness and insecurity, while Helen’s elasticity symbolizes the mother being pulled in many directions at once. Bob’s power reflects the expectation that fathers are strong.
According to Bird, each character’s power is closely tied to the different stages of life they represent. He believes that changing these dynamics and aging them up would weaken the core concept that has defined the franchise from the very start.
Brad Bird said, “Those are family archetypes, and aging them up doesn’t help that at all. People just keep thinking that aging them up is going to make them somehow hipper or cooler, or more like them, and it’s like no, it won’t.”
Bird’s comments also align with how the franchise has handled its timeline so far. Incredibles 2 (2018) picks up soon after the events of the first film, which was released in 2004. Given Bird’s comments about aging up and the franchise’s history, Incredibles 3 likely picks up from its prequel’s ending.
Pixar plans to release Incredibles 3 in 2028.
