'Incredibles 2' teaser shows being a superhero is tough, Common Core math is tougher

Gwynne Watkins
·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment

Elastigirl is ready for her close-up — and Mr. Incredible is ready to do some heavy lifting around the house. Last night during the Olympics, audiences got the first sneak peek at Incredibles 2, the sequel to Pixar’s 2004 blockbuster. The teaser confirmed that the new film will literally pick up where the last left off, with superhero family Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), teenage Violet (Sarah Vowell), 10-year-old Dash (Huck Milner), and baby Jack-Jack battling a mole-like villain called the Underminer. But that’s only the beginning. Watch the video above.

While the original film involved Bob doing secret superhero work in a world where superpowers have been banned, the sequel shows the supers coming out of the shadows… with Helen, not Bob, leading the charge. And now that Elastigirl is no longer a stay-at-home mom, it’s up to Mr. Incredible — who was fired from his civilian job in the first movie — to take care of the kids. That means not only packing lunches and learning Common Core math (“Why would they change math?” an exasperated Bob yells in the teaser), but also dealing with Jack-Jack’s newly emerging powers. And boy are they a handful.

Across social media, fans applauded the trailer for channeling parents’ frustration with their kids’ math homework.

Others pointed out the improvements in the animation, which keeps the style of the original flim but updates it with contemporary visual wizardry.

The role-reversal storyline generated both praise and skepticism from Incredibles fans. Some praised the decision to make Helen Parr the film’s front-and-center superhero. Others questioned why the trailer focused on Bob if this was supposed to be Helen’s moment to shine.

And naturally, everyone is excited about the return of scene-stealing superhero fashion designer Edna Mode (voiced by writer-director Brad Bird).

Incredibles 2 opens in theaters on June 15.