Helen Parr (''The Incredibles'')

Helen Parr
Elastigirl
The Incredibles character
Helen Parr / Elastigirl as seen in Incredibles 2
First appearance The Incredibles (2004)
Created by Brad Bird
Voiced by Holly Hunter (films, Disney Infinity series)
Elizabeth Daily (video game)
Ally Johnson (Lego The Incredibles)
Information
Full name Helen Parr (née Truax)
Aliases Elastigirl
Species Super
Gender Female
Occupation Superhero
Spouse(s) Robert “Bob” Parr (Mr. Incredible)
Children Violet Parr (eldest daughter), Dash Parr (eldest son), Jack Jack Parr (youngest son)
Nationality American
Abilities Elasticity

Helen Parr (née Truax)[1] is a fictional superhero, created by Brad Bird for the Pixar franchise The Incredibles. The character is voiced by Holly Hunter in the films and in the Disney Infinity video game franchise, while Elizabeth Daily and Ally Johnson voiced her in The Incredibles video game and Lego The Incredibles. Helen has an elasticity-based superpower that allows her body to stretch and contort in a variety of ways. Helen Parr is also known by her superhero name Elastigirl.

Development

When designing the Incredibles family, Brad Bird wanted each of their superpowers to be related to their personality. He felt that as a mother, Helen was required by society to be pulled in many different directions, which led to her being given an elastic ability.[2]

Regarding the choice to make Helen the star of Incredibles 2, Bird insisted that it was unrelated with the #MeToo movement, and was instead a choice that came naturally with how the writers wanted to progress the story.[3]

Appearances

In The Incredibles (2004), Helen is seen as Elastigirl in the time before superheroes are banned. She married Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and starts a family: Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. She gives up her vigilante job to become a housewife while her husband worked. When Bob starts to act sneakily, Helen suspects an affair and confronts him. Later, when she discovered her husband is in trouble, she pilots a jet to rescue him, accompanied by Violet and Dash.

In Incredibles 2 (2018), the main plot of the film involves Helen becoming the face of a campaign to make superheroes legal again by giving them good public relations through successful missions that don't cause collateral damage to the city. Although she ends up becoming Evelyn's victim, she is then rescued by her children, with Helen finally learns of Jack-Jack's first of 17 superhuman abilities.

Critical reception

Syfy Wire praised the sequel for making its hero a "kickass mom".[4]

Upon the release of Incredibles 2, there was some discourse surrounding the sexualisation of Helen's character. Hundreds of fans on social media described the character as "thicc", a slang term referring to having large buttocks,[5] while The New Yorker likened the character to Anastasia Steele from Fifty Shades of Grey.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Brad Bird (March 18, 2012). "Is Helen Parr's maiden name really Truax?". Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  2. ↑ q on abc (2018-06-14). "Why Incredibles 2 director Brad Bird says cartoons aren't just for children". Retrieved 2018-06-25 – via YouTube.
  3. ↑ Puentes, Patricia (2018-06-23). "From Elastigirl to Edna, how Incredibles 2 women kick butt". CNET. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  4. ↑ Fleenor, S.E. (2018-06-25). "Elastigirl finally gets the respect she's due in Incredibles 2". Syfy. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  5. ↑ Mallenbaum, Carly. "'Incredibles 2' star Elastigirl is 'thicc': Why that's a good thing". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  6. ↑ Bond, Nick. "Veteran film critic mocked for bizarre 'horny' Incredibles 2 review". news.com.au. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
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