Elastigirl

Helen Truax first appears in The Incredibles (2004) as Elastigirl, a superhero with superhuman elasticity. Following the government's ban on superheroes due to a series of accidents and lawsuits, she marries fellow superhero Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and retires. The couple has three children, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack, and insists that they conceal their own superpowers to remain undetected among civilians. While Bob struggles with the loss of his superheroic identity, Helen adapts to domesticity as a housewife easier than her family, but grows concerned by Bob's aloofness as he secretly resumes hero work. Suspicious of his behavior, Helen consults costume designer Edna Mode, who reveals Bob's actions and location, restores her confidence, and outfits her with a new super suit. She tracks Bob to Nomanisan Island, where she infiltrates the base of Syndrome (Buddy Pine), a crazed inventor and former superfan of Mr. Incredible's, who has turned against him for dismissing him as a child. Violet and Dash stowaway aboard her chartered jet, and they narrowly survive an attack from Syndrome's missiles. After reuniting with Bob on the island, the family is captured but manages to escape and return to Municiberg, where they defeat Syndrome's final Omnidroid. Back home, Syndrome attempts to abduct Jack-Jack, but the baby unexpectedly manifests powers and escapes. Helen catches Jack-Jack midair by transforming into a parachute, while Syndrome is ultimately killed when his own cape is caught in his aircraft. The film ends three months later, with the family preparing to confront a new threat, the Underminer. In Incredibles 2 (2018), Helen is recruited by telecommunications moguls, siblings Winston and Evelyn Deavor, to lead a public relations campaign aimed at restoring public support for superheroes, who remain outlawed after the Parrs fail to apprehend the Underminer. Selected over Bob due to her lower history of collateral damage, Helen becomes the public face of the movement and undertakes solo missions designed to demonstrate the value of superheroes, while Bob remains home with their children. During one of Helen's missions, she encounters a mysterious villain called the Screenslaver, who uses hypnotic signals transmitted through television screens and goggles to control others. Evelyn hypnotizes Helen and Bob, and attempts to sabotage the campaign by forcing them to crash a luxury ship carrying several dignitaries into the city. Helen apprehends Evelyn during her attempted escape and, after stopping her from throwing herself to her death, hands her over to the police. ==Development==

Creation Screenwriter and director Brad Bird had pitched The Incredibles to Pixar as a scenario where a superhero family is forced to live as civilians in a witness relocation program. While the father is stuck reliving his past, Helen embraces their new life to the point that she has, according to Bird, set aside a part of her personality she believes she no longer needs, only to discover that she does miss it to some degree. Bird said that, by the end of The Incredibles, Helen "has no intention of slowing down ever, and is rediscovering and reawakening [the superhero] side of her". He created Helen as a tribute to "the typical modern-day mom", and cited his own wife, Elizabeth, as inspiration for the character. Wanting the family's powers to symbolize typical nuclear family roles, he gave Helen elasticity to represent mothers who are constantly balancing countless responsibilities and being pulled in multiple directions. Originally, the script included a scene where Helen defends her decision to be a stay-at-home mother from a businesswoman who openly mocks the term. It was inspired by interactions Bird's wife had with her peers when she had first decided to be a homemaker and found that several people reacted dismissively. The scene was storyboarded but cut when the writers decided to open the film by introducing Helen and Bob as younger superheroes instead of a normal couple. Although there were some concerns that this moment would unintentionally undermine or sexualize the character, most of the crew understood Bird's intentions to make her more interesting, flawed, and relatable, and the scene was retained. Instead of changing any dialogue, the director had Helen stretch to meet Bob's height to visually establish that "she's not intimidated by him, she's just as tough as he is". Animators had also voiced concerns that it would be too time-consuming to design and cast a major character, only for them to die so early in the film. He was written out and replaced by Syndrome, shifting the villain connection from Helen's past to Bob's and eliminating the ex-boyfriend subplot. Helen's call sign for her jet, India Golf Niner-Niner (IG99), is a reference to the animated film The Iron Giant (1999), which Bird also wrote and directed. The writers were challenged to create dozens of unique, meaningful names for their superheroes. but refer to her as "Mrs. Incredible" outside of the film. According to comic book historian Peter Sanderson, DC had possibly neglected to renew the name's trademark, unintentionally allowing Disney to use it in the film. He described Helen as more emotionally developed than Bob, having transitioned from superhero to civilian easier. According to the director, she, unlike Bob, considers herself to be a parent and wife first and foremost, over a crime-fighter. However, she clarified that Helen "does not lead with a maternal kind of instinct at all as a superhero". As the first Pixar film with an all-human cast, The Incredibles posed several unprecedented computer animation challenges. Deciding each character should move differently from each other, Bird said Helen's "buttery movements ... suggest that she could fit into any situation". Each member of the Parr family is based on a geometric shape, with Helen resembling a heart. Character supervisor Bill Wise believes Helen was likely the most sophisticated articulation rig Pixar had created to that point. Similarly, animator Karen Kiser filmed herself and her children jumping off a dock to animate the scene where Helen and her children freefall from their downed jet. In 2004, media outlets reported that Mister Fantastic's role in the final act of the then-upcoming Fantastic Four (2005) film was expanded once filmmakers saw what The Incredibles had been able to achieve using Elastigirl's special effects. Voice Helen is voiced by American actress Holly Hunter. Hunter had never voiced an animated character before, and welcomed the opportunity to expand her repertoire. Instead, she relied on Bird's direction and knowledge of her character. Although a complete script had been written and available, she explained that avoiding it was inherent to the non-chronological manner in which animated projects are often completed. Bird would describe scenes and read as other characters from within her recording booth. Animators filmed Hunter's recording sessions to use as live-action reference. Hunter opted to not ask Bird about a sequel, preferring to allow any potential follow-ups to be "an organic, intrinsic desire from the creator". She had first learned about the project when Bird's Tomorrowland (2015) was being released, and confirmed she would start recording for the sequel within a month of March 2016. She attributed the cast and crew's willingness to return to Bird's genuine interest in crafting an authentic storyline for Helen. In total, she recorded on-and-off for approximately one-and-a-half years. she maintains that the role had never felt foreign due to her active imagination. Incredibles 2 Helen became the protagonist of Incredibles 2. Grindle confirmed that Bird had conceived Helen receiving her own mission 14 years before the sequel, which focuses on reminding her she "was really good at being a Super" before housework. Bird said that while the ending of the first film suggests the family's issues had largely been resolved, he knew there was still a part of Helen that missed being a superhero. The director acknowledged that Helen could easily be perceived as perfect or idealized, and set a personal goal to further humanize her in the sequel. Bird insisted that Helen's expanded role was not inspired by the #MeToo and Time's Up movement, The sequel explores how she channels that same ambition when returning to the field as a mature woman, calling back to her interview in The Incredibles where she asserts that she is not interested in settling down. Although he appreciated audiences finding real-world parallels, Bird argued that Helen's action heroine self-rediscovery was equally integral in The Incredibles, The actress appreciated seeing a "full-fledged" version of her character boast traits she believes women are often taught to suppress, and described the sequel's iteration of Helen as embodying both maturity and youthful energy. In Incredibles 2, she wears three different supersuits, in addition to her "everyday wardrobe". In-universe, the suit was created by Edna's competitor, Alexander Galbacki. His design was intentionally off-putting, serving as a commentary on how supersuits in modern superhero films have become less vibrant and colorful. While Helen's body shape was exaggerated to emulate the comic book style of superheroines, features such as her waist size were adjusted so she would look more natural wearing civilian clothes. Her largest solo action scene to that point, they extended the sequence to include more stunts for Helen, allowing her to keep up with the train without needing to slow it down prematurely. However, they avoided researching other motorcycle films to maintain originality, instead sourcing inspiration from various sports including motocross, water skiing, skateboarding, and Parkour, which they combined with Elastigirl's abilities. Simulation supervisor Tiffany Erickson Klohn described retaining Helen's hairstyle while she rode atop a train traveling at 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) as a significant challenge, which required new hair simulation software. Story supervisor Ted Mathot said that, at times, they struggled to humanize Elastigirl because "she's pretty close to perfect" in the first film, and worked to expose some of her flaws by having her struggle and make mistakes throughout the sequence. By Incredibles 2, the Incredibles original animation system had grown obsolete, requiring the animators to rebuild returning characters such as Helen using new rigging tools. Mullins returned to supervise her animation and make sure animators understood the limits of her stretching. In addition to supplying them with rubber bands for reference, Mullins explained that, like rubber bands, Helen weakens the further she stretches. Furthermore, he clarified that the character only stretches when necessary, resisting the temptation to animate her stretching unnecessarily, while her head and face remain unchanged regardless of how far she stretches. Her expanded role provided animators with new rigging opportunities, allowing them to stretch Helen in ways not possible in the first film. Updated technology enabled greater secondary motion and articulation for a "softer" feel, particularly in her buttocks and thighs. The tentacle rigs used for Hank in Finding Dory (2016) served as inspiration for enabling Helen to stretch beyond her capabilities in the first film, and this approach was applied to her new rig. ==Powers and abilities==

As Elastigirl, Helen's primary superpower is superhuman elasticity, which allows her to stretch and reshape her body into various sizes, lengths, and forms, while manipulating her own density and durability. She can mold her arms into arcs, curves, zigzags, and loop-the-loops. which she uses to change her form into various shapes including speedboats, and slingshots. However, Syndrome's Operation Kronos database states she can stretch up to 300 feet (91 m). She has demonstrated some feats mimicking invulnerability and strength, such as leaping 80 feet (24 m), subduing physically stronger adversaries, According to a paper published in the University of Leicester Open Journals, researchers examined the feasibility of Elastigirl stopping the runaway train in Incredibles 2 by stretching into the form of a parachute. They estimated that she would have needed to stretch to a diameter of approximately 20 ft (6.16 m) at a train speed of 150 mph, or 13 ft (3.90 m) at the maximum maglev speed of 375 mph. In Incredibles 2, Evelyn imprisons her in a refrigerated room, warning her that attempting to stretch in such conditions could cause her to "break". Her powers are also shown to have practical applications "to meet the daily challenges of modern motherhood". Her powers are similar to those of Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) from the Fantastic Four, and Elasti-Girl (Rita Farr) from Doom Patrol. However, Frank Esposito of Plastic News argued that her closest comparison in pop culture is the DC superhero Plastic Man. Comic book historian Peter Sanderson said Helen's powers "lend themselves to more active, aggressive uses, and hence are more appropriate for a contemporary superheroine" than those of her daughter, Violet, who can turn herself invisible and generate force fields. Hunter believes that the way Helen and Bob compete with each other using their superpowers reflects a quality they share in their relationship. However, Reactor's Leah Schnelbach observed that "It's a fun irony that someone whose power is stretching is absolutely inflexible when it comes to her moral core". ==Reception==

Helen has been mostly well-received by reviewers of The Incredibles. Anthony Lane of The New Yorker called her its best character. Colin Low of Slant Magazine found the character to have the film's most interesting arc. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian and Michael Boyle of /Film highlighted the downing of her jet as an engaging action sequence. Dana Stevens of Slate said she never tires of rewatching "Elastigirl stretching to her full length", and Devin Faraci of CHUD.com anticipated her elasticity being far superior to Mister Fantastic's in Fantastic Four. Helen's introductory interview, in which she expresses little interest in settling down and asserts her confidence as a female superhero, prompted commentary on her views regarding gender roles. Meanwhile, Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle felt the film risks alienating female audiences by depicting Helen as a content homemaker instead of yearning for a superheroic career. At the 31st People's Choice Awards, Elastigirl was nominated for Favourite Animated Movie Star. Film critics generally praised the decision to make Helen the central character of Incredibles 2. S. E. Fleenor of Syfy Wire credited the sequel with finally highlighting "the real hero of both films". The character's action sequences were praised, particularly how her powers are showcased. Reactor's Leah Schnelbach found that, by giving Helen "most of those truly great action set pieces", the sequel improved on one of her few complaints about the first film. William Hughes of The A.V. Club lauded Helen's proficiency during the runaway train scene. Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica described her as "an absolute marvel of abilities, movement, and silliness", and declared the same scene one of the 20 best action film sequences. However, McCarthy complained that Helen's frequent confrontations with runaway vehicles risk becoming repetitive. Steven McIntosh of BBC Online reported that Helen's subversion of gender roles captivated both critics and audiences, In ''Gender in 21st Century Animated Children's Cinema'', Manu Díaz Inglés argues that placing Helen at the center of the film's narrative inevitably engages several gender issues. Moya Crockett of Stylist appreciated the film for highlighting Helen as a strong and empowered yet flawed lead, whereas Maria Sherman of Jezebel said it empowered her without defaulting to superficiality. Anna Smith of The Guardian expressed excitement for "animation that bucked tired gender cliches even more than the first film had", but found the sequel lacking in compelling women compared to men. Writing for Bustle, Rachel Simon said although the film appears relevant to "the current push for more female superheroes and gender equality on-screen", she cautioned audiences that Incredibles 2 is not necessarily "meant to be an ode to female empowerment". The Cord reported that, in the months leading up to the film's release, several commentators vehemently condemned what they viewed as the film's "feminist agenda". Several critics found aspects of the sequel's gender politics to be outdated, and offered mixed reviews of the film's perceived feminist themes. Slate's Inkoo Kang enjoyed only two scenes from Helen, feeling the sequel otherwise overemphasized "Elastigirl's guilt about being apart from her children". Writing for Epigram, Danny Shaw said any of the sequel's progress about feminism, gender roles, and relationships is undone when Helen is rescued by her family. Critics such as Andrea Thompson of the Chicago Reader, Patricia Puentes of CNET, and Eric Seitz of The Vindicator each argued that Helen's arc in Incredibles 2 regresses from the empowerment she demonstrated in the original film by reducing her role to a gender-swapped retread of her husband's journey and reinforcing traditional domestic norms. According to Rutgers University student researcher Khushi Patel, although Incredibles 2 was praised for its portrayal of equal gender roles and feminism, Helen's progression from supermom to superhero and back to supermom ultimately reinforces traditional gender norms and reflects conventional depictions of women in films and other media. The Florida Times-Unions Al Alexander said Helen's feminism already felt dated compared to the previous year's Wonder Woman (2017), and Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times found her role as a female action hero more impactful within the context of the film's period setting than 2018. However, Ed Symkus of The Register-Guard defended Bird from accusations of attempting to capitalize on the trend of feminist-themed films in Hollywood, arguing that he had already been working on Incredibles 2 years before films such as Wonder Woman were released. The Guardians Hanna Flint commended Disney for "giving its female characters more agency", noting that making Helen the breadwinner was "a progressive reflection of our modern world", but she felt this came at the cost of a poor depiction of Bob as a stay-at-home father. Both Kang and Charles Pulliam-Moore of Gizmodo agreed that Bob was undeserving of Helen's loyalty due to his behavior in the sequel, and Rompers Samantha Darby argued that Bob's actions only reinforce the perception that Helen is the Parrs' primary caregiver. Suzy Sammons of Dove.org rejected readings that focused on male domestic incompetence or framed the film as a simple feminist message, arguing that the film instead depicts Helen Parr as a capable working mother who balances her professional calling with a constant awareness of her family's needs. She praised the character as a positive portrayal of a strong partnership and a mother who prioritizes her family even while returning to work. Bradshaw deemed it "a genuine career highlight", Frey said Helen is enriched by Hunter's "earthy voice", James Berardinelli argued that while her voice may be "a little too recognizable ... it doesn't take long for us to forget the actress as the character comes to life". On her work in the sequel, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said Hunter "makes the newly emboldened character resonate onscreen like nobody's business", and Chang said she delivers a "powerhouse portrait of motherhood at its most resilient". IndieWire ranked her Pixar's third-best performance, behind Amy Poehler in Inside Out (2015). Writing for the same publication, Chris O’Falt named Hunter one of "The 20 Best Voice Performances of the Last 20 Years", in 2016. Entertainment Weekly ranked her sixth, and GameRant ranked her seventh. In the Vulture article "The 25 Best Animated Movie Voice Performances Since Aladdin", journalist Bilge Ebiri ranked her 21st and compared it to her work in Raising Arizona (1987). Backstage included Hunter's work in both films among "14 of the Best Voice Acting Performances of All Time". GoldDerby ranked it the third-best performance of her career, and Collider ranked it seventh, describing it as integral to both the film and "the creation of an icon". Variety ranked Hunter the 36th greatest acting performance from a superhero film, and gave her an honorable mention in recognition of the "13 Best Disney Voice Performances". == Impact ==

Legacy and commendations Helen has been consistently acknowledged in media retrospectives and rankings as one of Pixar's standout characters. Rolling Stone ranked Helen Pixar's 14th best Pixar character and second highest-ranking Incredibles character, behind Edna (ninth). In 2017, Vanessa Bogart of /Film named Helen her favorite Pixar character. Writing for the same publication, Josh Spiegel called her one of Pixar's most complex characters and ranked her seventh. She has been described by several publications as one of the greatest fictional mothers depicted on screen, including Time, Catholic Digest, ''Today's Parent, the Cape Cod Times, and The Birmingham News. In a 2013 user poll by LoveFilm, the character was voted the "top screen mum". Additional publications—including The Liberty Champion, Collider, The Daily Register, the Minnesota Star Tribune, and USA Today—have featured her among the best mothers in animation and film history. Within the context of animated films, Progga Paromita of Bdnews24.com recognized Helen as an example of an independent mother who maintains a compelling arc of her own, despite her supporting role in the first film. Deeming her the true hero of The Incredibles, writer and cartoonist Sarah Boxer said she not only subverts the trend of deceased or absent mothers in animated films, but suggests "a view of what animated movies could be—not another desperate attempt to assert the inalienable rights of men, but an incredible world where everyone has rights and powers, even the mothers". She has also been described as a positive female role model by outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle and CNET. In an interview with The New York Times'' columnist Maureen Dowd, some members of the CIA's Band of Sisters named Helen their favorite female crime-fighter, and described themselves as "a work force of Elastigirls". Helen's expanded role in Incredibles 2 was widely regarded as culturally relevant, aligning with ongoing conversations about female representation, empowerment, and gender parity. Chris Hayner of GameSpot wrote that the Incredibles franchise elevated this trend by "putting its female hero front-and-center, over her male counterpart ... send[ing] a powerful message to young viewers who still aren't used to seeing a female hero taking charge and leading the way". Several critics noted that Helen contributed to addressing Pixar's then-criticized lack of female representation. Writer and cartoonist Michael Cavna compared Pixar's promotional strategy for Incredibles 2 to the DC Extended Universe's emphasis on Wonder Woman as its "strongest recent move", noting that this perspective is also reflected by characters within the sequel. In 2018, Marc Snetiker of Entertainment Weekly said the character was underappreciated "for being a game-changing movie superhero back in 2004". according to Yahoo Finance, is one of the 20 highest-grossing female-lead films of all-time. Journalists have highlighted Helen's distinct role as a mother at the center of her film's narrative, particularly within the traditionally male-dominated action genre. Publications such as IGN, Yahoo! Life, Collider, and PhilstarLife.com have ranked her among the greatest superhero movie moms. However, scholar Michael Macaluso argued that critics' celebration of Helen's role in the sequel overlooks her equally significant role in the first film, where she not only acted as a capable mother but also saved Mr. Incredible and defeated a major villain. with Fandango naming her the bravest, strongest woman in Pixar history. Collider ranked her Pixar's second strongest female character. Writing for the same publication, Daniela Gama declared Helen "one of the earliest and most memorable female action heroes in animated movies", and ranked her the 25th "Best Action Movie Heroine of All Time". and GameSpot ranked her the 30th most important superhero across all mediums. The Guardian recognized her as one of the 10 greatest action heroines, and Rotten Tomatoes ranked her the 26th most fearless and inspiring film heroine. Body image and sexualization Incredibles 2s release generated media discussion surrounding the portrayal and evolution of Helen's physique compared to the first film. Many fans expressed admiration for Helen's curvier body shape on social media, often describing it using the slang term "thicc". Internet searches for "Elastigirl thicc" and "Elastigirl dumb thicc" dramatically increased after the film's release, and scenes featuring the character's buttocks inspired various memes, GIFs, and YouTube videos. Brinton Parker of PopSugar reported that some women claimed the character helped them learn to love their own bodies, Rebecca Jennings of Racked expressed appreciation for the positive response to Helen's design, observing that her exaggerated body type was embraced by both straight and queer women, as a celebration of a physique rarely represented or attainable in reality. She predicted that the character will eventually be "inaugurated into the sexy queer character canon". Lane had first alluded to the character's sexuality in a 2011 Pixar profile, in which he implied that Helen's flexibility was an asset to sexual activity, and suggested that audiences had been suppressing sexual fantasies about her since 2004. Some readers found Lane's review humorous, while others considered it disturbing. Gabriella Paiella of The Cut and Clark said the internet's fetishization of Helen was hardly limited to Lane's remarks, with Clark reporting that Lane's review only exposed lewd comments fans had already been sharing about the character on social media. with Vices Marie Solis suggesting that Lane's article was likely vetted by several editors, fact-checkers, and The New Yorker editor David Remnick himself before its publication. In 2021, journalist Helen O'Hara said Lane's remarks reflect a broader trend of even highly prolific male film critics making "grotesque" comments about female stars in their reviews, comparing his comments to those of David Thompson, Andrew Sarris, Todd McCarthy, and Harry Knowles. The Guardians Guy Lodge reported that, of those who complained about Lane's article, few disagreed that the character was objectively sexually attractive. Kang concurred that Lane's review was in poor taste but argued that the backlash it received was disproportionate, noting that sexualized excerpts were disproportionately emphasized and overshadowed Lane's commentary on other aspects of the character. Jennings observed that those expressing similar sentiments on social media lacked access to "one of the world's most respected magazines", and argued that women who shared these views reclaimed the platform from what "could otherwise be a very depressing place". Vice ranked it one of the "horniest" pop culture moments from 2018. == In other media ==

er of Elastigirl at Supanova Expo in 2022To avoid licensing issues with DC's own Elasti-Girl, Disney often markets their character as "Mrs. Incredible" instead of "Elastigirl" on much of their merchandise and promotional tie-ins for The Incredibles. In 2004, Disney installed a two-part billboard advertisement featuring Elastigirl stretching her arm from one panel to the other across a heavily trafficked area. Consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble used the character to promote several home care brands, portraying her as a "multitasking supermom" who balances household chores with fighting crime, under the tagline "mom to the rescue". A TV spot showed the character performing feats such as bathing her children in the bathroom, while stretching to another part of their house to do laundry. A DVD bonus feature shows Elastigirl participating in a mock interview with Access Hollywood correspondent Nancy O'Dell. Several toys, action figures, and collectables based on the character's likeness have been released to support both films. McDonald's 2004 collaboration with The Incredibles included an Elastigirl Happy Meal toy with long, posable arms. Since at least 2011, Funko has released several vinyl figurines and accessories based on the character. To promote Incredibles 2 and its accompanying toy line, in May 2018, Disney released a vintage-style television commercial highlighting Elastigirl, which features her own theme song. Elastigirl appears as a playable character in the 2004 video game adaptation of The Incredibles, with her solo missions emphasizing solving puzzles and stretching across distances over direct combat. She is a playable character in Lego The Incredibles (2018), in which she can stretch herself to access remote areas and transform into objects such as bouncy balls and trampolines. Beginning in 2024, the character is playable in the kart racing game Disney Speedstorm (2023). She is also playable in the Disney Infinity toys-to-life video game series, and has a non-speaking cameo in The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer (2005). In 2024, Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible, and Frozone were added to Fortnite Battle Royale as purchasable skins. A Lego variant of the character was also released. In Boom! Studios' comic book sequel to The Incredibles, Helen's ex-boyfriend, Xerek, is reimagined as the story's antagonist, In 2018, the book Incredibles 2: A Real Stretch: An Elastigirl Prequel Story was released. It was written by Carla Jablonski and explores Helen's fighting crime during the golden age of Supers, prior to the events of The Incredibles. Rapper and singer Lisa included a song, "Elastigirl", on her debut studio album, Alter Ego (2025), inspired by the character. Performers appear as the character at various Disney Parks, including Pixar Plaza at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Elastigirl is a popular selection for cosplay and fan art. During a Disney-themed episode of American Idol in 2023, singer and judge Katy Perry cosplayed as Elastigirl. ==References==