AWAYTOC

I wasn't too excited about seeing this movie. Just another over-hyped, over-violent kids' movie, I thought. But then I saw it, and I saw it again, and I like it more each time.

It's all about the themes. Sure, it has enough funny visual effects to keep my two-year-old son interested, and the plot isn't too developed for my four-year-old to follow, but when was the last time you saw a cartoon that could lead you to talking about what makes a man attractive to a woman he's been married to for fifteen years? When was the last time an animated feature brought up issues of corporate responsibility, the search for significance, and the need for the extraordinary?

"What are you waiting for?" Mr. Incredible asks.
"I don't know. Something awesome."

If animated films spent more time developing dialog like that and less time on jokes about body parts, I'd recommend a lot more of them.

Don't let the fact that its animated mislead you into trying to use it with beginners.

1. superhero: (mostly) American imaginary heroes that have extraordinary physical or technological powers and usually work as vigilantes
2. secret identity: superheroes always wear a costume of some sort to keep people from knowing who they really are
3. mild-mannered: calm, not drawing attention to ones-self
4. alter-ego: a personality that is the opposite of your natural personality
5. maid: a woman who is hired to clean a home
6. armed: carrying weapons
7. suspects: people who the police think have committed a crime but who have not been convicted in court
8. stand clear: stay away
9. fan club: a group of people who are organized to collect information about a celebrity
10. ladies first: traditional saying that men allow women to go first through doors, through lines, or at meals
11. counseling: professional psychological help
12. nab: capture a criminal (slang)
13. set up a perimeter: place guards surrounding an area
14. affiliated: officially associated with or connected to

1. Who are the characters introduced in this section? (Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Frozone, Bomb Voyage, Incrediboy/Buddy) What are their super powers?
2. How does Mr. Incredible seem to feel about his powers in the interview? Why does he feel this way?
3. How does Elastigirl feel about her powers in the interview? Why does she feel this way?
4. Describe the relationship between Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl.
5. Does your culture have any vigilante heroes? Tell about them. What makes them popular?
6. What Western vigilante heroes do they know?
7. What do the superheroes get out of saving people? Why do they do it?
8. Why does Mr. Incredible refuse Buddy's help? What does this show about American values?

1. Is vigilantism good for society?
2. Would it be good for a society to have superheroes? Why or why not?
3. If your city could have five superheroes, not anyone in this class, what super powers would you want them to have?
4. If you could have a super power, what would you choose?
5. If you could create ten superheroes, would you? (You are not allowed to control them.)
6. Would society be best if everyone had the same powers?
7. Could technology give you super powers?
8. Are technological power advantages worse than physical power advantages?
9. What does it mean to "Be true to yourself"? (Shakespeare, Hamlet, "This above all: to thine own self be true.")

1. TV newsreel footage of the end of the superheroes. Mr. Incredible was sued by the man who attempted suicide. Congress forced the superheroes to reveal their secret identities. They were relocated and went into hiding under new identities, and told never to use their powers again.
2. Mr. Incredible, now Bob Parr, works in an insurance office, where he routinely tells applicants how to find loopholes that will allow them to collect on their policies, even though he is supposed to deny payment whenever possible.
3. Meanwhile, Elastigirl, now Helen Parr, meets with her son, the school principal, and the son's teacher. The teacher says that Dash put a thumbtack in his chair, moving too fast to see. The teacher even tried to videotape Dash in action, but the tape is inconclusive. The principal dismisses Helen and Dash so he can deal with the teacher. As Helen takes Dash home, she tells him he needs to try to fit in more.
4. Meanwhile, Violet, the Incredibles' daughter, tries to talk to a boy, but then disappears when he talks to her.
5. Bob returns home, cramped in a tiny family car. He slams the car door too hard and breaks a window. In frustration, he picks up the car to throw it, but is witnessed by a neighbor boy.
6. At dinner, Bob tries to read the paper while his wife tries to tell him about Dash's problems at school, and the brother and sister fight. It's a typical dinner, plus super powers. Finally, Frozone, now Lucious, comes by to take Bob out for their weekly bowling night.

1. sued: forced to pay money to someone because of a crime
2. liability: legal responsibility
3. spelled out: explained very clearly, like you would explain something to a child
4. thumb tacks: pins that are used to hold something to a wall
5. smug: proud, know-it-all, cocky, arrogant
6. carnivore: a meat-eating animal
7. leftovers: food from a previous meal that is saved and served again
8. shut up: be quiet (informal, rude)
9. intervene: become involved with another person's problems

1. What characters are introduced in this section? (Bob Parr, Helen Parr, Dash, Violet, Jack-Jack) What are their powers?
2. What is Bob's job? How long has he worked there?
3. Why is Bob's boss angry with him? (Discuss insurance claims.)
4. Why is Dash angry?
5. Is Dash a bad child?
6. Is Bob happy with his life? Why?
7. Is Helen happy with her life? Why?
8. Is Violet happy with her life? Why?

1. Is it possible to compete and "only be the best by a tiny bit"?
2. Is it better to be like everyone else or to be known as having special abilities?
3. Is everyone special?
4. What do you think of Dash's comment that, if everyone is special then no one is?
5. Imagine that you are the family counselor for the Parr family. What advice would you give the Parr parents on how to raise their children?

1. Bob and Lucious sit in the car, listening to the police scanner and talking about the days when they were heroes. A mysterious woman watches them from another car.
2. When they hear of a building burning nearby, they go to help. A couple things go wrong, of course, and they end up being surrounded by the police, who think they are robbing a jewelry store. Lucious freezes him, and they escape, laughing.
3. When Bob gets home, he and Helen fight. Helen is concerned that his need to relive his past will make them lose their cover and need to move again. When the kids overhear and come in, they stop fighting and make up. The camera shows their neighborhood at night: all of the houses are the same.
4. The next day, at work, the mysterious woman from the night before quickly sneaks in and out of Bob's office. Bob then gets nearly fired for helping customers get money from the insurance company. He finally loses his temper and throws his boss through five office walls.
5. As he leaves from seeing his boss in the hospital, a government agent comes and talks to him about relocating, again.
6. Bob goes home and finds the package left by the mysterious woman. It's a call for him to return to work as a superhero. The scene ends with him looking at a wall of awards from his days of fame.

1. monologuing: giving an informal speech to an audience, especially in drama
2. feeble: weak, especially if the weakness is caused by old age
3. yammering: continuous talking (slang)
4. have someone on a platter: have someone captive (slang)
5. evapo
   
   Rating: turning from water to gas
6. dehyd
   
   Rating: losing all moisture
7. incompetent: not able to do a job
8. public service: serving the community
9. uprooting: taking something away from its home in a sudden way
10. glory days: the best times of the past
11. mediocrity: not especially good or bad
12. pigheadedness: stubbornness, not willing to listen to new ideas
13. handle something: take care of something, solve a problem
14. inexplicable: without a reason, without an explanation
15. loophole: a legal way to avoid a law
16. stockholders: people who own a small part of a large company
17. cogs: (draw a picture), the teeth or bumps on gears
18. mesh: fit together smoothly
19. relocate: move to a new place
20. classified: kept secret for business or government purposes
21. remote: far away
22. the supers: superheroes (slang only in this film)

1. Are Bob and Lucious doing anything wrong? If so, what? If not, why are they hiding?
2. Did Bob and Lucious break the law? Should they give in and go with the police?
3. Was Lucious wrong to use his powers against the police? Were the police wrong?
4. What does Helen think Bob has been doing?
5. What does Bob mean when he says it's better to relive the past than act like it didn't happen? Do you agree?
6. What does Helen mean when she says, "It's not about you"? Is her comment relevant?
7. What does Bob mean when he talks about "creating ways to celebrate mediocrity"? Do you agree with him?
8. Describe their argument. How did they express disagreement? What made them come together? How did they express agreement? Compare this to your culture.
9. What did Bob's boss mean by describing society like a clock? Do you agree?
10. The man in the black suit said that the taxpayers always pay. What does he mean?

1. Predict what will happen next. Should Bob return to being a hero?
2. Which is greater: a father's responsibility to himself, his responsibility to society, his responsibility to the government, or his responsibility to himself?
3. What do men in your country do when they tell their wives they're going bowing?
4. Do married men need time away from their families? Why?
5. Do married women need time away from their families? Why?
6. Why is the little boy waiting for Bob? What is he waiting for? What are you waiting for?

1. The scene opens with Bob drying out books with the hairdryer after the computer message from Mirage self-destructs and sets off the fire alarms. He then lies to his wife and says he's off to a conference. She believes that he got a promotion.
2. He takes a super jet to a hidden island where he defeats a giant robot. Later, he's invited to dinner with mirage. He's on a high, and they flirt during the meal. The scene ends with the words, "Everything is delicious."

1. artificial intelligence: computers that are able to think and solve problems without following a specific program
2. evacuate: remove all people from an area, especially because of disasters
3. omnidroid: large robot (slang only in this film)
4. cloaking: the ability for a machine to hide itself from electronic sensors
5. anonymity: without being noticed, hiding your identity
6. volcano: a mountain that explodes due to hot gasses inside
7. unstable: able to change unpredictably or with very little cause

1. What was Bob's lie to his wife? What did she believe?
2. Describe how Bob defeated the robot. Use as many different verbs as possible.

1. Is it a lie to let someone believe something that isn't true, even if you didn't actually tell them the thing that they believe? In other words, if you know the truth, are you lying if you don't tell it?
2. Why is Bob so excited about this job? What need does he have that this job helps him fulfill? Do all men have that need? Do all women have that need?
3. What do Bob and Mirage mean by saying that everyone is misunderstood? Do you agree?
4. Was Bob unfaithful to the government when he took this job?
5. Was Bob unfaithful to his wife when he took this job?
6. Was Bob unfaithful to his wife when he had dinner with Mirage?
7. Would you describe Bob as responsible or irresponsible?
8. Is Bob a hero?

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