Released in 2004, Pixar’s The Incredibles has been a staple in the childhood of millions of people. For over a decade, fans have been longing for a sequel, and director Brad Bird has finally answered our cries with Incredibles 2. Before the film even begins, the cast of the movie gives a brief message to the audience, explaining why the movie took so long to make and, thanking them for the support they’ve received. Bird and his staff wanted to take their time pouring every single ounce of passion they had into the story, characters, and animation, having stated that if they felt forced to rush out a sequel, they wouldn’t have bothered making one at all. Thankfully, all those years of passion and hard work definitely paid off, as the brilliant mind of Bird has delivered yet another masterpiece of a film that, just like its predecessor, is sure to live on and be loved by millions for decades to come.

The movie starts off exactly where the first one ended 14 years ago, with a new supervillain attacking the city, and the Parr family suiting up to stop him. However, superheroes are still considered illegal, and the family must make a choice between doing what they feel is right, and what society tells them to do. They’re not alone however, as a business tycoon approaches Mrs. Incredible about campaigning to make supers legal again, while Mr. Incredible must deal with being a stay at home father. All the while a new villain, The Screenslaver, threatens to end heroes once and for all.

One of the most important things to emphasize here is that this isn’t your traditional movie in terms of having a rising action and climax. Instead the movie plays out like a family’s life would, with new conflicts coming up all the time, some getting solved minutes later, others taking days or even weeks. The way Bird has chosen to write this film doesn’t make it seem like a movie that was written for an audience. He captures the day to day upsides and downsides of being a family, all while subtly delivering sometimes uncomfortably realistic views on society as a whole and how we depend on one another.

That being said, Incredibles 2 features an abundance of creative action scenes. The fact that it’s animated meant the director had almost no limits with how the action played out, and he took full advantage of that. As expected only from Pixar, the animation is the best of the best, and even surpasses previous movies. Every single detail is on display, from the tiniest details in fabrics and materials, to characters’ individual hairs and pores. No shortcuts were taken, and if I hadn’t known I was watching an animated feature, I would’ve sworn some of the objects in front of me were real. Whenever I think Pixar’s animation can’t get any better, they prove me wrong by creating new challenges for themselves and shattering barriers I never thought could be broken.

Far too often, a sequel to a beloved movie is made solely for the purpose of making money. Brad Bird had none of this in mind when making this film, and it clearly shows. Easily on par with the first film, Incredibles 2 delivers something for everyone to enjoy. The only person I can imagine not enjoying this film is someone who doesn’t like movies or animation. In theaters nationwide, Incredibles 2 is yet another cinematic masterpiece tucked under Pixar’s belt.