Dash Parr

Dashiell Robert Parr is a fictional character created by Brad Bird for the Pixar franchise The Incredibles. The character is voiced by Spencer Fox in the first film and Huckleberry Milner in the second film. Restless, relentless and curious, Dash sports a hearty sense of adventure and a boundless supply of energy. Born with the remarkable power of super speed, he would love nothing more than to show off his special skills and fight a few bad guys along the way, and doesn't understand why he has to keep his powers a secret. Dash has been recognized as one of Pixar's greatest characters by many prominent media publications.

Dash Parr
The Incredibles character
First appearance	The Incredibles (2004)
Last appearance	Incredibles 2 (2018)
Created by	Brad Bird
Voiced by	Spencer Fox (1st film, video game) Huckleberry Milner (2nd film, Lego The Incredibles) Raymond Ochoa (Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure, Disney Infinity series)
In-universe information
Full name	Dashiell Robert Parr
Nickname	Dash
Species	Superhuman
Occupation	Student Superhero
Family	Bob Parr (father) Helen Parr (mother) Violet Parr (sister) Jack-Jack Parr (brother)
Abilities	super speed

Development

When designing the Incredibles family, Brad Bird wanted each of their superpowers to be related to their personality. He stated that ten-year-old boys are hyperactive energy balls thus conceived Dash as "the average ten-year-old boy that can move twice as fast as anybody else".[1][2]

The filmmakers cast rising eleven-year-old Spencer Fox who made his feature film debut in The Incredibles to voice the diminutive and mischievous son of Bob and Helen Parr.[3] Brad Bird wanted to give Dash a realistic out-of-breath voice in certain scenes such as the jungle scene so he made Fox run four laps around the Pixar studio until he got tired.[4] Due to Fox's voice maturing he was replaced by 10-year-old newcomer Huckleberry Milner in the sequel.[5][6][7][8]

Producer John Walker said of Dash in the sequel, "Dash got a taste of life as a crime fighter in the first film. Returning to regular life doesn't really interest him—he loved fighting crime with his family and, even better, showing off just how fast he can be."[9]

Powers and abilities

Dash possesses the superhuman capacity to move at great speeds and his power is sufficient enough to allow him to be able to run over water without submerging. This speed also appears to extend to his other individual limbs as he is able to punch at a rapid rate. Dash's increased speed also augments his practical reaction time, making his reflexes much faster than those of an ordinary human. Edna Mode designed his super suit to be resistant to air friction, wear, and heat when Dash is running at super speed.

Personality

Dash, as described by Helen, is a "highly competitive boy, and a bit of a showoff". He has a reckless and impulsive nature. Dash believes that he shouldn't be ashamed of his abilities or need to hide them, believing it makes him special. Although he bickers with his sister Violet, he shows a strong caring side when he comes to her defense against one of Syndrome's minions in the first installment.

Appearances

In the 2004 film The Incredibles, Dash complains that his mother, Helen, will not allow him to play school sports, because she thinks that he would use his super-speed and blow the family's civilian cover. She is also upset when he uses his power to play a prank on his teacher, Bernie Kropp, which can also threaten their cover.

As Helen prepares to go after Dash's father, Bob, who she discovers is on a Syndrome's island, Dash and his sister, Violet, discovers the supersuits Edna Mode made for them. Donning the one made for him, Dash calls himself The Dash. He and Violet stow away on Helen's plane, and the three of them barely survive its destruction by Syndrome, Dash and Violet are left to fend for themselves in the island's jungles as Helen goes after a captured Bob. Before leaving them in a cave, Helen tells Dash that if they encounter danger, he should run as fast as he can to protect himself, the first time Dash is allowed to do so. The cave turns out to be the fiery exhaust for the flames of Syndrome's base, Dash and Violet are forced to flee the cave, and defend themselves when they are confronted by Syndrome's henchmen. This proves to be the first time Dash is able to fully explore the extent and application of his powers, which allow him to evade his pursuers, best them in fistfights, quickly generate cover by kicking up dirt, and even run on water. He and Violet also discover that when they combine his speed with her force field powers, they can create a spherical force field that can traverse water. Nonetheless, Syndrome captures all four family members. After Violet frees them, they travel back to Metro City, Dash and his family, along with Frozone, work together to defeat Syndrome's Omnidroid. A few months later, Dash's parents allow him to participate in the track & field practice, but urge him to pull back on first place, as a way to avoid using his powers too conspicuously. When the villainous Underminer emerges from beneath the ground, Dash joins his family in donning his mask in preparation to confront the criminal.

In the 2018 sequel Incredibles 2, as Helen pursues the Screenslaver as part of a publicity campaign to rehabilitate the image of superheroes in the mind of the public, Bob spends more time with Dash and Violet. Bob struggles to help Dash with his math homework, in light of his lack of familiarity with how the children of Dash's generation are taught math. For his part, Dash entertains dreams of firing the rockets of his father's high-tech car, the Incredimobile. When his family is confronted at their home by a group of superheroes being mind-controlled by Evelyn Deavor, Frozone is captured, and Dash, Violet and their infant brother Jack-Jack escape in the Incredimobile. They travel to Everjust, the yacht of Evelyn's brother, Winston, where they free the superheroes, including their parents and Frozone, from Evelyn's mind control, leading to Evelyn's defeat and arrest. At the end of the film, after Dash accompanies his family in dropping off Violet and her date, Tony Rydinger, at a movie theater, the family sees a high-speed chase in progress, and once again goes into action.

Critical reception

Hypable ranked Dash the sixth-best Incredibles 2 superhero, with author Aaron Locke writing "Still young and learning important virtues like patience and restraint, Dash is full of potential that could make him a powerful superhero". Ana Luisa Suarez of Hollywood.com considers Dash celebrating victory as one of "15 Reasons Why 'The Incredibles' Is The Best Superhero Movie" Jonathon Dornbush of IGN identified "Dash's desire to be his full self in a society that may not want him to" among the reasons he believes The Incredibles remains one of Pixar's best.[10] The Washington Post's Jennifer Frey described Dash as "the classic rambunctious little boy, driven nuts by the fact that his superhuman speed prevents him from being able to join any sports teams".[11] Joshua Tyler of CinemaBlend said "He's completely in love with his superpowers, the way any kid would be if he knew he could run at the speed of sound. He's crazy for adventure, drunk with the idea of being a hero and for him The Incredibles is one fantastic game where he's finally allowed to run as fast as he can".[12]

Some critics complained that the character was underused in the sequel, and relegated to being only a comic device.[13] CNET contributor Mike Sorrentino wrote that the film's emphasis on Helen and Bob results in Dash being "relegated to the sidelines for most of the film".[14] Molly Freeman observed that the character's arc "largely exist[s] to serve Bob's own storyline" and stated that "Dash receives less screen time, and even less development as a result, with him providing little more than comedic relief".[15] Germain Lussier of io9 said "Dash takes a bit of a back seat this time around".[16]

Critics praised Huck Milner for his performance of Dash in the sequel. Writing for Vulture.com, Edelstein praised Milner's performance for Dash "Huck Milner does justice to his first name—he could be Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer or any drivingly inquisitive kid hero".[17] The New Yorker's Anthony Lane also praise Milner saying "the high-speed Dash, has been updated; his lines are now spoken, I rejoice to say, by a young actor named Huckleberry Milner. It's ideal for Dash, whose permanent aim is to race around the river bend, as it were, and see what adventures await".[18]

In May 2017 Dash was recently ranked the 6th most powerful super in the Incredibles films by Shawn S. Lealos at Screen Rant.[19]

References

1. "The Incredibles: Movie Production Information p. 3". EMOL.org. 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
2. Chen, Sam (2004). "Brad Bird's Super-Insights on The Incredibles!". AnimationTrip.com. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
3. "The Incredibles – Production Notes". 8 June 2009.
4. Cooke, Shawn (February 16, 2018). "The Guitarist in Indie Band Charly Bliss Voiced Dash in The Incredibles, So We Talked to Him About It". TrackRecord.
5. Hochwald, Lambeth (June 1, 2018). "Incredibles 2: The 10 Most Incredible Reasons We Love the Parr Family". Parade. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
6. Ching, Albert (July 14, 2017). "D23 Expo: Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Upcoming Films". CBR.com. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
7. Renfro, Kim (June 15, 2018). "'Incredibles 2' swapped out one of the stars in the main cast – but you probably missed it". Insider. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
8. Chen, Sandie Angulo (June 18, 2018). "'Incredibles 2' is a super first acting job for 10-year-old". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
9. "The Incredibles 2 Extended Commentary & Synopsis". Cosmic Book News. April 9, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
10. Dornbush, Jonathon (15 June 2018). "Opinion: Why The Incredibles Remains One of Pixar's Best".
11. Frey, Jennifer (November 5, 2004). "'Incredibles': Pixar Uses Its Powers for Good". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
12. Tyler, Joshua (May 27, 2016). "The Incredibles". Cinema Blend.
13. Blum-Lemberg, Ariella (June 11, 2018). "'Incredibles 2' review: A super sequel that's worth the wait". Hypable.
14. Sorrentino, Mike (June 17, 2018). "After Infinity War, Incredibles 2 makes superheroes fun again". CNET. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
15. Freeman, Molly (June 15, 2018). "Incredibles 2 Movie Review". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
16. Lussier, Germain (June 11, 2018). "Incredibles 2 Is a Super Sequel That Was Absolutely Worth the Wait". io9. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
17. Edelstein, David. "Incredibles 2 Flies High". Vulture.
18. Lane, Anthony (June 18, 2018). "'Incredibles 2,' Reviewed: A Sequel in the Shadow of a Masterwork". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
19. Lealos, Shawn S. (May 17, 2019). "The Incredibles: Character Superpowers Ranked". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 2, 2019.