I love Pixar. Partly because I love animated movies, and partly because I grew up with some of their classics, like "Toy Story" and "The Incredibles." But I mostly love Pixar because I love great storytelling. Pixar has mastered the art of creating stories that are compelling for both children and adults. Their movies teach lessons and show you the world from a perspective you would never otherwise get to experience, like that of a bug or a toy that comes to life. They make you fall in love with characters, and lose yourself in the fantasy if just for a couple hours. And, every time you watch one of their movies, you pick up on something new that you never noticed before.

I want to work for Pixar, one day, to help bring stories like this to life. I want to contribute to the creative environment they've built and inspire innovation in others. And I want to teach powerful lessons, like friendship and honesty, through encapsulating stories and inspiring characters. So, naturally, I go into Pixar movies with very high expectations.

"Incredibles" is a classic for my generation. So the anticipation for "Incredibles 2" among my generation is high. Therefore, it was no surprise that, when I entered the theatre, most of the seats were filled with 20-somethings rather than toddlers.

I saw a double-feature – with the original "Incredibles" playing directly before the just-released "Incredibles 2." Not having seen "Incredibles" in quite a few years, it was great to have a refresher before the new movies, especially as "Incredibles 2" picks up exactly where "Incredibles" left off. For years I had been wondering what had happened with the battle against the Underminer – one of the key loose ends I expected to be tied up in this sequel. And, while we got to see the battle, the Underminer still escapes and is never mentioned again, his reign lasting no more than 10 minutes. It makes me question whether Brad Bird is leaving the loose end again to save the plot for an "Incredibles 3." Either that, or it's just a disappointing plot hole.

(Major Spoilers here, stop reading if you haven't seen the film)

The story takes us into a world where Superheroes are still in hiding. The Incredible family, however, has been fighting crime when necessary, and each escapade ends with a run-in with the government. During their latest battle against the Underminer, the superhero protection program gets shut down, and Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and Frozone are approached by a company who is interested in helping show the world who superheroes really are. The brother and sister who run the company are both, they say, big superhero enthusiasts. Elastagirl is then chosen as the poster-child for the campaign and is sent on missions while Mr. Incredible stays home and takes care of the kids. The movie concludes with a twist – as the sister is actually the villain, who aims to tarnish the superhero name forever – and prevent superheroes from ever being legal again.

The animation in the movie was well done – maintaining the same charm as the first movie, yet embracing animation updates that have been developed between the two release dates. The movements, you might think, are a bit awkward at times, but it is similar to the movement from the original movie – and it is less jarring if you watch the movies back-to-back. You fall in love with the family, and you sympathize with the kids and their many teenage struggles, like Violet's embarrassment around the boy she likes and Dash's fascination with cars. You also find humor in Mr. Incredible's attempt to raise the kids while his wife is away working – a strong theme in this decade as women working becomes less taboo – but I almost felt as if it was slightly over-exaggerated and behind the times. They made Mr. Incredible look incompetent, a label he didn't deserve, and it left me feeling almost angry at the filmmakers for their lack of understanding.

My greatest disappointment with the film, however, was the lack of creative storytelling. The new characters that Brad Bird introduced lacked personality and the old characters hardly progressed from the first movie. There was no surprise in how the movie would end, as I knew the sister would be the villain from the second she walked on screen. (I mean her name is literally Evelyn Deavor – Evil Endeavor…) The villain concept, 'The ScreenSlaver,' was relevant to today's struggles and the real fear of social media controlling our lives. However, Bird failed to lead me to believe that someone else could be the villain and having the city arrest another man as the assumed villain was a cop-out.

Pixar is known for taking hold of your emotions. They break your heart and put it back together again. Films like "Wall-E" and "Up", or even more literally – "Inside Out", are successful because they so clearly understand human behavior and connection, and they capitalize on the insecurities that are universal. Pixar had such great success with the "Toy Story" trilogy because each movie played with your emotions, and the last movie took advantage of the age of long-time fans and viewers. Those who had grown up with "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" would have been the same age as Andy in "Toy Story 3." Pixar had every chance to have this same leg-up with "Incredibles 2," releasing the sequel 14 years later, but they failed to capitalize on their older audience at all.

Bird also attempted to make a political statement about the movie and, while I agree that film is a great creative and powerful outlet for expressing political opinions, this movie failed to do it well. In trying to integrate political idealisms, Bird lost track of the plot altogether – leaving many loose ends and jumping around unexpectedly to the point where the movie felt disjointed. You expect the movie to be about Jack Jack – the family baby who is just discovering his powers – but Bird tries to take on so much more than that. The best scenes in the movie are those that involve Jack Jack, and Bird should have featured that in a much more prominent manner. His political twist felt forced, and even left him giving lines to certain characters that were completely incompatible – like Violet's snide comment at the end about how Evelyn won't get a fair prison sentence because she's rich.

Don't get me wrong, the movie was exciting, and it was fun. It was an action movie with likable characters and amusing sequences. (The scene where Jack Jack fights a raccoon is by far the best scene in the entire movie). For kids, this movie will undoubtedly be a hit. However, for the more sophisticated audiences, this movie will disappoint, as the story told is more comparable to that of "The Good Dinosaur" than of "A Bug's Life." It is a superhero movie. Nothing more.

I had high hopes. I tried to take a page from Edna Mode: "Don't look back darling, it distracts from the now." But I can't help but look back and compare this film to its far-superior predecessor. "Incredibles 2" was not so incredible. But if every Pixar movie was special, then according to Dash, none of them would be incredible.