Superhero learns to look twice before leaping

“Do Not Touch”—that's the label your son placed on the bottle of red liquid in the refrigerator. But after playing outside, your dehydrated daughter rushes to the kitchen, desperate for something to quench her thirst. Ignoring the warning sign, she opens the bottle and gulps down what she thinks is fruit punch. A millisecond later she spits it back out. She's just chugged tomato juice goo—the lava for your son's volcano science experiment.

Things aren't always what they seem—that's the lesson a superhero family learns in the animated film The Incredibles, released on home video March 15. After watching the movie, use our questions below to spark a superpower conversation about thinking through decisions so as to avoid disaster. Then together, whip up our Incredible Edibles to bring the big-screen lesson to life!

In the movie, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), his wife, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and their kids, Dash (Spencer Fox), Violet (Sarah Vowell), and baby Jack Jack, have been living low ever since being forced to assume new identities as part of a secret government relocation program. But Mr. Incredible—now known as Bob Parr—is frustrated by his mindless job as an insurance agent and longs for his action-packed past life.

When a scout recruits Mr. Incredible back into action, allegedly to save the world, the former superhero knows his wife won't approve. Mr. Incredible tells her he's going to out-of-town conferences when he's really flying to exotic locales to help “fight the enemy.” Elastigirl begins to grow suspicious of his hushed telephone conversations and new bulging biceps.

Problems arise when Mr. Incredible discovers he's actually been working for the bad guys and finds himself in trouble. Mr. Incredible must rely on his superpower family to help him rescue the universe.

Talk Together

Because Mr. Incredible wanted so badly to save the world again, he didn't pick up on the signs that he was actually working for the enemy. Then he made some bad choices, like lying to his family. What do you think Mr. Incredible could have done differently so he could still become a superhero again, but without working for the bad guys?

Share times you've wanted something so badly, you didn't take a good look at the whole situation. Perhaps you spent your hard-earned allowance on the amazing space battleship you saw in commercials, only to find that the “laser-guided missiles” were just mini holiday lightbulbs.

Dash was so fast that nobody caught him using his speedy superpowers. Instead of using her invisibility powers, Violet liked to hide unnoticed behind her long hair. If you were their classmates, would you suspect that Dash and Violet had superpowers? How do you think it felt having a superpower but not being allowed to use it around other people?

If you were a superhero, what would your special power be? What do you think would be the hardest superpower to hide from the real world?

Play Together: Incredible Edibles

These faux foods are a tasty way to show your kids that what you see isn't always what you get.

You will need:
• Vanilla wafers
• Chocolate covered mint cookies
• Green fruit leather
• Vanilla frosting
• Pound cake
• Strawberry jam

To make the “hamburger,” place a chocolate-covered mint cookie between two vanilla wafers. Tear green fruit leather to look like lettuce and place on mint cookie. Add dots of frosting on the top wafer for sesame seeds. For the “fries,” slice strips of pound cake. Place in oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes or until brown. Serve with strawberry jam for “ketchup.”

Experiment with other foods to create more disguised delectables. While you enjoy your tricky treats, remind your kids it doesn't take X-ray vision to see the big picture.