Incredibles 2: Disney Issues Warning About Film's Intense Light Sequences

Social media is a powerful thing. So powerful that a Twitter thread about intense flashing light sequences in the recently released Incredibles 2 has pushed Disney to issue a statement warning viewers that the sequel features moments that could potentially trigger those with light sensitivities, particularly light-sensitive epilepsy. 

Twitter user Veronica Lewis started the thread as a way to give potential Incredibles 2 audience members a heads-up about what goes down in the flick. She explained that the film, a follow-up to 2004's The Incredibles, is "filled with tons of strobe/flashing lights" that are used for extended periods throughout the movie. Those who suffer from "migraines, vision impairments, seizure conditions, vertigo (specifically flicker vertigo), autism, ADHD, and PTSD could also experience a reaction to the images," Lewis wrote later in the thread. 

The flashing and strobing light effects are "an important point in the plot," Lewis was careful to point out, since the film's villain, Screenslaver, uses flashes of bright white lights to disorient his victims. 

Lewis noted that one scene lasts "over 90 seconds with continuous strobe light," while others run between 5 and 30 seconds in length. She added that her descriptive audio device signaled her when the longer scenes were coming, but it didn't warn her of them all. "Other times it was light strobe lights came out of nowhere for no reason," she explained.

After Lewis' thread circulated Twitter, where others agreed with her that Disney should have done more to warn viewers, the company stepped up to the plate and issued a formal warning to be hung in theaters. "Incredibles 2 contains a sequence of flashing lights which may affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or other photosensitivies," the warning reads, as seen in several photos posted to Twitter. 

In light of the potential health hazard that could result from these scenes in Incredibles 2, the Epilepsy Foundation released its own statement: "Members of our community have expressed concerns about flashing lights in the new Disney-Pixar movie Incredibles 2, and, in certain instances, people having experienced a seizure during the movie." 

According to Variety, however, no incidents of seizures or other health issues "as a result of watching Incredibles 2 have been reported."

It may come as a shock that Incredibles 2 would ever be a movie that would cause theaters to issue warning signs, but this is by no means the first instance of its kind. While obviously gruesome and/or spine-chilling pics like The Blair Witch Project, The Conjuring, and 127 Hours have pushed studios and cinemas to issue disclaimers in the past, a few ostensibly inoffensive movies have done the same. 

Back in December of 2017, two AMC theaters posted warnings about a startling sound drop in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Within the film, all sound stops for around 10 seconds, an intentional creative choice by director Rian Johnson. That moment didn't cause any health issues but did stir up whole bunch of confusion — enough to warrant an official warning.

Even with this negative-turned-mostly-positive press, Incredibles 2 is on track to be a major success for the House of Mouse, having opened to a record-breaking $180 million opening weekend.