Dashiell Robert "Dash" Parr is a major character in the 2004Disney•Pixar animated film The Incredibles and its 2018sequel. He is the middle child and eldest son of Bob and Helen and is the younger brother to Violet and older brother to Jack-Jack. As an offspring of Supers, he has the ability to run super fast. He is also able to run on water as a consequence of this, as well as other physics-bending maneuvers such as running up buildings.
When Dash is first introduced, he is depicted as a very competitive, pushy, cocky, mischievous and slightly rebellious boy who wants to use his super speed to try out for sports, becoming angry at the limitations put on him and his family by the anti-super laws. Dash's fourth-grade teacher Mr. Kropp hates him because the boy keeps using his super speed to play pranks on him like putting thumbtacks on his chair, especially since he can't even prove that Dash is doing it.
Dash's family life is also tense, especially between him and Violet. Because of Bob's difficulty concealing his powers in public, the family has been forced to move several times over the past few years. Also, Helen has told both kids never to do the same (unless they are in danger) because they are required by law to blend in with the rest of the world. Because of these factors, Dash's parents don't let him compete in sports because they know he will not restrain his super-speed enough to maintain their cover.
Personality
Being the child of the family, Dash is, as described by Helen, "a highly competitive boy, and a bit of a showoff". Due to society rejecting Supers, he struggles to find a way to vent his energy, not being allowed to partake in sports as it could expose their identities and it would be unfair for other kids. As a result, he took to using his abilities to pull pranks without getting caught to test his limits, causing him to become somewhat of a problem child.
He agrees with his father's belief that he shouldn't be ashamed of his abilities or need to hide them, believing it makes him special. At the same time, he shoots down his mother's claims that "everyone is special", arguing that if that were the case then "no one is".
After the battle against Syndrome and the Omnidroid, perhaps due to his near-death experiences, Dash has learned to keep his ego in check. He was allowed to partake in sports under the condition he holds back to give others a chance, a promise he kept.
In Incredibles 2, Dash's personality is more-or-less the same, though he does seem more mature and takes school more seriously. He has also developed aspirations of becoming a superhero like his parents.
Physical appearance
Dash is a 10-year-old boy and he strongly resembles his father, Bob, in looks, with the same blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin, light freckles, and strong jaw. He is also charmingly cute, being a boy at his age.
Powers and abilities
Super Speed:[1] Dash possesses the superhuman capacity to move at great speeds; the film series has yet to establish his maximum running speed, however, Dash's speed 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: he is able to punch at a rapid rate (however this does not appear to intensify the impact of his blows). It should be noted that Dash is still very young, so it's possible he will get even faster with age. His superhuman speed also grants him several other abilities that come in handy when in combat situations. The Incredibles video game shows his maximum speed at over 190mph (306kmh), however, after learning some new abilities while on the heat of battle, Dash realized he was fast enough to run on water and on horizontal surfaces, like walls or ceilings.
Superior Reaction Time:[1] Dash has a superhuman reaction time, without which he could not possibly take full advantage of his speed, changing direction, running in circles at super-speed, stopping on a dime, and rapidly dodging.
Superhuman Stamina: Dash is full of restless energy and rarely shows signs of fatigue, not even after sustaining his super-speed for extended periods of time. He was, however, noticeably exhausted after using his powers to reach Syndrome's island after being stranded at sea.
Enhanced Durability: The first film's official website listed "enhanced durability" amongst Dash's powers, which is implied in the film by the amount of incidental high-speed collisions and crashes Dash endures without apparent injury. This apparently also allows him to resist the friction and stress on his body caused by his high speeds.
Power Restrictions:
Dash lacks superhuman strength, a fact demonstrated when fighting one of Syndrome's guards. While he throws punches in rapid succession, stunning the guard, these punches do not hurt the guard any more than the punches of a human child.
Dash uses his speed to defy physics - if he slowed down he would sink below the water or succumb to gravity once again.
Dash's powers are limited by the fact that he is still a child, and it is likely that as he ages he will become even faster and discover new ways to use his speed, as well as his strength naturally increasing as he matures physically.
For the record, after extensive research the minimum speed for running on water is 67MPH (108km/h). The speed of sound is approximately 767 MPH (1,192 km/h).
Dashiell is a very rebellious boy and often gets into trouble and loves playing pranks on his least favorite teacher, Mr. Bernie Kropp, although the principal lets him off the hook. He believes that he should use his superpowers; his mother, Helen Parr/Elastigirl, disagrees. His goal is to compete in sports: his power of speed would make him special, give him an unfair advantage, and supers have to keep their powers secretive. His mother forbids it on account that "Everyone's special" (which is, as noted by Dash to be the equivalent of saying "No one is").
Dash's charmingly reckless nature and one-track mind always get him into trouble with his big sister, Violet. In one scene, he teases her about her crush on her classmate, Anthony "Tony" Rydinger. This eventually causes a fight that is broken up once Lucius Best/Frozone, a long-time family friend, rings the doorbell. Dash spits water at Lucius for him to freeze it– a tradition between the two, but after Lucius catches the icicle, Dash complains under his breath that he likes it when it shatters. After Dash's father, Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible, returns from Nomanisan Island, Dash, and Bob are seen playing numerous games including catch (this foreshadows a later event).
When Bob is captured by Syndrome on his return to Nomanisan Island, Helen packs her bags to rescue him after a brief visit with a superhero fashion designer, Edna Mode. As she does, Dash sees the suit made for him and puts it on, naming himself The Dash. In their suits, Dash and Violet stow away on the plane Helen has borrowed from a friend. Consequentially, the three are nearly vaporized by an onslaught of Syndrome's missiles. Helen saves their lives by shaping herself into a parachute.
Helen then changes into a lifeboat with Dash serving as the outboard motor– for which Helen praises him upon their arrival at shore. In their camp out (a cave), she warns the children the bad guys they will be facing differ from those on cartoons; they can't rely on being shown mercy just because they're children. If they're in danger, she tells Dash that he must run "As fast as you can" and that they should stick together and protect each other.
Dash finds Violet being in charge tiresome. Becoming bored of her lectures, he explores the cave and discovers it's actually a rocket exhaust pipe– and it's being used. They escape just in time and see the rocket off into the night sky.
They spend the rest of the night in the jungle, huddling together to keep warm. The next morning, Dash realizes that he was cuddled close to his sister and jumps up and gags in disgust. Just then, he notices a monitor droid (disguised as a wild bird). He wakes Violet to show her the droid, which she finds very suspicious. Their curiosity triggers a deafening alarm of the droids. Later, the two are cornered by three armed Velocipods. Dash, remembering his mother's advice, starts running. Two chase him (while the third engages an invisible Violet). In this section, Dash discovers just how formidable his superpower really is: he has a superior reaction time, he can deliver rapid-fire punches (but as a child lacks the strength to do lasting damage), and can even run on water. Even the Velocipods at top speed have trouble keeping up. In the end of this "the Hundred-Mile Dash", he gets cornered by the two Velocipods. He stops on the lagoon's surface and immediately submerges – saving his life as his pursuers collide.
Eventually, Dash returns to Point A just in time to save Violet from the third Velocipod. Violet then encloses them within a force-field to protect them from gunfire. She discovers that she can float inside her force-fields if she generates them in mid-air. Dash proceeds to move the force sphere by running along its inside surface, like a hamster ball. After destroying a couple more Velocipods, they literally run over their parents, with Violet allowing them into the ball and Dash still running. After a brief and joyful reunion, the family works as a super-team for the first time.
Syndrome immobilizes them in zero-point energy and describes Operation Kronos: his plan to fraudulently become a superhero. Amidst Bob Parr's apology to Helen, Vi releases the restraints– allowing their escape. There are no jets in the hangar Helen saw during her arrival to Nomanisan Island, but Dash sees a rocket. Unfortunately, Helen has no knowledge of how to fly a rocket. Violet informs her to "just use the coordinates from the last launch." Syndrome's ex-co-worker Mirage, who became an ally of the family after folding her apparent relationship with him, handles that.
Helen holds a van to the rocket as Dash maintains his impatience asking, "Are we there yet?" Upon their landing, Dash and Violet are nearly crushed to death by Syndrome's Omnidroid v.10, with Violet being knocked unconscious despite her shield, and Bob saves them. Syndrome loses the remote and, thus, loses control of his Omnidroid. When Mr. Incredible retrieves it, he throws it to Dash who crosses the pond while catching it (garnering amazement from his dad). After the family and Lucius finally secure the remote, Violet and Dash still childishly fight over it until Helen takes. The Omnidroid is destroyed when Bob hurtles one of the robot's claws through the central core.
On their way home, Dash gets excited about how much fun he had during the entire adventure. When they arrive, they stop Syndrome from capturing Jack-Jack. Syndrome is apparently killed when his cape gets snagged in the turbine of his private jet and Violet saves the family from being crushed by plane wreckage, which totals their home. Dash now wonders if they have to move again; to that the answer is yes. When the smoke clears, one of their neighbors, a tricycle-riding young boy named Rusty, is amazed by what happened yelling, "Oh, man… that was totally wicked!"
A few months later, Dash finally gets his chance to participate in track & field, but finally understands he cannot do anything to compromise the secret of the Incredibles nor grant himself an unfair advantage over the other contestants. Dash restrains himself, running only fast enough to win a silver cup, to which his family cheers, with Dash now learning how to control his speed. When celebrating Dash's athletic accomplishment, his victory is interrupted by the Underminer. The family dons their costumes and masks showing their re-dedication to fighting crime.
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In the sequel, the fight with The Underminer picks up where it left off and concludes with the Incredibles being arrested for the damages The Underminer caused. Rick Dicker bails them out and, with their home destroyed, escorts them to a motel.
The next day, Dash learns that his mother has a new job and that they're moving into a new house. Dash loves his new house and that his father is helping him with his homework. One day, Dash and Bob see a news story about how a rich guy bought the Incredibile. Dash is amazed his father used to drive such an... incredible... car while Bob is furious since he was told it had been destroyed. Dash is disappointed when his father restrains himself.
He later laughs after his sister embarrasses herself in front of Tony Rydinger. Much later, he is amazed when his baby brother Jack-Jack reveals that he has powers while disappointed when its revealed Bob knew all along and didn't tell them. Dash confronts him on this until he is shocked into silence after Bob rants about how overwhelmed he is. That's when Violet and Dash decided to call Lucius for help.
Later on, he and his sister join Bob in testing Jack-Jack's new powers.
The following night, they are attacked by Evelyn Deaver's mind controlled Supers. With help from Frozone, Dash enables the escape in the Incredimobile, which he called in. Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack sneak on board the DevTech's ship to rescue their parents. After freeing their parents and Lucius from Evelyn's mind control, Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack help them defeat her and make Supers legal again.
As Helen mentions, his full name is "Dashiell Robert Parr". However, he goes by the shortened nickname of "Dash", which is not only an abbreviation of his name but also a reference to his power.
According to official sources, Dash is 10-years-old, he stands at 4'0" (121 cm), and he weighs 60 pounds (27 kg).
Dash is based on speedster superheroes, specifically The Flash from DC Comics, Quicksilver from Marvel Comics and SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog. All of these characters can run at supersonic speeds, implying the pre-pubescent Dash has not yet reached his top speed.
Specifically, Dash could be seen as visually based on the Barry Allen version of the Flash, with the red costume and blonde hair.
Some localizations evidence this connection by changing Dash's name from "Dash" directly to "Flash". For instance, the French dub calls him "Flechette", which translates as "arrow".
In voice recordings for the first film, to give Dash a realistic out-of-breath voice in certain scenes, director Brad Bird made Spencer Fox run laps around the Pixar studio.
Because he hitting puberty long since the original film, Spencer Fox was unable to return as Dash's voice actor in the sequel, being replaced by Huck Milner.
Dash is the only member of the Parr family whose voice actor did not return in Incredibles 2.
He and Rick Dicker are the only characters who appeared in The Incredibles who do not have the same voice actor in the sequel.