In 2018, I went to the movies with my family and it ended up making international news. When I became disoriented from the extensive strobe lighting effects used in Incredibles 2, I wrote a Twitter thread and the accompanying blog post to suggest that Disney add a content warning to the film indicating that it contained sequences of strobe and flashing lights. Disney did not respond to be directly, but added a warning for Incredibles 2 strobe lights, and since then many films and TV shows have started adding content warnings for flashing lights as a result. Here is the original blog post on Incredibles 2 strobe lights that was written on June 14th, 2018 by me, Veronica Lewis (@veron4ica).
Last night, my family and I saw Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2, a movie we had all been looking forward to seeing for months. We were excited to see the characters again and wondered how the sequel would compare to the original film, which was shown shortly before in a double feature. After last night, I can say that the movie is unlike anything I have ever seen before, in that the villain’s weapon of choice can hurt not only characters on-screen but also the people in the audience. The weapon? Continuous sequences of rapidly flashing/strobing lights.
Scene description (NO SPOILERS)
There are at least five scenes throughout the movie, all of which feature the villain, that uses bright white flashing/strobe lights for more than fifteen seconds, with at least one scene going over 90 seconds in continuous strobing lights. These lights stay at their rapidly flashing speed in the entirety of these scenes, scattered throughout the movie. My brother estimated the light flashes being as fast as 3 flashes per second.
Related links
Who can be affected by flashing lights?
Photophobia and photosensitivity are terms used to describe adverse reactions to bright lights, strobe lights, or flashing lights, which can include eye pain, headaches, nausea, seizures, dizziness, discomfort, or other symptoms. Some people may have photophobia or photosensitivity but will involuntarily fixate on flashing lights or bright lights, making it difficult or impossible for them to look away. Even people who do not have these conditions or have a history can still have an adverse reaction to strobe lights.
Examples of medical conditions that can be affected by photosensitivity or experience negative effects from flashing lights include:
- Autism/ADHD/Sensory Processing Disorder
- Chiari malformations
- Cerebral Visual Impairment/Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI)
- Epilepsy
- Flicker Vertigo
- Migraines
- Motion sickness
- Neurological conditions
- Non-epileptic seizures
- PTSD
- Visual impairments, inclusive of low vision and blindness
- Visual Processing Disorder
Not everyone who has these diagnoses will experience photosensitivity, but it is a known trigger for some people with these conditions. In my case, I experience photophobia and photosensitivity connected to visual impairment (low vision) and Chiari Malformation, and my reactions to bright/flashing lights vary from eye pain from bright lights to feeling disoriented or having a migraine triggered by strobe or flashing lights. Because I was watching this in a dark theater, the flashing lights triggered a migraine.
Related links
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
- Five Common Technology Behaviors That Hurt My Brain
- How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
How audio description helps me avoid strobe lights
Since I also have low vision, I use my theater’s audio description devices to get descriptions of visual information on the screen. One of the hidden benefits is that I had a warning about scenes involving strobe lights ahead of time, so I could close my eyes and avoid them. While the audio description track did not warn me about all of the flashing lights used in the film, I know that had I not had access to audio description, I would have experienced a more adverse reaction to the lights.
Related links
- Fast Facts About Audio Description
- Tips for Going To Movie Theaters With Low Vision
- How I Watch Concert Videos Without Strobe Lights
- Avoiding Flashing Lights On Social Media
Isn’t there a flashing light warning in place?
As of publishing time (June 14, 2018), there is no warning in place about the intense flashing/strobing light effects in Incredibles 2. There are warnings attached to many other media types when strobe and flashing lights are present for long periods of time, such as video games, live concerts, music videos, and even certain theme park attractions. Still, there are typically no formal or informal warnings for movies and none for Incredibles 2. In addition, I do not know of any apps or services that provide information about flashing lights in movies. [Update: Does The Dog Die added an option for providing information about flashing lights in 2018 in response to Incredibles 2]
What can be done about this?
I am not asking for Disney and/or Pixar to remove the movie from theaters, nor am I asking them to change the movie to get rid of the strobing lights (though they certainly can if they want to!).
I would like for these companies and movie theaters to issue a warning to guests purchasing tickets that this movie has a significant amount of strobing lights that can cause adverse health effects, especially in young children. Families have the right to make informed decisions about movies and determine if this is safe for themselves or their children to watch.
Update June 19, 2018
After this post went viral on social media, Disney/Pixar sent a notice to theaters asking them to put up a sign warning guests about the flashing light scenes. Thank you Disney for providing viewers with the information they need to make an informed decision about watching this film in theaters!
The notice reads “Incredibles 2 contains a sequence of flashing lights which may affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy or other photosensitivities.”
In some theaters, a full-screen message appears before the start of the movie with the same message.
Update July 6, 2018
I received an email from the British Board of Film Classification that provided the following statement:
“Earlier this week the BBFC viewed and classified a modified version of INCREDIBLES 2 that has been altered to be Harding Box compliant. Disney UK have confirmed that this modified version of the film is the only version that will be distributed in the UK. Accordingly they will not be advising cinemas to carry box office warnings.“
Related links
Should I see Incredibles 2?
Depends on your tolerance/threshold to strobe lights. This post is not a call to edit or boycott Incredibles 2, or any other Disney/Pixar movies, as the movie and its script were very well written. If it wasn’t for the large amount of strobes, my family would give it a 10/10, but I would not have watched this in theaters had I known that strobe lights played a central role in the plot, and I haven’t watched any movies in theaters since then.
Providing content warnings for prolonged strobe content is important so that viewers can make an informed choice about whether they should watch a movie in theaters or wait for it to come out on DVD, where they can watch it in a more controlled environment.
Update: Was Incredibles 2 edited for DVD release?
After conversations with the Epilepsy Foundation and other organizations (which I was not part of/involved with), Disney released the modified version of the film on DVD and HD/SD streaming video. This was the same version released in the UK that altered the strobe and flashing effects to be compliant with the Harding Test for flashing media.
The theatrical version with all Incredibles 2 strobe lights intact can still be found on the Blu-Ray 4K release. Disney Plus also offers a 4K streaming option for watching Incredibles 2, which reportedly contains the original strobe light animations from the theatrical version.
When watching on Disney Plus, a content warning pops up before the strobing animations to share a content warning about flashing lights, since the flickering effects can still be disorienting for some viewers.
Published June 14, 2018. Updated January 2025