

Bird conceived Edna upon discovering that, despite featuring characters dressed in fancy, extravagant costumes, traditional superhero films rarely offer plausible explanations as to how superheroes come to obtain these outfits, or who provides them in the first place. Having watched several superhero-themed films and television shows prior to developing The Incredibles, Bird had often found himself wondering who is responsible for making the superheroes' elaborate costumes. In addition to creating the character, writer and director Brad Bird also provides the voice of Edna, using a unique accent that has been described as a hybrid between German and Japanese.Įdna was created for The Incredibles by writer and director Brad Bird. Edna has been recognized as one of Pixar's greatest characters by several prominent media publications. While film critics agree that Edna is a scene-stealer, particularly praising her humor and dialogue, Bird has also been lauded for his voice acting, earning an Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production for his performance as the character. Inspired by Q from the James Bond franchise, Edna is widely believed to have been based primarily on costume designer Edith Head, although there continues to be constant speculation as to which celebrities inspired Edna, particularly Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Iris Apfel and actress Linda Hunt.ĭespite having only supporting roles in both films, Edna has since established herself as The Incredibles ' breakout character due to her popularity among fans. ( Lily Tomlin, his choice, told him he was best.) The director understood that, in addition to fashion expertise, the character would need to demonstrate proficiency in science, engineering and technology in order to create costumes capable of withstanding the trials of superheroic activities, and ultimately conceived her as a short, confident character of both German and Japanese descent based on these countries' reputations as small yet powerful nations.

Bird also decided to voice the character himself after several actresses originally considered for the role failed to replicate Edna's unique accent. Incredible with a new costume and then by restoring Elastigirl's confidence in herself as a superheroine.Įdna was created by playmaker, poem writer, and director Brad Bird to explain how The Incredibles' superheroes obtain their costumes, a topic he believes is rarely explored in superhero films convincingly. When the couple resumes their superheroic careers after fifteen years, Edna is summoned out of retirement to aid both characters, first by equipping Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl (Bob and Helen Parr), with whom she has maintained a strong friendship. She is an eccentric fashion designer renowned for designing the costumes of several famous superheroes, having worked particularly closely with Mr. Edna "E" Mode is a fictional character in Pixar's animated superhero film The Incredibles (2004) and its sequel Incredibles 2 (2018).
