The Incredibles

In a world where superheroism has been outlawed thanks to a series of lawsuits, Mr. Incredible struggles to get by in a depressing office job. His family have been moved several times as the authorities have tried to keep their abilities a secret. Mrs. Incredible, also known as Elastigirl, is worried about the disruption this causes to their school-aged children. But fighting crime is just too tempting for a man in the throes of a mid-life crisis, and you never know when another evil supervillain may try to take over the world.

With a lot more to say for itself than the average spoof, The Incredibles is a story in its own right, full of richly imagined characters many of whom we see only fleetingly. It acknowledges its debt to The Watchmen early on, in an effective newspaper montage, and goes on to take that premise somewhere different. Like Moore's work, however, what it's really interested in is the humanity of its celebrated characters. It's here that it really scores. Intelligently cast and well acted all round, it presents the viewer with a series of complicated domestic incidents each of which is at least as important in its characters' lives as anything to do with the central plot.

The other impressive thing about this film is (predictably from Pixar) the animation. Although the characters aren't designed to look realistic, the young Invisigirl has the most natural-looking hair yet achieved with computer technology, and textures such as those of fabrics and plants are similarly well designed. Technically-minded adults will be thrilled by the talent on display, whilst others will enjoy the simple delights of a thoroughly entertaining adventure.