The Incredibles review

Much has been made of the split which means that The Incredibles will be the last Pixar film to be released under the Disney banner. Whatever the ins and outs of the disagreement are, it's likely that it's Disney who will suffer the most from losing the most advanced animation house on the planet. Judging from this superlative new effort, Pixar is going from strength to strength. The Incredibles raises the bar in a field that gets stronger each year and takes it to levels that already makes the animation in Toy Story seem dated. Quite simply, this is a magical combination of characters and a story you care about, dazzling film-making and humour that is rarely below chuckle level. Forget about the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, this should cross over into the race for the main prize.

Director Brad Bird joined Pixar after Warners undersold his 1999 hand-drawn animation feature Iron Giant, and their loss is Pixar's huge gain. Working with a reported 2,000 computers to create his first CG film, Bird has created a stunningly rendered world that has never been seen before on film. Not only is it a treat for the eyes, it's a touching and frequently hilarious work.

Craig T Nelson voices Mr Incredible, who at the beginning of the film is one of the world's greatest superheroes. But things begin to go wrong: superheroes begin to be sued by the very people they have saved, and soon enough Mr Incredible is back to being plain Bob Parr, living in Nowhereville and working as an insurance clerk. As the years go by, he puts on weight, becomes increasingly frustrated by cubicle life and attempts the odd foray with one of his fellow ex-superheroes Frozone (Samuel L Jackson). Bob's sole happiness in life is his family: his wife Helen - formerly Elastigirl (and voiced by Holly Hunter) - and their two kids Dash and Violet, who possess their own special qualities.

Bob's humdrum existence is enlivened one day when he receives communication from a sexy secret agent named Mirage. She persuades him to re-don his now ill-fitting costume and embark on a series of missions which he keeps secret from his family. Bob is thrilled, but only after time does he realise that these missions may not be for the good of the people, as he initially thinks. Soon both Bob and his family are at the mercy of the world's greatest villain, Syndrome (Jason Lee), who lives in splendid autocracy on a magnificently presented island.

The Incredibles is packed with visual and verbal gags, and the plot, in particular the villain's raison d'etre, is both highly imaginative and very funny. James Bond fans will love the bad guy's lair, as well as the attention to detail and creativity that infuses every frame of the film. At 120 minutes, the only minor quibble is the film's longer than usual running time, but it's impossible to see what could have been left out.