The Incredibles is the latest offering from Disney Pixar Animation Studios, following up the box office success of the likes of Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Monsters Inc. This time Pixar have combined with Brad Bird to make an animated film about The Incredibles. Bird has written, directed and even voiced this latest film, which seems sure to be a box office smash. Brad Bird has previously been involved with both the “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill”.

A superhero’s work is never done. Well this time it appears that it is. Superheros are busy going about their business, saving people’s lives and fighting evil. Mr Incredible is one of the greatest superhero’s of all and is so dedicated to his job that he makes himself late for his wedding saving mankind from itself. When Mr Incredible foils a suicide attempt the man decides to sue him for both injuries he sustained in the rescue and even the fact that he is still alive. This opens the flood gates for a whole raft of law suits against superheroes.

Bob Parr used to be the legendary Mr Incredible. He used to live an exciting life and was a figure that children looked up to. Now he lives with his family in a quiet suburb and works for an insurance company as a claims adjuster. Bob’s wife is Helen who was also formerly a superhero in the form of Elastigirl. Together they have three children: Violet, Dash and Jack Jack. Bob and Helen’s children each have their own special powers that they are forced to conceal. The whole family find it difficult to adjust to living a normal life with their super powers, but none so much as Bob.

Mr Incredible/Bob Parr – voiced by Craig Nelson (Devil’s Advocate) is a former superhero trying to lead a normal life. Bob remembers only too well what it was like when superheroes were free to help people and longs for a return to the action. He secretly performs superhero rescues without the knowledge of his family or the government. Mr Incredible’s super power is his extraordinary strength.

Frozone/Lucius Best – voiced by Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Basic) is a former superhero and friend of the Parr family. Lucius is still friends with Bob and Helen despite their relocations and new identities. Lucius and Bob go out each week for a “bowling night” where they have been known to perform illegal acts of heroism. Frozone’s super power is his ability to freeze things and his agility and balance to skate on the ice he has created.

Violet Parr – voiced by Sarah Vowell is the daughter of Bob and Helen. Being the daughter of two super hero’s means that you are bound to be a little different. Violet is really shy and lacks confidence. Little does she know that she has super powers that allow her to turn invisible and create force fields.

Fans of DVD extras will be pleased to know that Pixar have done another short film to accompany this cinematic release. Immediately prior to the film starting there is a short presentation called “Boundin’” about a little lamb. I’m sure that when this film makes it to DVD this will be one of the extras. If you don’t fancy this film but enjoy these short offers from Pixar then a teaser can be viewed on their website.

I have been a big fan of these animated films since the release of Toy Story. Some of them have been brilliant (Toy Story, Toy Story 2) and others have been average (Bugs Life). Regardless of how good the film actually is there is always a great deal of hype, publicity and excitement. Presumably this is based on the success of the previous films but either way, this film has been surrounded by a buzz of excitement for the last couple of months. Well the film itself is finally here and after waiting to see this film for a couple of months I finally got the chance to make my own mind up about this latest offering from Pixar.

Well the simple answer I guess is yes. This is fantastically entertaining film and manages to live up to the hype that has surrounded its release. It has a storyline that is better than any of the previous Pixar productions and it still manages to maintain their own brand of humour for the adults.

The characters used in the film are superb as are the actors/actresses that have been used to voice them. The main cast of the film is quite small so as not to over complicate the film. The Parr family form the central characters with a bad guy (who I am not going to tell you about). Other characters, like Frozone, have smaller parts to play in the story and do it well. There have been enough characters included to make the story interesting without overloading the viewer. The choice of actors/actresses used to voice the characters is brilliant too. Although only have a small part to play in the film, Jackson is brilliant as Frozone, giving a distinctive performance. Holly Hunter also does brilliantly as Helen Parr/Elastigirl, bringing real enthusiasm to the role.