The Incredibles understands something about super heroes that very few super hero movies have ever understood. The Incredibles, the latest animated gem from the goliath Disney/Pixar partnership, knows that there's more to super heroes than super powers, spandex suits and saving the day—underneath all of that, every super hero is a human being with their own needs and obligations, independent of crime fighting. Some heroes have jobs, love interests, or, in the case of Mr. Incredible, a family. However, not too many super hero movies feel the need to examine that part of a hero's life (with the notable exception of Spider-Man 2), which is shame since it's such an integral aspect of their call to civic duty. Because The Incredibles knows so completely what super heroes are all about, it can be called one of the better super hero movies ever made.

But what on earth am I talking about? The Incredibles isn't just a well-made super hero movie; it is also a favored brainchild of the folks at Disney and Pixar and writer/director Brad Bird (creator of the unsung classic, The Iron Giant). This, of course, places heavy responsibility on The Incredibles' shoulders—to keep up with the Pixar gold standard, The Incredibles has to be just as quick, witty, and imaginative as such superlative films as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Luckily, The Incredibles doesn't buck the trend, and fits into the Pixar canon perfectly; it is just as cleverly conceived, well-written, ideally cast and gorgeously animated as any other animated success you can mention. Heartwarming, hilarious and ingenious, The Incredibles exemplifies why the Pixar films are so great.

However, while The Incredibles vainly flexes the winning aspects of the Pixar formula, it is a very different film from its predecessors. For starters, The Incredibles is the first Pixar film to feature all human characters, which takes us closer to the real world than animate toys or talking fish ever could. But that's where the reality stops, since our heroes aren't really humans, but super humans with incredible powers. In the world of The Incredibles, there are super heroes everywhere, who save the world pretty regularly and only use their secret identities when they have to. However, those were the old days. Now, after several lawsuits have barred the "supers" from using their powers in public, all of the old super heroes have retired their costumes and retreated to normal lifestyles.

One such super hero is Bob "Mr. Incredible" Parr (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), a famous super with the strength of a thousand men. Mr. Incredible now works a dead-end office job, and pines for the "glory days" when he and his pal Lucius, aka Frozone (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson), battled monsters and thwarted megalomaniacs. His wife Helen Parr (voiced by Holly Hunter), formerly the stretchable, flexible Elastigirl, is better adjusted to normal life, even if she has to constantly remind her husband that the glory days are over. But Mr. Incredible looks at his super-powered children—spirited young Dash (voiced by Spencer Fox), who's faster than anything, and awkward teenager, Violet (voiced by Sarah Vowell), who can become invisible and create force fields (there's a third child, Jack-Jack who appears to have no powers)—and longs for a world where their powers can be free from restraint. When a mysterious woman named Mirage (voiced by Elizabeth Pena) invites Mr. Incredible to suit up and resume his crime fighting ways, he gladly accepts, ignorant of the effect it may have on his family, or worse, the world itself. The great thing about the characters in The Incredibles is that they are both human and superhuman at the same time. This means that we can marvel and laugh at the creative uses of each hero's super power (e.g. Helen using her elasticity to multitask her at-home mom duties), and grin knowingly at their encounters with universal hallmarks of regular life. One of the movie's funniest scenes involves a typical family dinner argument, where Dash and Violet argue and fuss while mom and dad try to keep order. Now imagine that same argument, which we've all had, but with one kid running at blinding speed, another trying to stop him with force fields, mom stretching her arms in all directions to lasso the kids, and dad lifting the whole family above his head in a "fatherly intervention." A lot of The Incredibles' comedy is like that—a brilliant mesh of worlds that mimic and poke great fun at family life.

Equally funny is The Incredibles insightful commentary on super hero movie stereotypes (which, after the recent comic book movie trend, should be common knowledge to many of us). There's a hilarious explanation of why capes are bad ideas for super hero costumes, a great parody of super villains (and their tendency to "monologue"), and countless references to everything from Superman to Star Wars. That The Incredibles offers this kind of humor is kind of nice. After so many comic book movies have repeated the same formula over and over again, it's enjoyable to see a good-hearted rib at all of them.

However, we again come to a difference in The Incredibles from its Pixar brethren. While much of the movie is great family comedy, The Incredibles marks Disney and Pixar's first attempt at a solid action picture. On the one hand, it seems like a no-brainer—after all, who would want to watch a movie with super heroes if there wasn't any action? On the other hand, elaborate action sequences are a great challenge for Pixar, since blistering blockbuster kinetics often stretch the possibilities of computer animation. However, The Incredibles not only manages to feature some decent action, but it actually becomes one of the better adventure movies of the year, animated or otherwise. The simply splendid animation, equal in quality to that of Finding Nemo or Shark Tale, and the inspired "choreography" fuel several terrifically exciting and tense action spectacles. My favorite is the one where Dash rockets through a dense jungle, with multiple robotic fiends in hot pursuit. In it, the animators use simulated camera techniques, wild angles and rushing rainbow images to draw the viewer to the very edge of his or her seat. This scene and many others like it (such as the climactic battle involving the entire Incredible family) lift The Incredibles above any and all standards, and represent a giant leap forward for the capabilities of computer animation.

Another constant in every Disney/Pixar film is great voice acting, a tradition which The Incredibles dutifully upholds. Craig T. Nelson has a great tone to his voice which personifies Mr. Incredible as the lovable everyman, yet with enough power to support his superhero identity. Spencer Fox and Sarah Vowell adorably personify the superkids, while Samuel L. Jackson, whose iconic voice seemed destined for animation, brings definite hip to the entire film (however limited his involvement may be). The best voice acting in The Incredibles comes via two ladies—one real (the talented and pleasantly voiced Holly Hunter) and one not real (writer/director Brad Bird as a stumpy European super hero costume designer). Hunter's soft vocals lend themselves well to Helen's soothing sweetness, while Bird is good for many, many laughs as his Donatella Versace-esqe fashion queen.

So Disney and Pixar are now six for six. If the partnership's last film, Cars (to be released a year from now), is anywhere near the quality of The Incredibles, then the two companies can split knowing that they've never dabbled in anything less than exceptional. If I had to rank The Incredibles among the other Disney/Pixar films, it would be somewhere near the middle—better than the delightful A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc. but not quite on the same level as Toy Story or Nemo. In any case, The Incredibles is smashing family entertainment, marvelous in almost every way a family film can be.