"The Incredibles" are exceptional

When anyone mentions superheroes these days, it's always Superman, Batman and Spiderman. Now, picture not just individuals using their super powers to better the world, but a whole crime-fighting family! This is what Pixar Animation and Disney bring to life with their newest animated film, "The Incredibles."

The film begins as the government forces all superheroes to retire and lead normal lives due to the volume of lawsuits coming from people who claim they did not want to be saved. Mr. Incredible (Craig Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) get married, have three children and attempt to raise a normal family. But this normal family has feuds with force fields, amazing speed and arms that can reach the length of a room or pick up the dinner table. Then, Mr. Incredible falls prey to a bad guy, and his family rescues him in matching suits that just so happen to also be machine washable.

"The Incredibles" boasts the talents of Nelson, Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone), whose voices are a great asset to the film and who surely contributed to the movie's popularity.

"The Incredibles" topped the box-office charts on its opening weekend and brought in $70.5 million dollars. This amount is second best to Dreamworks' "Shrek 2," which brought in $108 million last May."The Incredibles" also surpassed Pixar's own "Finding Nemo" in revenue during its first weekend and has equally good, if not better, graphics. The oldest son, Dash, voiced by Spencer Fox, runs so fast that he can run over water. Even though everyone knows this cannot be done, the water looks so real that it's almost as though the whole theatre is going to get splashed. The animation process improves with almost every movie that comes out; just look how far Pixar has come since "Toy Story." Animated films have become more and more difficult to do as technology advances and audiences demand more realism, but director Brad Bird made sure the set and characters look just right, even though the set is completely computer-generated. Bird, who worked on the hit television show "The Simpsons" and the movie "Iron Giant," made his debut with Pixar directing "The Incredibles."

"The Incredibles," although geared toward children, is an exciting movie for everyone because of the scenes and action. What makes the Incredible family so incredible is that, in spite of all the drama, humor and action, they are still a loving family. This aspect is a nice change from all the superheroes that must keep their lives a secret so that their loved ones are not put in danger.

There is no better way to describe the entire movie than in the words of the Incredibles' young neighbor: "That was totally wicked!”

"The Incredibles" (120 minute) is rated PG for some material that may not be suitable for children because of action violence.