Incredible fun for the whole family!

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2005)

My rating: 9/10 Pixar does it again: they are simply today's best studio (better than Disney, better than Dreamworks) at producing great animated films that appeal to the entire family. The Incredibles is destined to become yet another Pixar classic that gets played again and again, years into the future.
As the dad of my family, I appreciated The Incredibles focus on the male psyche and the pressures that modern-day dads endure. There is more than a little bit of Mr. Incredible in all dads these days, even if we can't lift our commuter cars over our heads. However, I also saw a lot of my wife in the character of Elastigirl, as did she (by the way, Holly Hunter does a great voice-over for Elastigirl). Almost all kids will instantly identify with Dash, the young boy, and they will be filled with joy as Dash finally gets to use his powers to help save the day. The only weak, unappealing main character is Invisigirl, who I felt was too much of a low self-esteem, angst-ridden, shy teenage girl.
The storyline of The Incredibles is remarkably grown-up, and even has bearing on aspects of our politics and culture. The main message is a valid one: don't accept mediocrity. However, this means that certain aspects of the film are politically incorrect (egads, we're not all equal  and that's OK!), which is refreshing to see in a mainstream Hollywood film. Yet the film is not preachy, and there is more than enough other material to keep even a 4 year-old riveted to her seat.
The PG-rating comes from the cartoon-like violence. If your kids have been previously exposed to this type of action, then there is nothing to fear from The Incredibles. My whole family truly enjoyed the film, and can't wait for the next Pixar release.