by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

The box-office bulldozer of the week is The Incredibles, the latest from Pixar, the same nice people who left their parent company Disney in the dust with the hits Toy Story, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. You can file The Incredibles under family fare, not so much in the sense that it could appeal to the whole household as that it more accurately reflects household life with an authenticity absent in so many domestic dramas. Except, of course, for the giant destructo-bots and rampant superheroics.

Here's the breakdown: superheroes were the shit until litigation lawyers smelled a buck to be made in their post-battle rubble. Before long, legal grief had them all packing away their masks and capes, and disappearing incognito into the 'burbs like Ray Liotta at the end of Goodfellas. Now the muscle-bound Mr. Incredible and stretchy Elastigirl, or rather Bob and Helen Parr, struggle with the daily grind, with marital tension and with the frustrations of their superpowered kids, the invisible-at-will Violet and troublesome Dash (rhymes with Flash, so...). Then Bob gets this secret message, see, and - oh, just go see it. It kicks ass.

The design sensibility of The Incredibles falls in with what's been happening to familiar DC Comics characters in TV animation for some time - a hyper-stylized design that suggests art deco by way of 1960s cereal-box graphics. Sharp angles and rich curves carve out effectively exaggerated physiques and groovy environments, here brought vividly to life through 3D animation.

But that side alone would wear thin within minutes. Credit is due to writer/director Brad Bird, previously responsible for the outstanding Iron Giant. Again, he shows a knack for a solid, watertight storyline, for respecting the intelligence of his audience, for great gags and for genuine and sympathetic characters. The film's conclusion, as to be expected, leaves the door wide open for sequels and TV spin-offs. Mr. Bird and company, be my guest - that would be super.

The Incredibles is now playing

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