Usually, calling a movie something like The Incredibles is asking for trouble, but in this case it's simply a case of truth in advertising.

The film--it's so much more than a cartoon--is about a family of superheroes forced into early retirement and hankering for the good ol' days of spandex and public adulation. Thanks to a wildly litigious climate in the U.S., Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), and his wife, Helen, the former Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), have ended up in the 'burbs, keeping their heads down and skills in check. Along with them is a standard-issue sullen daughter (Sarah Vowell) known for her disappearing act, a genuinely hyperkinetic little boy (Spencer Fox), and a baby with qualities yet to be determined.

In the 15 years since he hung up his codpiece, Bob has packed on a few pounds, and now the only heroism he performs as a cubicle-bound insurance adjuster is to quietly slip his customers some facts about how to game the system. Lately, the only thing elastic about Helen is the waistband of her Capri slacks, and she's starting to fret about Bob: is he listening to police scanners again with his chilly pal Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson, playing a slightly underutilized character), or could he be seeing another superwoman?

As in Spy Kids (but with infinitely more wit and imagination), Dad has actually been called back into the biz, with Elizabeth Peña as the slinky siren who gives him his evil-fighting orders and Jason Lee as the mysterious boss in the background. Naturally, the whole family is soon tested, both as heroes and as, you know, relatives.

Unlike most animated product, the best of which is usually assembled by a vast army of creative types, The Incredibles was written and directed by one guy, Brad Bird, who not only was an early directing mainstay of The Simpsons but was the force behind The Iron Giant, one of the best 'toons of the past 10 years. Bird is plainly enraptured by the aesthetics of the 1950s and early '60s, but his sensibility leans towards hip, not kitsch. The design elements and music score convey the cool panache of James Bond flicks and the burnished palette of sci-fi greats like Forbidden Planet.

The movie, which clocks in at an incredible (for animation) 115 minutes, builds slowly and, in fact, may lose some toddlers as the characters are developed. Indeed, much of the dialogue is aimed at adults, especially those coping with the challenges of parenting in an increasingly dumbed-down world. "They keep inventing new ways to celebrate mediocrity," Bob complains when Helen reminds him that their son has an upcoming graduation ceremony--from the fourth grade.

Things pick up steadily once Bob is drafted to fight a truly menacing robot on a tropical island, and they never again slack off. There are comic interludes, however, with fantastic side characters, including an imperious costume designer (voiced by Bird himself) who comes across as Linda Hunt doing Edith Head with a hint of Dr. Strangelove. That children find her hysterical without getting any of the references tells you a lot of what you need to know about The Incredibles.