THE new computer-animated fable from the Pixar team responsible for Toy Story and Finding Nemo more than lives up to its name, conjuring up a hilarious portrait of dysfunctional family life set in the dangerous world of superheroes with The Incredibles (U).

With its smart script, eye-popping visuals, thrilling action set pieces and endearing characters, The Incredibles is simply unmissable.

After years of loyal service saving the world from dastardly villains, Mr Incredible (voiced by Craig T Nelson) is placed in the Witness Protection Programme with his family.

They are relocated to the leafy suburbs, and given new identities. The family must now try to lead normal lives, without the aid of superpowers.

Fifteen humdrum years pass, and Mr Incredible, now insurance claims adjuster Bob Parr - is fighting boredom rather than crime.

His wife Helen (Holly Hunter), aka Elastigirl, is using her startling flexibility to raise three children: insecure teenager Violet ( Sarah Vowell), ten-year-old Dash (Spencer Fox) and baby Jack Jack.

When a mysterious communication from a beautiful woman called Mirage (Elizabeth Pena) summons Bob to a remote island, he gladly squeezes back into his spandex outfit and heads off on an adventure into the unknown, albeit behind Helen's back.

On the island, Mr Incredible is captured by his deranged nemesis, Syndrome (Jason Lee), who is intent on ridding the world of superheroes once and for all. The hero must watch as the madman unleashes his latest deadly creation on an unsuspecting world.

Luckily, Mrs Incredible, Violet and Dash are already en route to the island to save Dad and avert global disaster, with a little help from their ice-cool superhero pal, Frozone (Samuel L Jackson).

The Incredibles blows Finding Nemo and Toy Story out of the water, with its sophisticated screenplay, rich character detail and clever humour.

This is certainly the most adult-oriented masterpiece yet from the Pixar team - but there is plenty to entertain audiences of all ages.

The vocal performances are excellent, and you can hear that the actors are having a ball as the larger-than-life heroes and villains.

The piece de resistance is the Parr family's diminutive fashion oracle, Edna Mode (Brad Bird), a 3ft8in recluse who was the first designer to make superheroes wear pants on the outside.

"Your suit can stretch as far as you can," she tells Helen while proudly showcasing the new red Incredibles bodysuit. "It's virtually indestructible and machine washable too, darling that's a new feature."

Brad Bird, who directed the charming family animation The Iron Giant, takes the helm with gusto here, orchestrating some spectacular action sequences that will leave your jaw scraping the floor for the entire two hours.

Beyond The Sea (12A), Kevin Spacey's second feature as director, traces crooner Bobby Darin's career from a child growing up in the Bronx, to an adult (played by Spacey) whose success in the charts is tempered by a failing marriage to screen starlet Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth).

Darin's meteoric rise to fame is all the more remarkable because, at the age of seven, rheumatic fever permanently damages his heart.

The outlook is grim: doctors don't expect him to live to the age of 15 so his family, including mum Polly (Brenda Blethyn) devote every waking minute to his happiness.

His mother introduces him to the joy of music, an escape from the harsh realities of his illness and life in New York.

Miraculously, Bobby defies all of the medics. By 20, he is working on the nightclub circuit.

The release of Splish Splash, a song written in just 20 minutes, pushes his career skywards, and he consolidates his new-found fame with an album of standards.

Leaving for Italy to make the film Come September, he falls under the spell of move star Sandra Dee and they are subsequently married, to the intense displeasure of her controlling mother.

Success in the charts and on the big screen, including an Academy Award nomination, puts a strain on the marriage. The relationship dissolves and he seeks a new direction as a political activist.

Spacey is sensational in the lead role, singing all of Darin's songs live, rather than lip-synching, and kicking up a storm in the energetic song and dance numbers. It's a virtuoso performance that almost single-handedly carries the film.

By Damon Smith