The Incredibles
Brad Bird, an outsider to Pixar Animation Studios who once directed episodes of The Simpsons and the hugely underrated The Iron Giant (1999), has produced a movie far and away better than any of Pixar's previous films, which frankly puts it in the running for the greatest animated film of all time. Instead of satirizing every possible superhero cliché, Bird takes The Incredibles in unexpected directions by infusing it with serious action, comedy, and drama from a variety of influences, especially a heavy dose of the James Bond films. The result is a first-rate action-adventure film on par with any of the best superhero movies, live-action or otherwise.