Contenders

When the Oscar nominations were announced this morning, I realized I'd seen almost none of the films. I do have an opinion about one category, however: Animated Feature.

My vote goes strongly for The Incredibles. The premise is tied to a genre, yet is so fresh and original that it definitely deserves the nomination for best original screenplay. The humor is multi-level, full of slapstick for the kids (and Stooges fans), snappy one liners, and humorous allusions to film, literature and pop culture. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a film.

At the same time, the film delivers action-packed suspense and touching relationships between characters. I found the morals of loyalty, bravery, community and responsibility put forward without the story getting mired down or seeming preachy. It drove home the evils of envy: the villan is a brilliant inventor who could be using his gifts to the betterment of humanity, but he ends of driven mad by his envy of others' innate gifts, to his ultimate destruction.

Please weigh in on your favorite among the nominees: A Shark's Tale, Shrek 2 or The Incredibles.