The triumph of animation

With the new Disney/Pixar film The Incredibles smashing box office records, the onward march of animated features seems unstoppable, reports David Eimer in The Times.

In fact, the recipe for a successful animated feature or cartoon hasn’t changed since Mickey Mouse first appeared in Steamboat Willie (1928). “It’s all about the story and characters,” points out John Lasseter, the co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and the director of Toy Story. “That’s what we put our effort into. And just look at our track record.”