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Finding Nemo (2003)

Average rating

(76%)

Starring:	Albert Brooks \| Alexander Gould \| Ellen DeGeneres \| Willem Dafoe \| Brad Garrett \| Alison Janney \| Stephen Root \| Austin Pendleton \| Joe Ranft \| Vicki Lewis
Director:	Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Studio:	WALT DISNEY HOME VIDEO
Run time:	96 mins
Genres:	Animated \| Children \| Comedy \| Family
Languages:	English
Released:	February 22, 2004

FINDING NEMO, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, follows Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks), an overprotective clown fish father, as he desperately searches the sea for his missing son, Nemo (Alexander Gould). Marlin's journey leads him beyond the Great Barrier Reef into deeper and darker waters, where he meets Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a forgetful yet optimistic blue tang, and a number of not-so-friendly--and often very hungry--aquatic creatures. Meanwhile, little Nemo finds himself in a dentist's fish tank in Sydney, Australia, along with other underwater captives, including Gill (Willem Dafoe), the group's scarred Moorish idol leader. As Nemo works with his new friends on a plan to escape their tank, Marlin and Dory swim closer, but they'll need more than just fins to get into the dentist's office.
This fifth computer-animated outing by Pixar continues the company's remarkable winning streak that began with TOY STORY. Like other Pixar films, FINDING NEMO features a story with heart--this time, a father-and-son tale--and thoroughly charming leads--in this case, Marlin, Nemo, and Dory. And, of course, there's an army of fascinating supporting characters, including Bruce (Barry Humphries), a great white shark on a no-fish diet; Crush (director/screenwriter Stanton), a surfer-dude sea turtle; Peach (Allison Janney), a stuck-to-the-aquarium starfish; and Nigel (Geoffrey Rush), a bold pelican. However, what truly distinguishes NEMO from even its CGI cousins is its stunning depiction of aquatic life, from the colourful creatures on a coral reef to a blue whale on the vast expanse of the open ocean. By combining the aesthetic of a National Geographic marine life documentary with clever jokes and Hitchcock references, NEMO succeeds in its bid to up the ante for animated films yet again. And be sure to watch the credits or you just might miss something!

Screenshots

Rating of 4 stars out of 5

Toy Story creator Pixar continues its run of superb computer-generated animated features with this jaw-dropping underwater adventure. It's a rainbow-hued delight, overflowing with innovation and vitality. Australia's Great Barrier Reef provides a stunning starting point for this aquatic fable, as single-parent clown fish Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) sees his beloved only son, Nemo, netted by a scuba diver. From then on, it's a non-stop journey of visual excitement and wonder, as the distraught father sets off to rescue his offspring, encountering a host of colourful characters along the way. As is mandatory for a family film, there are plenty of life lessons for youngsters to learn, but they come agreeably sugar-coated with humour and fun. Meanwhile, a more adult undercurrent offers grown-up laughs, and there's even some old-fashioned tear-jerking to complete the emotional rollercoaster ride. The voice casting is inspired too, with Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush and Eric Bana among those contributing supplementary texture to this marvellous sensory experience.

Rating of 2 stars out of 5
Halliwell's Film Guide

Terrific animation, with splendid underwater sequences, isn't matched by the thin narrative; audiences are not likely to be hooked by the adult fish, the whiny Marlin and forgetful Dory.

Highest rated reviews

34 out of 38 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
All drains lead to the ocean

JediSi from , 30th August, 2007

Pixars track record for creating astounding entertainment is currently unmatched, and just gets better with 'Finding Nemo'. This film is dazzling, heart stopping and uproarious. I don't think many of the adults in the audience were really anticipating it to be as amusing as it was. The characters are instantaneously relatable and, in a nice touch, there are no ‘real’ baddies. Even the shark and the whale become quite engaging. Ellen Degeneres is fantastic as Dory. Every line that she conveys in the whole film is absolutely perfect. In fact, that can be said about all of the performances, but her character steals the show because she is, simultaneously, the funniest and sweetest fish in the ocean. This movie is perfect for adults and kids. See it again and again because it, without question deserves every bit of praise it gets.

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11 out of 11 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4.0 stars
As good as animation gets

Nick from England, 8th October, 2004

I'm not a big fan of animation. In fact, up until I saw Finding Nemo, I had never seen an animated film that I love. Now that I have seen it, however, that's all changed. With it's vivacious characters, sublime animation and wonderful voice acting; Finding Nemo is a winner all the way. The story follows a young clown fish who is, believe it or not, called Nemo. A shark killed Nemo's mother and siblings, and this has lead his father to be overprotective of his only son. This over-protectiveness leads to rebellion from Nemo - you know what kids are like - and no sooner has his dad told him not to go near the boat, is he tapping the bottom of it with his fin, getting caught by a diver and then being taken to a fish tank in a Sydney dentist's surgery. Of course, his dad isn't going to take this lying down and so begins an epic journey in which he risks life and fin (sorry) to, you guessed it, find Nemo.

As mentioned, the animation in this film is absolutely wonderful. By far and away the best picture that Pixar have ever created, in terms of looks and finished item. The colour scheme for the movie is extremely vibrant, and is therefore aesthetically pleasing for the duration. The film also does a fantastic job of creating it's own world; the sea is a place that is busy and bursting with life. Throughout the film, our hero's are confronted with many challenges and inventive characters - from the sharks that want to stop eating fish, to the forest of jellyfish, down to the escape artist Gill (voiced to perfection by William Dafoe), Finding Nemo has no shortage of vivacity in it.

The film is as impressive as far as substance goes, as it is on the visual front. The characters in Finding Nemo give the film a lot of it's substance and, aside from the fact that they're mostly talking fish, feel very real and almost have a life of their own. In an animated children's film, you don't expect to see characters the likes of what's on show here, but Finding Nemo delivers on the character front too. Our main hero's are great creations; we have Marlin, the father. He's very neurotic and wouldn't be out of place in a Woody Allen film (aside from the fact that he's a talking fish, obviously). His opposite number is a lovable, if forgetful female blue tang fish called Dory. Dory is a brilliant character, she is funny yet never irritating throughout the movie and it is somewhat because of her that the movie plays out so well. These two have a great chemistry on screen, which is better than a lot of the chemistries in 'serious' films. Nemo himself is your typical child ? thinks he knows it all, but doesn't. And the film wins realism points for this too. There is a great menagerie for the support cast, which includes turtles, whales, sharks and much more; and all of them are brilliant examples of the kind of imagination that has gone into this film.

There are also several life lessons on display in this film, and those are what lifts Finding Nemo from merely an animation film, to a film that can be respected by adults, as much as by children. The life lessons on offer are; listen to your parents, shown clearly by the fact that this whole fiasco is born of a result of Nemo disobeying his dad. There's also themes, on the other hand, of how overprotecting your children can lead to them viewing you with contempt; and the movie strikes a balance, like it does on the whole, between both sides of the parental structure. Aside from the family based messages, the film also has things to say that certain people and countries would do well to note; first of all, interfering with nature is not nice, and stemming from that is the message that if you have the power, it doesn't mean you have the right to use it; clearly portrayed by the diver that takes Nemo from his home. The fact that the film has all these themes, and still manages to be deliriously entertaining is testament to it's brilliance. Many films that profess substance don't have as much as this little caper does.

Overall, animation doesn't get any better than this. Finding Nemo is fun for children, but there is MORE than enough for adults to enjoy, and I would have no qualms with recommending this movie to anyone.

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Finding Nemo (2003)

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