Another brilliant Pixar production

Rating: 9/10 (23 September 2013)

When his only child Nemo (Alexander Gould) is captured by divers in the Great Barrier Reef, his extremely shy and anxiety-ridden father (Marlin) sets out on a journey to rescue him. Along the way, he meets many friends and foes, including Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a fish with a short-term memory.
After 'Toy Story', 'Finding Nemo' is probably the Pixar movie everyone likes to talk about. It took me ten years to watch it, but it was well worth the wait. 'Finding Nemo' is a very good film. What makes the movie so good is what has made so many other Pixar movies so good – the emotion. Yes, visually, it's brilliant (and we'll get on to that), but that Pixar crowd has this amazing ability to tell great stories.
In what has become a staple of the company, this film centres on the bond between two characters – in this case, father and son. The opening sequence is heartbreaking, and it sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The strength of that first scene is such that we invest in the relationship Marlin and Nemo have. We believe in Marlin's fear and Nemo's rebellion. I'd argue that Pixar were able to capture that emotion with much more depth in 'Up', but this was perfectly fine for a first attempt.
More than the two leads, the show is stolen by the character of Dory. I've never seen Ellen DeGeneres act but she's extremely good with the voice. The role was supposedly written for her, and she makes the most of that opportunity. Laugh-out-loud funny at times, Dory is a delight to watch, and it's no surprise that she's the focal point of the upcoming sequel.
As with all Disney/Pixar animations, there has to be humour, and there is a lot of humour. My only problem was that, for the sake of humour, the story does get sidetracked somewhat. Marlin's desperate search for Nemo gets put on the backburner as he's shooting the breeze with turtles, or taking part in vegetarian shark meetings. Okay, so it's for kids, so maybe I shouldn't look too deeply into it, but it did irk me.
Of the Pixar movies I've seen, this isn't at the top. All three 'Toy Story' films probably trump it, and 'Up' is possibly just that bit more funnier; but, with such a strong filmography, 'Finding Nemo' coming up fifth (maybe sixth behind 'Wall-E') is not a disservice at all. Great for kids and adults, it's highly recommended.