2003's Best

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2006)

The latest in a string of tightly written and superbly animated features from Pixar Studios, who have risen to become gods of animation. Finding Nemo begins with one of the darkest openings in Disney cartoon history, telling the story of a father clown-fish named Merlin who loses his wife and all but one of his hundreds of fish eggs in a tragedy destined to make you think twice about ordering fish and chips for dinner. Marlin becomes the over-protective father of Nemo, his sole surviving child who is kidnapped by a scuba diving dentist and placed in a fish tank in his operating room. Thus the search begins, and Marlin must travel through the Great Barrier Reef to rescue his son, conquering his fears and meeting all sorts of strange and interesting creatures on the way (Bruce, a shark battling a ravishing fish addiction, is particularly memorable) The story thrives on simplicity, riding a singular concept all the way to a gloriously satisfying conclusion, and the script is choc-a-block full of gags and one-liners that are genuinely funny for all ages. This, in fact, is the perfect family movie: gorgeous to look at, tightly wound and high-octane, without a trace of pretension or dumb-downed ideals that so frequently condescend the younger market. Finding Nemo is one of the best animated films ever made, a glorious awe-inspiring tale comparable to classics like The Lion King.