Nemo... or omen?

Rating: 8/10 (11 September 2016)

Finding Nemo is one of those films that defined animation in the 2000's, showcasing the rendering power of the highly advanced computers that were now capable of making more realistic CGI than ever before. With the help of that, the animation is unmatched by any other CGI-based movie in 2003 and even seems strong by 2016 standards with its color and character designs (despite some anatomical errors, such as giving the whale an uvula). Add that to the acting that gives the characters clear personalities and makes them consistently likable, memorable, and relatable. With the combination of adventure/mystery with "romance" (Marlin and Nemo trying to develop their relationship as father and son), we get a story that is very well organized despite its complexity. Its drama and humor are quite hit-and-miss, however, as sometimes those scenes happen too fast or deviate too far from the main story for someone to stay that way when the movie is like "this scene is over, let's go back to the story now." Like how Dory is, however, we can easily forget those scenes and stick to what everyone takes away from it. It is somewhat inappropriate for families of very young children because it does get loud and mortifying at times (not to mention darkness, such as the death of Coral and Marlin's 399 unnamed children, and the unconfirmed fate of the Tank Gang), so I wouldn't recommend this to toddlers. For everyone else, though, I recommend a view by almost all means. (For those who are curious about the title, I was poking at how Nemo is the reverse of omen, which could also function as foreshadowing or worries that this wasn't a good movie)