A well-deserved success from Pixar, with so much to like!

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2008)

As I'm sure you know, Pixar made their feature-length debut with "Toy Story", which turned out to be a huge hit, and without a doubt, they've made a good number of other massively successful movies since then. I went to see a good bunch of films on the silver screen back in 2003, probably more than I ever had in a year before or in any year since, but unfortunately, "Finding Nemo" wasn't one of them. However, I first saw the Pixar hit on DVD in early 2004, and was very impressed! I've seen it more than once since then, and it seems to hold up well.
Marlin and his wife, Coral, are two clown fish who are about to become parents. Sadly, however, a predator soon comes, before their young are born, and knocks Marlin unconscious! When he awakens, he soon discovers that he is now a widower, and only one egg has survived the attack! Marlin names his one surviving offspring Nemo. When Nemo gets older, he starts his first day of school, but not long after he starts, he is caught by a scuba diver and taken away to a fish tank in a dentist's office by a harbour in Sydney, Australia! So, Marlin bravely sets out through the oceans to try and find his son, and soon meets a blue tang named Dory, who suffers from short term memory loss. She joins him on his adventure, and together, they face the dangers of the ocean as they try to make their way to Sydney! Meanwhile, Nemo and the other fish in the tank make plans to somehow escape, before the young clown fish is given to a rough little girl as a present the next time she comes for a check-up!
Some of the humour in this Pixar effort may be more for kids than adults, but this isn't usually the case. There's a lot to amuse adults as well. The last time I watched this film, I found some laughs around the beginning, but wanted more, which was eventually what I got, I think starting with the part where Dory, voiced by comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, comes in, as she is a memorably humorous character. There are other characters who add humour as well, including the seagulls, who say "Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" when they see creatures they want to eat, as well as certain fish in the tank with Nemo, and certain creatures Marlon and Dory meet on their adventure, such as the sharks. Speaking of characters, that's another upside to this film, the characters are usually likable, whether they're funny or not. Another merit is definitely the very colourful and 3-D animation! Last but not least, it's a good story, with a fair amount of excitement, as well as slightly touching moments.
While "Finding Nemo" may not be a perfect family film, I would say it definitely comes close, so it's no surprise that it turned out to be such a big hit! It seems Pixar really knows how to appeal to kids and adults alike, and this effort of theirs does not hide that! The film wasn't around when I was a kid (I was a teenager when it came out), so I'll never know what it's like to see it during childhood, but since it's not strictly for kids, I wasn't too late. Probably for computer animation fans of all ages, there's lot to like, including the things I've mentioned above, as well as maybe other merits which I've failed to mention, though I'm sure others have pointed them out already.