Fun!

Rating: 8/10 (10 March 2004)

You should never be worried about going to see a pixar film because not only do they not make bad movies, they dont even make average movies. Everyone of their films have been both a stunning techniqual achivement but great family entertainment as well.
When it comes to the battle between Pixar and Dreamworks, Pixar is the overall winner. Both Shrek and Ice Age were blissfully over-rated as the jokes tried to be too adult and in the end failed misserably.
This newest effort tells the tale of Marlin and Nemo, a father and son that have a great relationship yet Nemo cant help feeling his dad is too overprotective (watch the film and find out why). It is when Nemo is taken away by a group of divers that Marlin searches the ocean for him, with the help of the wonderfully stupid Dory (She suffers from short term memory lose).
Visually this film is great as it looks as if it is actually taking place under the sea. Unlike the rest of their films, this one is ridicuously cute and it works. The animation also helps in the comical value of the movie. Dory is by far the funniest character as she constantly looks confused and blissfully unaware. The surfer sea turtles are a major plus point too "DUDE!"
The only major downside to this film is that the ending feels rushed. With all of the Pixar films before this there was always a gripping chase that not only showed the hero status of the main characters but the bonding between them. This had the bonding element but a school of fish trying to escape from a net is, frankly, not as exciting as a showdown at an airport (Toy Story 2) or a chase in the rain (A Bugs Life). There are also no outakes to make us chuckle which is missed.
But at the end of the day this is family entertainment at the higher end of the spectrum. Forget trash like The Little Mermaid or Pochontas and watch a film that shows the comical side of family values.
4/5