Pixar's funniest to date.

Rating: Null/10 (7 May 2004)

*** 1/2 out of ****
Sure, the message of this flick (parents should have as much respect for their children as said children should have for them) is pure bland Disney all the way, but there's no denying that Finding Nemo is the funniest and most visually complex Pixar effort to date. And consistent laughs and great animation is all that I ask from such a picture.
The laughs are mostly the result of the film's many entertaining and unique characters, from Dory (voiced perfectly by Ellen Degeneres), the fish with short-term memory, to Australian-accented sharks and sea turtles that sound stoned. Ironically enough, it's arguable that the film's two least interesting characters are the clownfish themselves, Nemo and his dad Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks, who's generally funny but whose constant shouting can be a tad ear drum-piercing).
The story concerns these two clownfish, the only survivors from an attack by a barracuda. With his mate and the rest of his children dead, Marlin promises to always look over his remaining spawn, whom he dubs Nemo. But as time passes and Nemo has grown into a curious young fish, Marlin is still the most overprotective parent in the sea. In an act of defiance, Nemo swims too far from safe territory and is caught by a scuba diver and placed into the aquarium of his office. Desperate to find his son, Marlin enlists the help of the forgetful Dory, and it's their long journey proves to be the highlight of this movie.
One of the film's smartest touches is dividing the screen time between Marlin's journey and Nemo's interaction with the other sea life in his aquarium. In fact, the aquarium bunch boasts the film's most hilarious mixture of eccentric characters, led by the always memorable Willem Dafoe. Also very funny are Brad Garrett as a puffer fish and Allison Janney as a sea star ("Scum angel!").
Adventure fans will probably also want to give the film a look. The search for Nemo consists of an abundance of obstacles that range from dangerous to amusing. The eye-popping visuals ensure that this is a movie that's always visually entrancing in one way or another, and there's so much attention to creating a detailed underwater environment that it's practically begging for repeat viewings (this isn't as rewatchable as, say, traditionally animated efforts like Lilo and Stitch or Treasure Planet, but it'll definitely hold up in the coming years).
Virtually every other Pixar picture I've seen either simply didn't provide much in the way of laughs (Toy Story 1 and 2) or just couldn't keep the momentum all the way through (Monster's Inc.). I consider Finding Nemo a lesson learned; even though it's actually the longest of Pixar's work to date (running at 100 minutes), the filmmakers realize we want to see adventure and laughs, not earnest attempts at sentimentality (though, as if it's requisite, we still have some sentimental moments).
Finding Nemo's pacing is probably the biggest concern, the middle segment is a tad slow and runs short on laughs compared to the much more enjoyable opening and closing half-hours. But that's only a minor complaint; be sure to stick for the final scenes, the funniest since, unbelievably enough, Stephen Sommers' horror/comedy Deep Rising; both actually boast an identical line of dialogue to wrap up the film.