A perfect comedy, well-timed, well-written, and a magnificent feast for the eyes.

Rating: 10/10 (7 August 2004)

'Finding Nemo' is a Pixar film that upholds the studio's great tradition: terrorizing the rest of the industry with the quality of their films, leaving others at a loss as to how they can compete. The story is simple and straightforward: an overprotective father clownfish traverses the ocean that petrifies him in search of his son, who has been relocated to a seaside dentist's office by divers and kept in an aquarium. The film may not have succeeded so blatantly as it did if Nemo hadn't been landed amongst a plethora of comical roommates, while Marlin's pleasantly forgetful companion, Dory, miraculously manages to be funnier than any of them.
'Nemo' abounds with characters as colorful as the reef itself, brilliantly realized. The simplicity of the story is countered by the obstacles Marlin faces, from deep-sea anglerfish that gives little kids the heebie-jeebies to titanic but likable sharks, trying to defeat their 'addiction' to seafood. The visual effects are spectacular. Never has water, lighting, color, texture, and photorealism been so convincing, let alone all these milestones being achieved in the 95-minute running time of a single picture. 'Finding Nemo' is truly special in this, and although Pixar's self-produced Marionette software has already won an Academy Award, I think it should win again, as the AMPAS can't possibly have foreseen the heights it would reach. Long live Pixar! (10/10)