gem mint!

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2003)

Marlin is an overprotective clown fish, worried about his young son Nemo who has an underdeveloped fin. In an effort for Nemo to prove himself to his father he decides to venture out into the ocean against his dad's wishes away from school. In the end, he is caught by a deep sea diver, and Marlin is determined to resuce and find his son against all impossible odds.
Nemo ends up in a fish tank in a dentists office, where he is made an honorary member, meanwhile the rest of the film plays itself as Marlin travels through the great worlds of the ocean, and meets many characters and unique places in his search for his son.
It seems like somewhat of a similar story that we see in children's animation, even a sidekick is provided. However, the sidekick is a short term 'female' memory fish named Dory (voiced hillariously by Ellen DeGeneres), and the world that Marlin inhabits is filled with numerous funny characters in a giant ocean (in-therapy sharks, surfing California sea turtles, crazy pelicans, a giant whale [which provides the most hillarious dialogue in the film], a school bus driving manta ray, to all the aquarium creatures in the dentist office). Also the film centers on a father son relationship and the overbearing protectivness of the father is explained very quickly and simply in the first 5 minutes of the film. In fact Nemo's dissapearance is a transformation not just for Nemo as he has to learn how to survive and do things on his own, but also for his father who realises he has to venture out of his shell and get out and see the world without being afraid.
But hands down the seagulls in the film, are the most ingenious bit in the entire film, those guys when on screen steal the show and are a riot fest!
It seems Pixar has a formula that just can't be beat and gets better everytime. The animation is superb, the screen is filled with things to look at it in the ocean, and the fish move through it so realisticaly through worlds of colourful coral, wrecked ships and rust, to the cuteness of the aquarium. You could just sit back and watch the screen like a giant fish tank for hours. The characters are also very charming, and the story does not get bogged down in sentimentality.
Great film, and nearly perfect. Plenty of things to see for adults and children alike.
Rating 9 out of 10