Better Than It Had To Be

Rating: 10/10 (4 July 2003)

Face it, they're Disney. They can turn out a completely unwatchable piece of tripe and it will still make money. And Pixar has completely earned the right to rest on its laurels. In these days where half-assed efforts are more the norm for studio pictures, it is refreshing to see that they actually got their backs into this one. It is funny, touching, visually stunning, and completely entertaining at every level. The voice talent is uniformly stunning, though it is Ellen DeGeneres who steps up a few classes and all but steals the movie as Dori, the fish with no short-term memory. Albert Brooks, it is to be hoped, will finally gain a small portion of the respect due him for this popular but uncompromised role. A must-see.