Best Animated Film Yet

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2005)

I have watched this film umpteen times with my 3 year-old granddaughter (I own the DVD), and I'm going to go against the grain and say that, while others may say that Finding Nemo doesn't quite measure up, I say that in many ways this film excels.
I believe that what most people find lacking in Finding Nemo is the adult-oriented humor. And it's true, there is very little of it here. There is nothing approaching the risqué or double entendres here either, those things that are supposed to go over the kids' heads and give the adults a big guffaw. So, as a result, adults looking for that kind of stuff don't find it and are therefore disappointed.
But if my granddaughter is any kind of a yardstick to measure it by, the kids love it.
While this film may not be a masterpiece, it's the next best thing to it. That's because the artwork is superb, unparalleled and unmatched. The coloration, textures, use of light, and shadings are the finest that have ever been done on any animated film ever, before or since. Shrek2 and Shark's Tale, for instance, came out *after* this movie, and, good as they are (and they are very good) they are nowhere near as beautifully rendered as Finding Nemo. Particularly Shark's Tale, which in some ways seemed to be a blatant theft and rip off from Finding Nemo, but in my opinion fails because it's just not as good, either art-wise or story-wise. But Finding Nemo remains a visually beautiful piece of artwork, and the kids love it. And that counts for a lot.