Remarkable Film

Rating: 10/10 (11 August 2006)

Finding new life in the old fish-story, Finding Nemo is another fine computer animated offering from the people at Pixar, just as family-oriented as their last offerings, and just as adventure and humor-filled as ever. The animation and backgrounds are superb; it's often a remarkable achievement, and the colorful scenes of marine life and reefs makes it a visual treat. Though the film takes a little while to get going, after a truly heart-wrenching tragic beginning (at least for an animated film), once the search for Nemo starts, it's a non-stop quest with one clever thing after another. In fact, much like its previous siblings, the script is full of amusing situations (such as the chaotic climax at the dentist's office), clever dialogue, and humorous finds. It's also packed to the gills (pun intended) with eccentric characters, such as a trio of sharks trying to kick the habit of eating other fish, a pack of surfer-dude sea turtles, and some dim-witted birds. But the funniest bits are, of course, the myriad of dangers the poor fish must face, from a sea of jellyfish, to the threat of predators, to being swallowed up by a whale. The voice actors, from the neurotic Brooks to the spacey DeGeneres, are all terrific, and well chosen.