A Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2007)

Finding Nemo is a work of art among movies, perhaps in the truest sense of the word. I'm certain that the first time I watched this film my mouth was gaping open the entire time--so in awe was I from the first frame. The art of feature-length animation that Pixar began with Toy Story has now been perfected. Every scene is crammed with breathtaking beauty, and so much eye candy that I see something new every time I watch the film.
But all of this is (spectacular) window dressing for the spectacular story. Not only is the film consistently hilarious, but all the gags merely support a story that is, at its core, deeply moving and heartfelt. And that is what ultimately makes the film such a satisfying experience.
My initial temptation is to state that this film has, indeed, supplanted The Lion King as the greatest animated film of all time. But I think I prefer to think of them, in a sense, as companion pieces. Both films deal, in different ways, with the special bonds between father and son. The Lion King--forever holding a special place in the annals of animation--is still lord of traditional, hand-drawn animation. And Finding Nemo sets a gold standard for computer animation that I can't ever see being beaten any time in the near future.