Finding Nemo is fun, but a bit over kids' heads

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2003)

My sister and I took my three year old twin boys to see the movie and while she and I thoroughly enjoyed the film, my little ones didn't quite grasp the humor of it. I know three is a young age, but Pixar tends to aim the jokes toward the adults in hopes that we don't get bored and a) fall asleep or b) drag our kids out of the theater before the movie ends. The adults in the theater loved the humor, but the kids were all asking, "Mama, what's funny?" or "Daddy, why are you laughing?" The kids enjoyed the scenes, but most cried or begged to sit in their parents' laps when the three sharks, a barracuda, and an evil looking fish with a light on it's head and long, sharp teeth came on the screen. While the sharks proved comical, the other two scenes scared the little ones to death. My own boys would not leave our laps even after the scenes were over. If you have real little ones and are thinking of seeing this movie, skip the snacks for yourself because most likely, the kids will be occupying your lap through most of the movie. I thought the movie was great, but the humor and dramatic scenes are a bit too much for the kids. I also think that Dads should take their kids to see this, it is a really sweet movie about how far a father will go to find and bring his only son back home. Ellen DeGeneres voices the part of Dory, a goofy, if somewhat annoying, blue fish with a very short term memory, but she adds even more color to the movie. Hope you enjoy it!