Finding Nemo (2003)

Finding Nemo is on many acclaimed lists as one of the top one hundred movies of all time. For people that haven’t had the time to check this movie out yet, I’m going to tell you what you’re missing and why this computer animated flick is regarded so highly, because I agree with the popular consensus on this one. 

 

In this movie Pixar managed to outdo itself once more. Our main characters this round are little clown fish named Nemo (Alexander Gould) and Marlin (Albert Brooks) . Nemo is Marlins son and all Nemo wants or desires in the world is to go to school and have a little independence. But Marlin is too afraid to let Nemo go because of an accident that happened with Nemo’s mother and brothers and sisters. The culprit was a Barracuda on the edge of the Great Barrier reef. 

 

The pacing of the film changes slightly after Nemo’s youthful curiosity leads him to be captured by a fisherman and taken as a pet of a Dentist who happens to have a fish tank in his office. Marlin, helpless to aid his son watches mortified. Here, Marlin begins an epic journey to rescue his lost son. Along the way he meets a little blue fish with short term memory named Dory. (Ellen Degeneres) Dory immediately befriends the reluctant Marlin and her insatiable need for fun matched with her short term memory countered with his neurotic-ism creates for many hilarious circumstances. They are the perfect couple for comedic disaster, and on their eventful journey they continue to meet new friends of their own, including a trio of reformed sharks and a clan of surfer dude sea turtles, not to mention the mindless seagulls. Meanwhile, Nemo is forced to fend for himself when he makes his own friends in the Dentist’s tank coupled with a dangerous plan to return to the ocean. 

 

It’s probably the most amazing animated film I have ever seen. It’s actually beautiful and it’s comparison to the real ocean is staggering. Production designer, Ralph Eggleston and his team of artists took the computer animation to the next level of elegance. In this magical world under the light, Finding Nemo is a rare find in itself. 

 

There are moral messages sent throughout the movie but they are never in your face. The sentiment behind everything is genuine, and not corny, and what’s most amazing is Pixar somehow created another film that is not meant for children alone, but everyone young and old. Nemo was a film full of heart and sweetness. As long as Pixar sticks around to keep making movies, I’ll be there to watch them. Pixar is a gift to this generation. Nemo is easily a four out of four stars.