Finding Nemo (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Fish are abounding in 'Finding Nemo' is a Disney/Pixar animation film written & directed by Andrew Stanton. Marlin (Albert Brooks), a clownfish, is a widower whose son, Nemo (Alexander Gould), is kidnapped from 'home' in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. He's placed as a pet in a tank at a dentist's office in Sydney. His worried father, and new traveling pal, Dory, a blue tang fish with short memory loss, must go with the flow of the East Australian current to try to retrieve Nemo from a life of fish tank containment. This is the 1st film since the days of 'Beauty & the Beast' & 'The Lion King' to stir me both visually and emotionally.
After losing his wife and all but one child (Nemo), a fretful Marlin vows to never let anything bad happen again. Nemo, born with one smaller fin, heads off for school, disobeys his dad by swimming in forbidden waters, and is subsequently captured by a scuba diver. Setting off to find Nemo, Marlin encounters the forgetful Dory. She calms Marlin down with her carefree nature. She also helps him find out that Nemo's been taken to Sydney Harbor. But their epic journey is far from easy. Run-ins with barracudas, sharks, anglerfish, jellyfish, pelicans, turtles, & a very hungry whale impedes their trek. Meanwhile, back in the dentist's fish tank, Nemo & his new pals (Gill, voiced by Willem Dafoe) concoct an escape plan. Nemo proposes to pretend he's dead, as to be then flushed down the toilet.
Will the dentist's niece accidentally kill Nemo, as she has mistakenly done to other pet fish? The poor girl doesn't mean it; she just gets too excited & shakes the fish bag too much. Will Nemo's toilet plan work? Can his tank mates come up with any alternate ideas for escape? If Nemo can get back into the harbor, will he reunite with his dad & Dory? Caught in a net (late in the story), will Dory make it out and survive, or meet an untimely fate? It turns out that both Marlin AND his young son will prove to be worthy heroes by the end of this enchanting, exciting tale.
All at once, 'Finding Nemo' is funny, original, beautiful, adventurous, perilous & heartwarming. You never believe that it will make one misstep. I love its inventiveness (a shocking scene where Dory is electrocuted). And I love that it's 'dad', not mom, who gets to be the potential hero of a Disney story, nowadays. The vibrant animation is wonderful (capturing eye-popping visuals & the crisp movement of ocean life). But the film would fail without its endearing characters. Nemo is adorable. Marlin is loveable as the cautious father. Nigel, the pelican (Geoffrey Rush), is sweet. Dory is hysterical (thanks to DeGeneres), etc. The cast is marvelous. Because of this, both kids and adults can appreciate the witty dialogue & palpable storyline.
What's also great is: kids and adults can learn a little more about the sea creatures within the story. Even I hadn't heard of particular aquatic life or the purpose they serve. The director & his team enable the fish to emote in a realistic way that makes you interested throughout the entire 100 minutes. Some may find this movie to be too cute, too casual. I'd completely disagree. While I don't think it's one of Disney's all-time classics (right now), it has a lot of heart, a lot of sophistication, and an astonishing resonance (as both morality tale and as a father-son bonding movie). I loved it.
After losing his wife and all but one child (Nemo), a fretful Marlin vows to never let anything bad happen again. Nemo, born with one smaller fin, heads off for school, disobeys his dad by swimming in forbidden waters, and is subsequently captured by a scuba diver. Setting off to find Nemo, Marlin encounters the forgetful Dory. She calms Marlin down with her carefree nature. She also helps him find out that Nemo's been taken to Sydney Harbor. But their epic journey is far from easy. Run-ins with barracudas, sharks, anglerfish, jellyfish, pelicans, turtles, & a very hungry whale impedes their trek. Meanwhile, back in the dentist's fish tank, Nemo & his new pals (Gill, voiced by Willem Dafoe) concoct an escape plan. Nemo proposes to pretend he's dead, as to be then flushed down the toilet.
Will the dentist's niece accidentally kill Nemo, as she has mistakenly done to other pet fish? The poor girl doesn't mean it; she just gets too excited & shakes the fish bag too much. Will Nemo's toilet plan work? Can his tank mates come up with any alternate ideas for escape? If Nemo can get back into the harbor, will he reunite with his dad & Dory? Caught in a net (late in the story), will Dory make it out and survive, or meet an untimely fate? It turns out that both Marlin AND his young son will prove to be worthy heroes by the end of this enchanting, exciting tale.
All at once, 'Finding Nemo' is funny, original, beautiful, adventurous, perilous & heartwarming. You never believe that it will make one misstep. I love its inventiveness (a shocking scene where Dory is electrocuted). And I love that it's 'dad', not mom, who gets to be the potential hero of a Disney story, nowadays. The vibrant animation is wonderful (capturing eye-popping visuals & the crisp movement of ocean life). But the film would fail without its endearing characters. Nemo is adorable. Marlin is loveable as the cautious father. Nigel, the pelican (Geoffrey Rush), is sweet. Dory is hysterical (thanks to DeGeneres), etc. The cast is marvelous. Because of this, both kids and adults can appreciate the witty dialogue & palpable storyline.
What's also great is: kids and adults can learn a little more about the sea creatures within the story. Even I hadn't heard of particular aquatic life or the purpose they serve. The director & his team enable the fish to emote in a realistic way that makes you interested throughout the entire 100 minutes. Some may find this movie to be too cute, too casual. I'd completely disagree. While I don't think it's one of Disney's all-time classics (right now), it has a lot of heart, a lot of sophistication, and an astonishing resonance (as both morality tale and as a father-son bonding movie). I loved it.