Findet Nemo (2003)

Findet Nemo: Directed by Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich. With Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe. After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.

“Has there ever been a better-looking feature-length animated film than `Finding Nemou0026#39;? We doubt it. With its shimmering underwater landscapes – be they in the vast immensity of a limitless ocean or the cramped confines of a dentist office aquarium – the film sports a look unlike anything we have ever seen before. The fish tank setting, in particular, is a veritable wonderland of eye-popping, many-hued visual splendor.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlthough the script by Andrew Stanton doesnu0026#39;t scale the comedic heights of, say, `Aladdin,u0026#39; `Shreku0026#39; or `Toy Story 2,u0026#39; it still sparkles with enough wit and inventiveness to entrance youngsters and beguile the grownups who will be joining them in their viewing. I hasten to point out that the screenplay is blessedly free of all the double entendres and off-color humor that have blighted so much alleged `kiddieu0026#39; fare in recent years. This is a film on e can watch with oneu0026#39;s children and grandchildren and not once have to blush or turn away in embarrassment while doing so. Creators of childrenu0026#39;s films please take note (and take note, too, of its phenomenal box office take).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLike many tales designed for the junior set (`Dumbo,u0026#39; `Bambiu0026#39; etc.), `Finding Nemou0026#39; taps into the fear all children have of being separated from their parents – and the concomitant fear all parents have of being separated from their children. It is upon this common ground that members of both generations will meet in their emotional response to this film. In this case, it is little Nemo, an adorable clownfish, who is plucked out of the ocean and plunked down into the saltwater aquarium of a dentist in Sydney, Australia. The subject of the filmu0026#39;s title is Marlin, Nemou0026#39;s overprotective, worrywart dad who swims his way towards the continent to find and rescue his little tyke. Along the way, this Nervous Nellie parent learns a little something about giving his son the freedom a boy needs to grow up and become a man, and Nemo, himself, learns a thing or two about just what kind of a fish his dad really is.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlbert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres are brilliant as Marlin and Dory, respectively, the latter a befuddled, daffy and utterly good-natured fish who helps Marlin in his epic quest not only for his lost son but his own definition of filial love. Those familiar with these two fine comedic talents in their live-action performances will actually be able to see many of their distinctive inflections and facial expressions reflected in the animated characters they are portraying.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs directed by Stanton and Lee Unkrich, and executed by an army of wonder-working animators and technicians, `Finding Nemou0026#39; takes PIXAR technology to its ultimate, final level of perfection – till the studiou0026#39;s next release, that is.”