Reviewed By
Vaughan

Analysis
Being a Dad gives me and my wife the perfect opportunity to stride out with our daughter to the local cinema and catch all the films that gave us so much pleasure as children. Of course, the films in the 70's could be fairly labeled as primitive by today's standards and it is with another fine example of this shift in technology and time that Disney and those animating geniuses at Pixar bring us their latest family movie, 'Finding Nemo'.
This fishy tale follows the oceanic antics of Marlin the clown fish who is frantically in search of his only child, Nemo after he is caught by scuba divers and taken to a dentists surgery as a present for the dentists niece. Marlin, the worrying father who's biggest adventure to date was to take his son to school in the morning, is suddenly thrust into a world full of dangers that must be overcome if he ever wants to see his son again.

Co-Director Andrew Stanton came up with the films wonderful concept in 1992 whilst gazing at a fish tank in a dentists waiting room and pondering whether the fish miss their homes and if they would ever consider trying to escape the glazed confines. This eventually lead to a meeting of minds between himself and Executive Producer John Lasseter who loved the pitch and so the water wheels started turning. After run away smash hits such as 'Toy Story' and 'A Bugs Life' the scene was set technically to take on the challenges of the ocean.

The animation of this film can only be described as gorgeous. The under water scenery just oozes with vibrant colors like nothing I have ever seen on the big screen before. The water movement and the way in which the sunlight diffuses through the sea looks completely convincing with certain scenes showing surface wave movement that could just as easily be real film footage rather than a computer generated sequence. As you now come to expect from Pixar there are is a huge amount of detail put into each scene and if your not quick you might just miss something amusing that really has no bearing on the key plot but is just there to ensure maximum re watch value and gives the kids masses to take in. Also keep a sharp eye out for the now customary 'hidden' treasures featuring items from past and future Disney/Pixar films (see the 'Facts, Figures and Boobs' section below for a couple of pointers).

A favorite approach for a Pixar movie is the theme of the hidden world. A fantastic world that exists in parallel to ours but is mostly hidden from the human eye. The trials and tribulations of an ant colony, The toys that always stop moving just as the child enters the room and what really goes on in that dark closet. Now we have the relatively unexplored ocean with it's fish that go to school and sharks that really do try their best not to eat other fish. It is with this basic premise that Pixar are able to create films that stir up the imagination of not only children but also their parents and it is this point that makes them so adoring to the whole family.

The film is great and the story is great, but is everything really all that rosy in the kelp garden. Almost. One point that has to be made to parents of very small and emotional children is that the film does contain a few moments that could well induce that awful moment that see's you leave the theater with a screaming child in tow. It happens to us all at some stage but be warned that although this is the make believe world of animation, hungry sharks and evil bottom dwelling killers can induce that cushion grabbing moment in some children. Enjoy!!!
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Key Area	Rating (out of 5)	Comment
Action		The action play it's part well without it desending into a episode of 'Tom and Jerry'. The movie is kind of peppered with action at regular intervals to ensure that the tender, story driving moments never overwhelm the film to the extent that the old Disney 'classic' animations did.
Tension		Unsurprisingly the animators manage to create some wonderfully tense moments especially for the children that feature several great escape sequences from the likes of hungry sharks, stinging jelly fish and odd gulls that say 'Mine' all the time.
Violence/ Gore	None	A lightly battered fish here and there but it never descends into anything other than a few missing scales and a single drop of blood in the ocean.
Bare Flesh	None	Even the mermaid during the pre film animation had a top on. That's a good thing by the way!
Plot		Not often does a film score a five for plot (look at the archives dude), but this one really tickled our fancy. Completely unique tale that plays out in a way that can only be described as faultless.

Verdict This is an absolute gem of a film that has a very high standard to meet which is set only by the makers own past achievements and that of the Dreamworks studio. It is funny, charming and thrilling and will appeal to just about any age group that doesn't mind a bit of a fright. If you feel you've spent a little too long in the office and need a little bit of family time, sit them all down in front of this, pop open a tub of pop corn and experience a little bit of movie magic.'

Movie Pictures (Click picture to enlarge)