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Review by: Jack Foley | Rating:
Two
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Disc One: Widescreen version; Turn your
TV into a virtual aquarium with animated scenes from the movie;
Filmmakers' commentary including deleted scenes and recording
sessions; 'Making Nemo' documentary; Review The Art Of Nemo (narrated
by the artists themselves).
Disc Two: Full frame version. Exploring The Reef With Jean-Michel
Cousteau; Turn your TV into a virtual aquarium including never-before-seen
animation; The Pixar short film 'Knick Knack'; Sneak peek at Pixar's
The Incredibles; School Of Fish; Mr. Ray's Encyclopedia; Behind-the-scenes
tour of Pixar; Storytime Fun; Play 'Fisharades'.
THOSE geniuses at Pixar have done it again, creating another
animated adventure for children and adults that has to rate among
the year’s most enjoyable cinema outings.
Finding Nemo follows the touching story of two fish - the overly
cautious Marlin, and his curious son, Nemo - who become separated
in the Great Barrier Reef, after the latter is plucked from the
sea by a passing diver and taken to a fish tank at a Sidney dentist.
Distraught at the loss of his only surviving son, Marlin sets
off in pursuit, aided by the companionship of Dory, a friendly-but-forgetful
fish, and becomes involved in a number of adventures, taking on
jellyfish and great white sharks in a bid to reach Sidney Harbour.
Nemo, meanwhile, sets about orchestrating his own escape with
the help of Gill, a former ocean dweller, who sees the feisty
youngster as his last chance of freedom.
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Featuring the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Willem
Dafoe and Geoffrey Rush, among others, Finding Nemo is the type
of film that redeems one’s faith in cinema, building well
on its established formula for success (friendship, tolerance
and triumph against the odds), without ever feeling formulaic
or over-familiar.
The look and style of the film is breathtakingly beautiful, with
virtually every frame filled with some sort of visual treat, while
the script, by Oscar nominee, Andrew Stanton (who also directs),
contains plenty of comic gems.
And while the very young may find it slower, in places, than
the likes of Toy Story and Monsters
Inc, the set pieces, when they arrive, are genuinely thrilling.
Highlights include Marlin’s encounter with jellyfish and
some surfer-dude turtles, as well as Barry Humphries’ winning
turn as a great white shark, who is trying to stop eating fish.
Given the technical difficulties associated with filming on any
kind of water, it is also a tribute to the wizardry of the Pixar
team that the underwater kingdom they have created is equally
accomplished, with the movement, light, and shade displaying a
careful eye for detail and helping to produce a world that you
can totally believe in.
Not only is it a rich visual feast, but it remains endlessly
inventive throughout, cramming more into its 101 minutes than
most of this Summer’s over-inflated blockbusters did put
together.
Another strength lies in Pixar’s ability to create characters
that are genuinely worth rooting for, with almost every creation
remaining memorable in some way, no matter how small their screen
time (even the seagulls and dolphins make their mark).
Of the central characters, DeGeneres is particularly funny as
the forgetful Dory, displaying some excellent comic timing, particularly
when ‘talking whale’, while Dafoe and Rush bring their
usual touch of class to proceedings.
With so much to recommend it, cinema fans should waste no time
in splashing out to sea it, for this will have you hooked from
start to finish!
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