It’s hard not to think that the folks at Pixar Animation Studios have made a pact with the devil. This may seem a bit odd, considering the consistently family-friendly movies that they pump out (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc.), but how else can you explain the huge gap between the quality of Pixar productions and any other digitally animated feature film you care to mention? It’s amazing how this team so consistently produces awesome animation, fabulous characters, smart scripts and great voicing, and pulls it all together into some of the most memorable family entertainment that’s ever hit the big screen.
This time out, our protagonist is a little clownfish by the name of Nemo (voiced by Alexander Gould). Following the demise of Nemo’s mother and a couple of hundred unborn siblings, his father, Marlin (brilliantly voiced by Albert Brooks) keeps little Nemo on a rather tight leash. Needless to say, a moment of mild rebellion ensues, leading to disaster – Nemo is scooped up by a diver and spirited away to a Sydney, Australia dentist’s fish tank. Most of the movie is devoted to Marlin’s perilous journey to try to recover his little son.
The formula is familiar family/ adventure movie stuff, with Marlin – and his travelling companion, the short term memory-challenged Dory (Ellen DeGeneres provides the delightful voice) – battling all sorts of adversity on their journey to find Nemo. It’s the brilliant animation and witty script that lift this film from retread material to sublime entertainment for kids and – equally – their parents.
There are scary scenes (for little kids, anyway) during the great journey, as Marlin and Dory battle all sorts of threats, although some – especially a trio of sharks in rehab – prove much less threatening than it first seems. The two make a great buddy road movie pair, with Marlin battling his fear of just about everything, while the sweet Dory struggles just to remember the events of the preceding five minutes. Naturally, the two eventually bond, creating a touching relationship.
There are funny moments galore, not just in the ocean, but also in the fish tank, and the Aussie dentist’s office. Particularly enjoyable are Dory’s attempts to speak ‘whale,’ and Marlin’s struggles to live up to his name and be funny. These are much enhanced by the excellent work of the cast, which also includes familiar names in supporting roles, such as Geoffrey Rush, Elizabeth Perkins, and John Ratzenberger.
What makes Finding Nemo excellent is its balance between comedy, kid-friendly adventure and a heart-warming moral about the strength of bonds among family and friends. It never goes overboard in any of these departments, so succeeds admirably in pleasing viewers of all ages.
Co-director and co-writer Andrew Stanton has an enviable track record with the Pixar films, and he’s hit the jackpot again here in a big way. The animation is typically sharp and bright – following the Pixar formula of kitschy surrealism that’s strangely pleasing to the eye – and the pace of the movie is superb, as it moves along nicely for its full 101 minute running time.
It’s hard to imagine a film making the delightful but sometimes self consciously smart alecky Monsters, Inc. seem lame in comparison, but Finding Nemo comes darn close to accomplishing just that. Whether all this success is the result of a deal with the devil or something else, I do not know, but we can only hope that there’s plenty more to come.
It’s the brilliant animation and witty script that lift this film from retread material to sublime entertainment for kids and – equally – their parents.- Brian Webster
