Finding Nemo
The 5th Pixar Animated Studios Film shows that they have perfected the art of the high quality cartoon only Disney in its glory days could achieve. Here, Marlin, a clownfish voiced by Albert Brooks, is trying to start over after his wife and hundreds of eggs were taken away from him through the circle of life. What was left was one single egg, which Marlin promptly named Nemo, his wife's favorite name. Nemo grows up to be a fearless fish, willing to explore the unknown, but is held back by his overprotective father. At school, Nemo hangs around a bunch of other sea life who goes off on their own to the edges of a reef near Australia. There, Nemo finds himself alone and gets taken by a scuba diver/dentist to be a gift for his niece, who killed the last fish she was given. Marlin makes it his mission to find Nemo anyway he can. Along the way, he meets Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) a fish with a memory loss condition. Together, they take a journey through the ocean, encountering sharks, jellyfish, and sea turtles on their way to Sydney. Meanwhile, Nemo makes friends with the other fish in the aquarium to plot their way out of the tank and towards the nearby ocean.

There are two things every cartoon needs to be successful. One is an exotic location filled with exotic characters that can't be achieved through live action. The other is crossover appeal between adults and children alike. Finding Nemo is a perfect example of these. The visual presentation is excellent. There were some underwater shots where I was convinced that I was looking at someone filming with a camera only to realize it was totally animated. The level of detail seen on screen makes it seem like it might as well have been shot with a camera.

The story itself is simple enough so that kids can follow and adults won't be bored by it since we can all relate to the relationship between father and son. Word of caution to the littlest of kids who may find some scenes frightening. Older kids may not be frightened, but they'll probably be annoyed by the screaming and crying that may follow.

The people providing the voices to the sea life bring passion to their characters, especially the main pair of Brooks and DeGeneres as well as Willem Dafoe, who as Gill, has a similar handicap Nemo has with their defective fins. It's this basic premise to entertain and wonder that gives Finding Nemo the praise it deserves. 4 stars