Finding Nemo

Reviewed by EWAN McDONALD

Herald rating: * * * * *

Luc, the No 1 grandson, was whiling away the drive to Hamilton for his cousin Matthew's birthday by listing all his favourite films. At 6, there have been a few — and he's lucky that all the best kids' movies have been made while he's been on the scene. Sorry, Walt: you were a pioneer but nothing matches the colourful images and knowing levels of dialogue and screenplay in Toy Story 1 and 2, Monsters Inc, A Bug's Life. And roll on Shrek 2 in a few weeks — we can hardly wait.

Finding Nemo tells the adventures of a little clown fish (voice: Alexander Gould) born off the Australian coast. His father, Marlin (Albert Brooks), worries for him because Nemo's mother and all her other eggs were taken by barracudas.

When Nemo goes off on his first day of school, Marlin warns him to stay with the class and avoid the deep water.

Nemo forgets and ends up in a Sydney dentist's office aquarium. Marlin swims off to find his boy, with the assistance of Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a blue tang he meets along the way.

Meanwhile, the other fish in the tank are planning to escape, led by the Moorish Idol fish, Gill (Willem Dafoe). To get out of the aquarium, and through the
window and across the highway and into the sea, the fish will need help from the outside — Nigel, the pelican (Geoffrey Rush).

As Marlin and Dory swim south to find Nemo and his
fellow fugitives they will meet their share of oceanic wonders, including the self-improving shark, Bruce (Barry Humphries), who is using a 12-step
programme to change his cannabilistic diet with the motto "Fish are friends, not food", and the sea turtle, Crush.

Yes, it's sentimental about the value of family and friends, but not soppy. As there should be in a kids' movie, there are surprises and laughs — and a few tears, too.

DVD features: movie (100min); visual commentary with deleted scenes and recording sessions; Making Nemo documentary; The Art of Nemo narrated by the artists;
virtual aquariums; Exploring the Reef documentary with Jean-Michel Cousteau; Knick Knack short film; trailer for the next Pixar film, The Incredibles; Fisharades game; read-along storytime; Mr Ray's Encyclopedia; tour of Pixar Studios, character interviews.