Trying to prove himself, junior clown fish Nemo swims too far from the Great Barrier Reef and the next thing he knows he’s looping a fish tank in a Sydney dentist’s office. Protective dad Marlin (Albert Brooks) follows in his wake, with dippy Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), an addle-brained blue tang fish who tags along for moral support and comic relief.
Yes it’s another rescue narrative, but the joy of Finding Nemo is in its waterworld-building: watching this movie is like a visit to the aquarium, or going scuba diving — but even more exciting, and with jokes.
A comedy flick, a road trip film, a prison break movie: “Finding Nemo” is a lot of things. But the film is Pixar’s best because it grounds it all in the vividly rendered relationship between fish father Marlin and his son Nemo, who he struggles to let grow and inadvertently pushes away. Marlin’s quest to find Nemo after he gets kidnapped is Pixar’s most satisfying emotional journey: a perfectly paced and plotted adventure that still cuts deep on the first or third or 5,000th watch.
Indiewire
Community Partner
Andrew Stanton
Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Geoffrey Rush
USA
2003
English
Academy Award, Best Animated Feature
Open to youth!
$10 youth tickets available
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits
Cinematography
Sharon Calahan, Jeremy Lasky
Editor
David Ian Salter
Production Design
Ralph Eggleston
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Image: © Disney Pixar 1998
Toy Story 2
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Finding Nemo
Junior clown fish Nemo swims too far from the reef and next thing he knows he's looping a fish tank in a Sydney dentist's office. Neurotic dad Marlin (Albert Brooks) follows in his wake, with dippy Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) tagging along for comic relief. Rated: G
Image: © Disney Pixar 2003