Review of Finding Nemo (2003) by Wesley W — 06 Aug 2015

Watching this film again, I can't think of a single thing wrong with it and it is one of the best animated films I have ever seen. Finding Nemo is a movie made with such dedication and heart that it is impossible to entirely dislike it.

From the beautiful animation, to the wonderful voice acting, the dialogue, memorable characters, and emotionally driven story, it is no surprise at all that Finding Nemo took home the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

One of the best things going for this movie is the emotion behind everything going on. Marlin is a clownfish who is a caring and loving father who would go through the far depths of the ocean to try to get his son back and that aspect is beautifully portrayed by Albert Brooks' fantastic voice performance.

His character provided a great blend of humor and heart to the moving picture and you want to see him succeed in his journey to get back his son Nemo. Alexander Gould also did a tremendous job voicing the lovable Nemo.

Him and Marlin portray in my opinion, one of the very best father son relationships I have ever in a movie ever and every scene with them together is both engaging and involving. The animation here is literally perfect.

This is one of Pixar's best animated films yet and there is detail in every shot. With the power of computers, the animators have crafted such a beautiful and thought-provoking representation of the ocean and everything still holds up 12 years later.

The colors are all bright and so vivid and the details brought on to all the fish, sea animals, and images of the coral reefs was all crafted flawlessly in my opinion. Thomas Newman's score here in my opinion is magical.

It was heartfelt, moving, inspiring, and highly memorable and catchy. His music is one of the best scores I have ever heard in an animated movie. Ellen DeGeneres as Dory was literally a perfect casting choice for this movie.

Dory is probably one of the best supporting characters that have ever graced the silver screen. Her character lights up every time she appears on screen and about every line Dory says is quotable. Her and Marlin in this film have made for one dynamic duo and their banter back and forth is at times comedy gold.

There are also some brief moments of drama with Dory as well that really show a sense of vulnerability inside her and a scene with her and Marlin towards the final half hour clearly shows this. Without the proper voice acting, Dory really could have came off as the Jar Jar Binks of the movie but it most certainly did not happen and Ellen DeGeneres's voice acting was superb in every way.

Willem Dafoe also really added something to the movie as Gill who voices a fish that is 100% determined to escape the fish tank that he is being held in and the scenes with him and Nemo also made for important moments to the film.

In the end, Finding Nemo is a kids film that appeals to everybody young and old and it is a movie that certainly withstands the test of time. It is one of my all time favorite childhood movies and one of the best animated movies ever made.