I shouldn't have been surprised by Finding Nemo. After all, it was made by Disney-Pixar, the same people who brought us two Toy Stories, a Bug's Life, and Monsters, Inc., and they were all brilliant films that were successful because they were cute enough to attract the kiddies, clever enough to attract their parents, and funny enough to attract the generations in between. Which is why I was happy enough to agree to watch Pixar's latest when my lady announced that we were going to the movies tonight, but also why I wasn't expecting anything fantastic. After all, how many movies can they make before they come out with one that falls a little flat?

Apparently they can make at least five. Finding Nemo is excellent. Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) is a clown fish whose wife and spawn were eaten by a marauding barracuda. Nemo is his sole surviving son, so naturally he's a bit protective of him. When Nemo is scooped up by a diver as a trophy, Marlin embarks on an epic journey to Find Nemo.

Part of what makes Nemo so rich is the vast array of well developed characters. Marlin is protective of his son, but afraid of the open ocean. In order to find Nemo, he must step a long way out of his comfort zone. Along the way, he runs into Dory (brought to life by Ellen DeGeneres), a blue fish who suffers from short term memory loss. Just what he needs; a "natural blue" bimbo to get in his way and slow him down. Meanwhile, Nemo has been put in a dentist's fishtank, where is taken under the fin of Gill (Willem Dafoe), an angelfish who happens to be a veteran of several unsuccessful attempts to escape into the harbor on the other side of the clinic window. As if the characters weren't enough, they are brought to life in a variety of different locales, from the Great Barrier Reef, to a shipwreck, to a high speed ocean current, to a city harbor. Nemo also serves as a reminder of just how funny the Australian accent can be.

So go on, then. Go and see it, mate. You won't be disappointed.

(This review was also posted here at the Limey Brit.)