Reviewed by Kevin Finnerty
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming,” says Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), a Pacific regal blue tang trying to cheer up Marlin (Albert Brooks), a clown fish who is desperately searching the sea for his little son Nemo (captured in the Great Barrier Reef by a scuba diver), in the Disney/Pixar animated classic Finding Nemo returning to the big screen in 3D.
The story is the same: overprotective dad Marlin sets out against all odds to search the ocean for clues to find his son who’s actually no longer in the ocean at all but in a fish tank in the dentist’s office who captured him in the open sea. Scared but not alone, Nemo quickly makes friends with the other fish in the tank including Gill (Willem Dafoe) who’s determined to get Nemo, himself, and the rest of the fish out of the tank and into the big blue ocean.
Meanwhile, back at sea Marlin continues his journey with only one companion, a friendly, well-meaning but very forgetful Dory. Together they dodge sharks, swim through a mine field of jellyfish, and stop at nothing to find little Nemo.
Funny, sweet, and heartfelt, Finding Nemo is one of the very best animated films to come from the Disney/Pixar studios. This is still a wonderful animated adventure for kids of all ages. It has a stellar cast lending their voices and bringing these extremely original characters to life. Albert Brooks is perfect as Marlin, the overprotective father who’s afraid of almost everything in the ocean and has to rise above his fears in order to try to find his son. Ellen DeGeneres is hilarious as Dory, the absent-minded regal blue tang who travels with Marlin trying to help him find his son. She has without a doubt the best lines and the most laughs in the entire movie.
The film also looks breathtaking with all the bright colors and the designs of the different sea life. The underwater animation is completely stunning.
So the real question remains: is it worth going to the cinema and paying the extra few dollars to see Finding Nemo up on the big screen and in 3D? It all depends. If you already own the DVD of the film and have children who’ve watched it time and time again, then the answer is NO. Since the movie wasn’t originally filmed in 3D, the audience never really gets the full 3D effect while watching it. A perfect example of this is when Marlin and Dory are trying to out-swim a huge whale who’s about to swallow them. The audience does not get the feeling that they are about to be swallowed up as well, which they should had they been watching a film shot in 3D. But if you have small children who have never seen Finding Nemo, then the answer is YES. Watching the action and underwater adventure up on the big screen in a darkened movie theatre is the best way for kids to be introduced to Marlin, Dory, Gill, Bruce the Shark, and, of course, little Nemo.
GRADE B+
Finding Nemo was re-released in 3D in theaters on September 14, 2012.
