" Are you my conscience? "

Finding Nemo

An over conscious clown fish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) is left to look after his son Nemo (Alexander Gould) after his wife is killed by a Barracuda. When Nemo is taken away by a diver Marlin stops at nothing to get his son back. He is helped along his journey by Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) who suffers from short-term memory loss. The pair encounter a range of sea life on their journey including vegetarian sharks, a swarm jellyfish and free spirited sea turtles in increasingly exciting and hilarious situations. Nemo is taken to a Dentists office overlooking Sydney Harbour, where he soon befriends the sea creatures in the fish tank and joins their effort in planning an escape back to the ocean.

Pixar has become one of the most successful and consistent film studios of the last 25 years, creating film after film full of humour, genuine emotion, beloved characters and original story ideas. I believe Finding Nemo is the best Pixar film edging out the likes of Toy Story and The Incredibles and is also my favourite animated film of all time. Finding Nemo is able to show Australia's pristine oceans and sea life off to the world. Part of Pixar's success is the visual look they create with every film. The underwater world of Finding Nemo is so visually stunning that the audience is impressed and immersed into the underwater world from the very start. Pixar has been able to transform our perception of what animated movies should look like and make us feel, as they continue to create realistic visions and views of the world with meticulous detail and originality.

Pixar is not scared to deal with strong themes and powerful emotions, which is part of the reason why their movies are loved by all ages. Pixar films stick to the similar formula where a character or characters set out on a journey to find something, whether it's safety in A Bug's Life, contentment in Up or a friend in WALL.E it is never better displayed that in the movie Finding Nemo. The story is extremely well written by director and writer, Andrew Stanton and is one of my favourite movies for quotes. I find myself or notice others referencing lines such as "fish are friends not food" or simply talking in whale and I don't think I will ever forget that famous address "P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney". The movie is hilarious and has many ongoing jokes however my favourite is how Dory can never remember Nemo's name "he lost his son Fabio" then later referring to him as Elmo and Bingo and so on, becoming funnier each time.


An animated movie can't be successful unless the characters are supported by voice talent that suit the characters and really bring them to life. Ellen DeGeneres is a revelation as Dory who is simply hilarious, you can just tell she had enormous fun making the film. Although the character and voice of Marlin can sometimes be annoying his character and personality is essential to the story an appropriately voiced by Albert Brooks. An amazing cast is included mainly made up of Australian actors and actresses including: Eric Bana, Geoffrey Rush, Barry Humphries, Brad Garrett, Willem Dafoe, the late Bill Hunter and of course John Ratzenberger who has provided his voice for every Pixar film, acting as their unofficial good luck charm.

Apart from Ratzenberger there are many other recurring elements to Pixar films known as Easter eggs. These Easter eggs are inside jokes and insights that appear in every Pixar film including a reference to Pixar's next project (The Incredibles comic in the dentist's waiting room). Other examples include the Pizza Planet Truck from Toy Story which features in most Pixar films (drives by the window when Gill explains the plan to escape) and the sequence A113 which refers to classroom at the California Institute of Arts where many producers and directors of Pixar's films went such as John Lasseter and Brad Bird (can be seen as the model code on the camera used by the scuba diver). There are many more and they are always fun to find so check them out.

Finding Nemo is full of memorable scenes none better than the sharks support meeting and asking the whale for directions. The film overflows with beautiful displays of underwater life and its evident that a lot of research went into the film to ensure its authenticity. Supported by the amazing visuals are the characters, there are so many clever creations from a fish obsessed with bubbles to a pelican interested in the world of dentistry to the unforgettable character of Dory. The film is quirky, heartwarming and hilarious making it a masterpiece of animation. The film encourages people from all ages to embrace life and offers important life lessons such as the importance of friends, acceptance of difference and to always check whether a sea monkey stole your money.