May 30, 2003 By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 4 min read

Parents and youngsters should be hooked by “Finding Nemo,” an equally colorful and uplifting fish story about the search of an overprotective widower/father for his anxious-to-be-free son. The caring-parent/missing-child dynamic is nothing new, but those talented folks at Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures, who previously illuminated the screen with the computer-animated, feel-good smashes “Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2,” “A Bug’s Life” and “Monster’s Inc.,” transform the material into a whale of a dazzling deep-sea tale. The G-rated picture features everything from intense sharks to pesky pigeons, and its heart is always in the right place.

At the core, “Finding Nemo” ranks as a timely message picture. Andrew Stanton, who wrote the original story and co-directed with Lee Unkrich, is a father who understands the fears of parents in today’s world of terrorist alerts, foreign wars and SARS scares. The film’s poignancy results from a nervous clown fish, Marlin (voice by Albert Brooks of “The In-Laws”), who has lost his wife and other children to an undersea predator (who strikes with unexpected ferocity like a terrorist). The despondent dad plans to keep his only surviving child, Nemo (voice by 9-year-old Alexander Gould), safe by having the curious child within his sight at all times.

That security plan, however, begins to suffocate Nemo, who’s anxious to swim out into the world and experience life. The energetic youngster does that before being prepared for outside dangers and is soon scooped up by a diver and dropped into an aquarium, where he may be stuck forever.

That situation forces Marlin to gather his courage and swim out of his small, safe environment to rescue his son. He receives unexpected aid from the perpetually sunny Dory (voice by Ellen DeGeneres of TV’s “Ellen”), a regal blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss. Also helping out are some of the other fish trapped in the aquarium, including Gill (voice by Willem Dafoe of “Spider-Man”), an aging leader who pledges to get Nemo back to the ocean.

In terms of computer animation, “Finding Nemo” provides striking underwater images, something extremely difficult to achieve due to the shafts of light and shadows necessary to achieve a realistic image. Although a treat for the eyes, the picture ultimately triumphs as an inspired comedy (particularly during a scene with a shark and other predators going through a 12-step program to stop them from eating and terrorizing fish) and an emotional journey. That trip ends with an intensely loving father learning to control his fears about Nemo’s desire to find his place in the world.

“Finding Nemo” may go on a little bit too long, but for the most part, the journey is a joy.

Postscript: The idea for “Finding Nemo” occurred to Stanton when he was walking in a park with his son and continually telling the boy to be careful about tripping, touching things and getting lost. The filmmaker, who previously co-directed “A Bug’s Life,” realized that he spent most of the day warning his child rather than just having fun with him and enjoying the moment. He then decided to create a story about the downside of being overprotective and not allowing children to experience the world and learn things on their own.

FILM REVIEW

“Finding Nemo”

Grade: A-

Starring: The voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould and Willem Dafoe; screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds, based on an original story by Stanton; produced by John Lasseter and Graham Walters; co-directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich.

Running Time: 104 minutes.

Parental Guide: G rating (some intense moments for younger children).

Web site: www.findingnemo.com.