Welcome back to Pixar Countdown Reviews, which we take a look at and review all seventeen theatrical Pixar films every Friday leading up to the release of Pixar’s Cars 3 this summer. Take a look back at some of our previous entries and stay tuned every Friday as we cover all of Pixar’s incredible films.
Finding Nemo is perhaps one of the most recognized Pixar films by the general public. It was adored by audiences upon its release and still remains loved it to this day. It’s easy to see why it is regarded as such a masterpiece because Finding Nemo is a fun, original film with a memorable story, great characters, and gorgeous animation.
Finding Nemo is a beautiful father-son story with a really original take on that concept. An interesting thing about it is that it is a film about a father and son, yet they don’t see each other for the majority of the film and the film still keeps them connected. The film also has an excellent, clever screenplay to back up the great story, making it clever and well-told.
The characters are really lovable. There’s Nemo, who is a fun, free-spirited young fish who doesn’t like how overprotective his father is. Then there’s Marlin, whose backstory is one that is easy to get into, bringing in the emotional resonance of the film and gives you a great understanding of why he is so overprotective. Of course, we also have Dory, a character so memorable and entertaining that they even went the extra mile to make a sequel entirely about her. She’s a hilarious, well-developed character with a heart of gold. Seeing Marlin and Dory both navigate this vast ocean where there’s trouble lurking at every corner while Nemo grows as a character from with the help of his fish tank friends, as they try to escape back into the ocean, it’s all so intriguing to watch. All of the main characters get a perfect amount of screen time and it’s all extremely well balanced between the two unfolding stories on opposite ends of the Earth.
Let’s not forget the side characters as well, because this film has a whole lot of them. There’s a group of sharks who go to AA-esque meetings to get them off of eating fish, claiming that “Fish are friends, not food!” Also joining along is 150-year-old (and still young!) sea turtle named Crush who is an extremely fun and lovable easy going character. Crush serves as a vehicle for Marlin’s character development without him even trying to change Marlin. He unintentionally develops Marlin’s character and teaches him to “chill out.” All of the fish in the aquarium Nemo gets stuck in are great as well. Finding Nemo has some of the strongest supporting characters I’ve seen in any film.
The animation is gorgeous, even today. The innovation in the animation of this film is having it take place almost entirely underwater. When looking at the impeccable lighting, beautiful set pieces, set design and vibrant character designs, this must have been a pretty complex thing to achieve back when this film was being animated. The film is also very well directed. It is directed by Andrew Stanton, who does an excellent job with gorgeous shots and cinematography. He also does an amazing job with the very clever writing, humor and comedic timing, which is, like any other Pixar film, spot on.
The score is also great. It is the first Pixar film to have a score that is not composed by Randy Newman. Instead, it’s composed by Randy’s cousin, Thomas Newman. The score perfectly adds to the tone of each scene and also adds to the underwater atmosphere of the film.
Finding Nemo is another Pixar masterpiece. It has a great story, lovable characters and a ton of heart and humor. It’s no mystery why it is one of the most well known Pixar films.
Film Grade: A+
Pixar Countdown Reviews returns next week with a review of The Incredibles.
The Mickey Mindset 
Still love this film. So so perfect
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Fish are friends, not food!
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