finding nemo

There's too much to talk about with special features to go in depth on the plot without making you read a six-page review. Also, with a box office of $338 million, who didn't see this movie by now? Anyhow, here is a brief overview.

Marlin (Albert Brooks), a clownfish, has his life turned upside down one unfortunate night. His lone remaining family is his son with one deformed flipper, Nemo. This leaves Marlin a very overprotective father. Finally convincing his father to allow him to go to school, disaster happens on the first day. Nemo is unexpectedly caught by scuba divers and later ends up in an aquarium at a dentist's office. Marlin is now hot on the trail of finding his lost son. He runs into a forgetful blue tang fish, Dory (Ellen Degeneres), who has nowhere else to go and nothing else to do so she asks to join him. At first Marlin is reluctant to her tagging along, but realizes he will need her help to find his lost son. Their journey takes them through sharks, jellyfish, a group of helpful turtles and much more. Nemo himself has his own adventures as he attempts to escape from the aquarium and get back to the ocean and his father.

I understand that's a rather brief, weak summary that does the movie no justice, but like I said before, everyone saw this movie, so I want to focus on what they haven't seen. You guessed it, special features. With a 2-disc set, Finding Nemo is more than packed. So here you go:
Disc 1:
- "Filmmakers' Visual Commentary Including Deleted Scenes and Recording Sessions": The one thing I don't like about animated movies is that the deleted scenes are unfinished and not spoken by the actors. I said this in my Lion King review, and again it holds true for Finding Nemo. If these scenes were finished, they could have been included in one of the versions and I feel this would have made an already spectacular DVD that much better.
- "Making Nemo: A Special Documentary Featuring Footage On The Creation Of The Film": Wow, I couldn't have explained it better than the title, so I wont.
- "Turn your TV into a virtual aquarium": also found on disc-2 with different backgrounds. While the backgrounds look amazing, I couldn't imagine anyone actually doing this...it's boring.
- "Review the Art of Nemo": Exactly what it says, narrated by the artists of the film.
Disc 2:
- "Exploring the Reef with Jean Michel Cousteau and all Your Nemo Friends": I thought this was incredibly funny, and it even teaches us all about conserving energy to save the beauty of underwater reefs.
- "Play "Fisharades" with your Favorite School of Fish": Much like they do in the film, a school of fish slowly form a shape and you must guess it, but there's a time limit.
- "Learning Fun with Mr. Ray's Encyclopedia": not much learning, not much fun, one of the few aspects of this 2-disc set I didn't find intriguing.
- "Behind the Scenes Tour": Another, shortened look at the making of Finding Nemo.
- "Storytime Fun for the Young": A short story featuring Nemo and Marlin. It's not animated, and has picture boards instead. You can also choose to have a narrator read the story. Just like a nighttime story we all heard when we were kids.
- "Pixar Animation Short: Kick Knack": Made in 1989, well before even Toy Story, the animation isn't quite what it is today, but for the time, quite impressive.
- Other disc 2 features include "Sneak Peaks", and more "Virtual Aquarium".

When I first saw this movie, I was making instant comparisons to the other CGI movies I have recently seen. Finding Nemo easily holds its own. One amazing thing I noticed about the movie was that I actually enjoyed the performances by Brooks and Degeneres. Two comics I normally can't even stand to watch. However, in Finding Nemo, both of these comics shine, especially Degeneres, turning what easily could have been a very annoying role into an overall lovable character.

What else can I say? Finding Nemo is an unbelievable movie. Who would have known it would beat The Matrix Reloaded for the summer box office title, then go onto become the biggest grossing animation of all time? The DVD is incredible, with both widescreen and full screen editions to go along with a superb array of special features. My final verdict: The DVD for Finding Nemo will be a smash just like the film was in the theatre, and rightfully so. Don't miss your chance to be a part of history, and go pick up the DVD!

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