Finding Nemo

Though it's not Pixar's greatest writing achievement, Finding Nemo is an exceptional piece of visual brilliance from a company that's changing animation forever. The enormously successful studio, which is quickly freeing itself from the clutches of Disney, took a huge gamble in challenging themselves with the overwhelming task of recreating ocean life for Finding Nemo, right down to the reflections of the sun to the movement of specific fish. The story is quite simplistic but still compelling, as a paranoid clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) frantically tries to locate his only son, Nemo, amongst the trillions of aquatic habitants of the ocean. Aided by Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), a new friend with a severe short-term memory, Marlin begins what seems to be a never-ending adventure through the unpredictably dangerous waters in hopes of, well, finding Nemo. The film is unbelievably breathtaking and is easily Pixar's finest moment in animation, and the DVD realises that the painstaking process to create such a film is the key focus on the "making of" documentary. Split into two discs, the first has the more interesting footage that's geared towards adults, along with the widescreen presentation. You will be amazed as to how much physical work and research was required in order to make Finding Nemo as believable as possible. Scuba diving trips, underwater footage, pet store purchases, clay models and pastel colour tests are just a small example of the amount of dedication that was present in the film's creation, all under the perfectionist watch of director Andrew Stanton. Other features on the first disc include visual clips, ranging from deleted scenes in the form of storyboards to early animation attempts to Geoffrey Rush (the voice of Nigel) sticking his fingers in his mouth. The second disc is definitely aimed at the children, for what would a "Disney DVD" be without guessing games and story-time fun? Seeing as you're old enough to read this, you might be more compelled to watch the behind-the-scenes look at Pixar's studio or underwater exploring with Jean-Michel Cousteau instead. Though these featurettes are still aimed towards the wee children, there's enough interesting material to grab your interest. There is quite a bit of material contained on both these discs that should satisfy fans of the film that want to delve deep into the animation process, as well as the children who will want to watch this three times a day. And it's all neatly organised onto a pair of easy-navigating discs. What more could you ask for? Plus: virtual aquariums, design galleries, Knick Knack short, sneak peek for Pixar's The Incredibles, Mr. Ray's encyclopaedia of facts, promotional materials. (Pixar/Disney/Beuna Vista)