Disney would never dream of ditching (or tweaking, or even modifying) a successful formula once it’s been established, and their multi-picture deal with the Pixar animation team has hit the jackpot once again, yielding the highest-grossing film of the year thus far (as was the case with 1999’s A Bug’s Life).
Finding Nemo introduces us to a gang of sharp-fanged sharks who have renounced cannibalism and formed an addicts’ support group named Fish-Eaters Anonymous, but the central plot strand is about a red-and-white clownfish (Marlin, voiced by Albert Brooks) whose young son Nemo is captured by a human diver. Marlin searches relentlessly for his offspring throughout a variety of escapades which include hitching a lift to Australia with some obviously stoned turtles.
Before you all fall asleep, it must be said that Finding Nemo does an absolutely supreme job of bringing our aquatic chums to life, and with a lively and frequently amusing script to back it up, there’s certainly no serious risk of anyone leaving the cinema disappointed. Inevitably, though, the distinctive Pixar approach that seemed so fresh and invigorating when Toy Story appeared has lost some of its capacity to amaze over the course of five movies, and what once seemed sublime now comes across as merely impressive. The recent success of Spirited Away and Belleville Rendez-Vous suggests that the public’s real appetite is for novelty in animation. Let’s see how Pixar rise to the challenge.