Movie review: Finding Nemo again! in 3D

The kids and I head out early on a Saturday morning to join hundred of other parents and kids at the Radio Disney sneak peek.

Finding Nemo is one of our favorite movies. It was one that I watched with my older children again and again. Now, thanks to “Finding Nemo” 3D (only in theaters) I can find the fun of the Nemo adventures with my younger two children.

Some fast facts about “Finding Nemo”

·         “Finding Nemo” won the 2003 Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature.

·         The film won a Golden Globe® Award for Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy.

·         At the time of its release, “Finding Nemo” was the highest grossing G-rated movie of all time.

·         Ellen DeGeneres won an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. (And I can see why – she was amazing!)

·         In 2008, The American Film Institute named “Finding Nemo” among the top 10 greatest animated films ever made.

 In case you haven’t seen it or don’t know the story . . .

Nemo is a clownfish, with a very special fin.  After his mother was eaten by a shark his father (Marlin) became a nervous and rather overprotective father.  Nemo of course rebels and ends up lost, caught and in a dentist fish tank to entertain the patients.  Marlin begins a new journey, leaving the Great Barrier Reef he calls home and with the help of Dorie tries to save his son.  Nemo decides to not be too “patient” at the office and embarks on his own adventures to find his way back home again.

Now, I’m not exactly sharing any spoilers you don’t already know – after all it is DisneyPixar so you know it will have a happy ending.  But what is SO special about “Finding Nemo” in 3D is the glorious colors, the thrill of experiencing underwater and getting up close (virtually) with the characters and the sea.

From the moment the movie began the girls were stretching out their hands and saying “Mommy look it is like really being underwater!”   They couldn’t believe how close they “came” to Nemo  and his dad Marlin.

My youngest was enchanted, and caused more than one person to laugh out loud as she said loudly “Mommy that shark really needs to brush his teeth!”

Another scene that as a a mom I may be “paying for” for some time to come is the meeting of the sharks who have embarked on their own adventure – “Fish are friends not food!”   Unfortunately they find Dorie just a little too tempting to keep to their mission statement.   The kids reminded me “Fish are friends not food” as we enjoyed dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack later on that evening with Grandma and Grandpa.  The grandparents looked at their steampot and shrugged, suggesting the girls go eat on the other side of the table

You will love recognizing the voice talent:  Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Austin Pendleton, Joe Ranft, Geoffrey Rush, Andrew Stanton, and Elizabeth Perkins. I admit that Ellen Degeneres was absolutely amazing as Dorie.   So funny and distinctive, creating a character you just won’t forget.

There were one or two moments where the girls needed an arm to grab (they are ages 7 and almost 6) as they were a little frightened.   The brilliant color and the intensity of 3D, in some of the scenes with underwater predators frightened them for a a moment or two, but they quickly recovered.

Overall, the kids, Mr. Money Saving Parent and I were by turns thrilled, excited, and enchanted by this memorial story.   They already want to see it again!  Too bad it’s only in theaters.