Finding Nemo (2003)
★★★★ — Finding Nemo (2003)
Andrew Stanton had already co-written Toy Story and co-directed A Bug's Life before taking sole directorial credit on this 2003 Pixar production, and Finding Nemo would prove to be the film that firmly established him as one of the studio's leading voices (he'd go on to direct WALL-E in 2008). Set largely around the Great Barrier Reef and shot, in the animation sense, with unusually careful attention to underwater light and colour, the film required Pixar's team to develop entirely new rendering techniques to capture the behaviour of water at that scale. Released during a particularly strong run for Pixar, it became the highest-grossing animated film of its time, and its $940 million worldwide gross on a $94 million budget marked one of the most emphatic commercial successes in the studio's history.
Finding Nemo is a masterclass in how to balance spectacle, emotion, and storytelling within the framework of an animated adventure. What begins as a simple tale of a father’s desperate search for his missing son quickly unfolds into a richly detailed journey across the vast, unpredictable ocean. One that’s as thrilling as it is heartfelt. The animation, even years later, remains astonishing: sunlight filtering through water, the undulating movement of jellyfish, the bustling life of the reef, every frame feels alive, textured, and full of wonder. The brilliance lies in how effortlessly it shifts tone. One moment you’re caught in the quiet grief of Marlin, a clownfish whose world has been shattered by loss; the next, you’re swept into the buoyant, scatterbrained energy of Dory, whose short-term memory loss is played not just for laughs, but with genuine empathy. Their odd-couple dynamic becomes the emotional engine of the film, and the supporting cast (from the laid-back turtles to the gruff but kind dentist’s office crew) are more than gags; they’re fully formed characters in a world that feels expansive and real. It’s not quite perfection , some of the side characters verge on caricature, and the plot occasionally relies on convenient coincidences but the emotional core never wavers. Finding Nemo understands fear, love, and the painful necessity of letting go, all while keeping the story accessible and engaging for children. It’s a film that swims just shy of Pixar’s absolute peak, but still emerges as one of their most enduring, beautifully crafted achievements.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 2003 | Watched: 2025-07-24
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Andrew Stanton: Finding Dory (2016) · WALL·E (2008)
More with Albert Brooks: Finding Dory (2016)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More family: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Wonder (2017) · Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anastasia (1997)
