Story
This is the 3D re-release of the original Finding Nemo. It opens with excited clownfish parents Marlin (voice of Albert Brooks) and Coral (Elizabeth Perkins), who live on the Great Barrier Reef, doting over their first clutch of eggs. Unfortunately, their happiness is short-lived when a rampaging barracuda attacks with devastating consequences. Coral and all but one of the eggs are lost, and Marlin names the surviving egg Nemo.
When we next see Nemo (Alexander Gould) he is a young clownfish, very excited and eager about his first day at school. Disaster strikes when Nemo, defying his overprotective father, swims out into the open sea where he is captured by a diver. He ends up in a fish tank in the office of a dentist (Bill Hunter) overlooking Sydney Harbour.
Marlin is distraught. He teams up with a fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), who suffers from short-term memory loss, but can work out Marlin’s only clue to Nemo’s whereabouts. Marlin and Dory set off to find and rescue Nemo and come across many dangers on the way.
Unaware that his father is searching for him, Nemo is befriended by an array of marine creatures living in the fish tank. They include a tough old tigerfish called Gill (Willem Dafoe), who helps Nemo plot his escape.
Themes
Death and loss of a family member; animal predatory behaviour
Violence
Finding Nemo contains cartoon action violence. The violence is often meant to be funny but could be scary for younger children, especially with the 3D effects. For example:
Sexual references
None of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
None of concern
Nudity and sexual activity
None of concern
Product placement
There is no product placement of concern in the movie, but there is plenty of associated merchandise, including food products, on the market.
Coarse language
The movie has some minor name-calling and toilet humour, which younger children might copy.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Finding Nemo 3D is a re-release of an animated adventure comedy movie. Its target audience is children and their families. The movie features lots of movie stars doing the voiceovers and some clever humour. But the movie does have some upsetting scenes, including the death of Marlin’s wife and the destruction of their eggs. Younger children might find these scenes upsetting. They might also be sacred by the scenes with the predator fish. The scary scenes are more intense in this 3D version.
These are the main messages from this movie:
- Although parents know they must eventually let their children grow up, they find it hard to let their children take risks and become independent.
- Parental love can inspire parents to do amazing things.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include the following:
- Self-sacrifice: many characters in the movie risk their lives for the sake of others.
- Self-confidence: Nemo shows a confidence in his own ability to succeed, and this helps him escape from the aquarium.
- Friendship and selflessness: both Nemo and Marlin make friends with other characters, who help them in different ways.
You could also talk about the food chain in the ocean and the way predator creatures such as sharks behave.