Blu-ray Review: ‘Finding Nemo’ Ultimate Collector’s Edition

Posted By: Alexon: January 05, 2013In: DVD/Blu-Ray ReviewsNo Comments

The year was 2003, a time when Pixar was already riding a hot streak after the release of Toy Story 1 & 2, A Bugs Life, and the immensely popular Monsters, Inc. As May approached they were prepared to release Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich’s latest feature, Finding Nemo. Little did they know that this film would blow up to be one of their most popular and memorable films to date, mainly because it took us on a beautiful and magical adventure in the deep blue sea following two of the smallest critters, a Clown Fish and a Blue Tang Fish.

When timid Marlon’s only son Nemo is captured by divers and placed in a fish tank at an Australian dentist’s office, he boldly sets out on a mission into the open ocean to track down and rescue his baby boy. In the process he meets Dory, a friendless fish with short term memory loss but also one with an adventurous nature and a big heart. Together they encounter a swarm of jellyfish, a family of sea turtles and a trio of sharks resulting in a far more epic oceanic excursion than you can imagine.

On the surface, Finding Nemo is a simple story about a father trying to track down and rescue his son but the film is actually much deeper than that. It’s about a father learning to open up to the possibility of adventure, to saying yes instead of being so cautious, and to loosen his iron, paranoid and controlling grip on his son’s life. Marlon is like a clam, never leaving his shell or straying far from home but the adventure he goes on with Dory teaches him that there’s more to life than hiding behind anemone n the reef. It’s these lessons he learns on the way that elevates the standard plotline to the next level, something adults can appreciate.

I really don’t have anything bad to say about the film. Finding Nemo is one of the few Pixar films that actually deserves a sequel and I’m glad that Andrew Stanton and Pixar have agreed to push forward with one. With a powerhouse voice cast led by Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garret and Geoffrey Rush, Finding Nemo is easily one of the best animated films of the new millennium and one that will be a staple in every family’s movie collection for lifetimes to come. If you haven’t seen it yet you’ve clearly been living life under a rock or just hate movies, so change your style and get on it!

The Disc:

My dad just picked up one of those smart LCD TV’s so I decided to make this the first film I watched on it. When I popped in the Blu-ray my mind was blown. The film looks incredible and it’s probably safe to say that practically any Pixar movie on Blu-ray looks this good with the right TV. It felt like I was watching it in the theater again, with the colors bursting off the screen, the movie pulls you right into the adventure and you easily become immersed in its richness. To sum it all up, the video and audio on this disc is top notch and could easily be used as a demo disc if you ever needed one.

The package comes with a 3D Blu-ray disc, a regular Blu-ray disc, a bonus Blu-ray disc with more bonus features, a DVD version of the film and a digital copy so that you’ve got all your formats covered.

I don’t have a 3D TV so I can’t comment on the 3D disc but the regular Blu-ray is packed with plenty of content, though some of it contains the same features that exist on the DVD when the film was first released.

Cine-Explore A 101 min. featurette in which co-director Andrew Stanton, co-director Lee Unkrich and co-writer Bob Peterson sit around to discuss and dissect the film through a picture-in-picture commentary feature. A ton of production materials are shown throughout as well including concept art, storyboards and more.
Finding Nemo: A Filmmakers’ Roundtable An 18 min. featurette which unites the creative and supporting talent behind the film for a 10 year anniversary retrospective. Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Bob Peterson, producer Graham Walters, production designer Ralph Eggleston and tech lead Oren Jacob take part in the roundtable.
Reinventing the Submarine Voyage A 15 min. featurette about the upgrading of Disneyland’s Submarine Voyage as well as providing history about the famed original ride in Tomorrow-land.
A Lesson in Flashbacks (8 min) – Andrew Stanton discusses the biggest lesson he learned while creating and refining the story for this film
Deleted Scene A three minute alternate opening scene that’s presented to us in animated concept art.
Knick Knack The classic and original animated short that Pixar made six years before Toy Story.
Trailers and Sneak Peeks: Trailers for Monsters University, Monsters, Inc. 3D, Peter Pan: Diamond Edition and Planes.
Art Review: Production designer Ralph Eggleston, character art director Ricky Nierva and shading art director Robin Cooper comment for nine minutes on the art-work during the preproduction stage.
Making Nemo A 26 min. featurette pulled from the original 2003 dvd release which gives an in-depth look behind-the-scenes of how Finding Nemo came to life, from Oceanic research to finalizing the animation.
Exploring the Reef: A 7 minute featurette hosted by host Jean-Michel Cousteau where he showcases the beauty of the threatened coral reefs.
Studio Tour (5 min.): Alexander Gould takes us through Pixar studios and its various departments.
Old School: Nine min. worth of quick extras which include “El Capitan Pitch Selects,” “School Progression,” “MA Reference,” “Whale Mouth,” “International Mine,” “Pelican Animation,” “Glenn McQueen Tribute” and “Aquascum 2003.”
Deleted Scenes: Six minutes of deleted scenes which include “Crush the Hippie,” “Shark Volleyball,” “Frantic Dad,” “Scent of Lavender,” “Sewage,” “Prologue Bedtime Story” and “Soap Opera/Gil Lies,” all presented via animated storyboards.
Outtakes: Two min. worth of comical outtakes titled “Chickenfish,” “Dory Muttering,” “Rove McManus” and “Brooks Punch Lines.”
Publicity Pieces: 13 min. of typical publicity content including trailers, “Fishy Facts,” “ABC Stunts” and “DVD Stunts.”
Mr. Ray’s Encyclopedia: An interactive encyclopedia that shows videos of real creatures of the Ocean.
Aquariums (Discs 1-2, HD): A collection of looped ocean floor screensavers. Discs 1 features one and Disc 2 features six titled “Anemone,” “Jellyfish,” “Plate Coral,” “Reef,” “Sandy Reef” and “School of Fish.”