Finding Nemo
Director: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich

The first computer-animated Pixar film to win an Oscar, Luxo, Jr., was a witty short about a papa desk lamp watching over a frisky junior desk lamp, and now the latest computer-animated Pixar film to win an Oscar is going to be a witty feature about a papa fish watching over a frisky junior fish, and setting out to rescue the little guy after human divers capture him, in the glorious 2003 summer blockbuster, Finding Nemo. Wildly funny with a marvelous array of characters, inventively designed with photo-realistic artistry, and rich in filial sentiment, the movie attracted every age group and marketing segment imaginable. And now, the outstanding Buena Vista Home Entertainment 2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD (30078, $30) follows the same dichotomy used in the story. One platter is for papa, and one is for junior.

On the first platter, the 100-minute film is presented in letterboxed format, with an aspect ratio of about 1.8:1 and an accommodation for enhanced 16:9 playback. The second platter presents the film in full screen, digitally manipulated to create a consistently framed composition. There is still a little more substance to the letterboxed presentation, but the full screen version is a viable alternative. Having been created digitally, the picture arrives on DVD without degradation beyond the sole demands of the DVD's image compression. The presentation is vivid and the cartoon's color designs are dazzling. You'll be startled at your monitor's ability to replicate such remarkable hues. The 5.1-channel Dolby Digital sound, with EX-encoding, has some engaging separation effects and is consistently strong, with clear, solid tones and an active bass when things get exciting. There are optional English subtitles, and every menu selection on each platter, decorated with different seascapes, can be toggled into a text-free screensaver. The full screen version also has alternate French and Spanish audio tracks in 5.1 Dolby EX.

The second platter, which opens with fabulous trailers for The Incredibles and Home on the Range, and comes with a number of playful special features. There is a 3-minute 1989 Pixar short, Knick-Knack, about a snowglobe snowman trying to escape his confinement. There is an amusing 7-minute documentary about coral reefs with Jean-Michel Cousteau, who becomes frustrated when animated fish interrupt his talk. Also featured is a good 2-minute comedy piece about the characters, a 7-minute segment about the fish depicted in the film with some more humorous interludes, a 5-minute look at how the film was made, seven trailers, a nice collection of the movie's clever posters in still frame, a workable matching game, and a read-along segment.

The first platter, designed for older viewers, contains a 25-minute production documentary. Although it covers the scope of the production and looks at the nuts and bolts of putting the film together, it focuses on the people at Pixar and how they worked through various challenges, giving the program a slightly different slant from standard production documentaries. There is also an 8-minute montage of conceptual studies narrated by some of the artists, a 6-minute montage of character studies, and still frame views of some beautiful background artwork.

Finally, there is a commentary track on the letterboxed version, which can only be activated in coordination with 31 minutes of inserted digressions that appear at different spots in the film, covering more behind-the-scenes production details, as well as a few (wisely) deleted scenes and other miscellany. The commentary is sometimes interrupted mid-sentence when the program shifts to one of these segments, but you can hit Chapter Skip to bypass it if you're alert. As for the commentary, the film's three overseers, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich and Bob Peterson, speak about how the story was developed and what changes each scene went through. They also talk a little bit about technical matters, such as lighting and sound, and about working with the voice talent and the rest of the Pixar team.

- November 3, 2003

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