Actors: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett
Directors: Andrew Stanton
Number of discs: 5
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Disney-Pixar
Release Date: December 4, 2012
Run Time: 100 minutes
Film: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars
“Finding Nemo” is one of Pixar’s best films to date and seems to only gets better with age…and the added dimension. It is hard to imagine that this film came out almost 10 years ago now. With a child of my own now (6 months old), I just can’t wait to share this film with her. As with past Disney 3D re-releases like “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast”, “Finding Nemo” is the latest convert. It looks great in the theaters but I honestly think it is better on its Blu-ray release. There are a few stand out scenes like the first encounter with Bruce the Shark. I seriously got goose bumps, when this scene came on the screen. The Deep Sea Angler scene was also very impressive as well, including a few great jumps from the audience. The overall depth of the presentation looks very impressive overall. “Monsters Inc.” is next for Pixar and then after that we have traditional animated “The Little Mermaid” getting pushed into the third dimension. I can’t wait and will be counting down the days.
Official Premise: Sea it like never before! For the first time ever, through the magic of Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D, fully immerse yourself in the stunning underwater world of Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Nemo”! From the creators of “Toy Story” and “Monsters Inc.”, this critically acclaimed and heartwarming tale splashes off the screen with brilliant digital picture, high definition sound and breathtaking interactive 3D bonus features that transport you beyond your imagination. In the depths of the Great Barrier Reef, Marlin (Albert Brooks), an overly protective clownfish, embarks on a daring rescue mission when his beloved son, Nemo, gets scooped up by a diver. With his unforgettable friend Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) by his side, Marlin encounters an ocean full of memorable comedic characters on his momentous journey to find Nemo. Bring home the humor and heartfelt emotion of the epic adventure that captured the Academy Award for “Best Animated Feature Film” (2003) — now more awesome than ever on Disney Blu-ray 3D! It’s Magic In A New Dimension!
This Ultimate Collector’s Edition is presented as a five-disc combo with a Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy. This is the first time that the film has ever been released on high-definition Blu-ray and boy, does it look absolutely perfect throughout its 1080p transfer. The vast ocean world that we live in throughout this film literally looks stunning. The 3D MVC-encoded transfer adds the perfect amount of depth to the water and like I mentioned the key scenes mentioned above. To go along with the perfect video presentation, Disney has delivered an even better (if that is possible) Dolby TrueHD 7.1 surround sound track. It works so well with Thomas Newman’s score and every wave and bump in the water throughout. There is also a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track included, which sounds equally good for those who don’t have 5.1 support.
The special features are perfect and even take a step up from the also newly released “Up” 3D Blu-ray. The “Cine-Explore” Picture-in- Picture commentary is really one of my new favorite features from Disney. It features Director Andrew Stanton, co-director Lee Unkrich and co-writer Bob Peterson as they breakdown every aspect of the film. “Finding Nemo: A Filmmakers’ Roundtable” is a new exclusive roundtable, which reunites Stanton, Unkrich, Peterson, producer Graham Walters, production designer Ralph Eggleston and technical lead Oren Jacob to celebrate the film’s upcoming 10th anniversary. “Reinventing the Submarine Voyage” looks into the attraction in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. “A Lesson in Flashbacks” shows Stanton as he discusses the development of Nemo’s story. There is an alternate opening scene presented in through concept art. “Knick Knack” is a 1989 short that debuted in front of the film in its 2003 theatrical release. Lastly there are trailers and sneak peeks for “Monsters University”, “Monsters, Inc. 3D”, “Peter Pan: Diamond Edition” and “Planes”.
The rest of the special features are on Disc 3, also most in standard definition. “Art Review” features an insight look from Production designer Ralph Eggleston, character art director Ricky Nierva and shading art director Robin Cooper. “Making Nemo” is a nearly 30 minutes behind-the-scenes documentary covering the production. “Exploring the Reef” is an short look at the world’s endangered coral reefs with Jean-Michel Cousteau. “Studio Tour” is a tour of Pixar Studios and its departments with Alexander Gould. “Old School” is short collection of various featurettes. There are seven short deleted scenes presented in storyboards format. There is three very funny outtakes. There are a bunch of publicity pieces including four trailers. “Mr. Ray’s Encyclopedia” is an interactive video look into the real undersea creatures. Lastly “Aquariums” is a collection of ocean floor screensavers, cool but too bad they are not in HD.