As the opening credits of "Finding Nemo" started to roll, Lauren, my five-year-old daughter looked at me with big eyes and asked where the mommy and the babies went? During the scene that preceded the credits, we were introduced to Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Coral (Elizabeth Perkins), a pair of clown fish surveying their new home in a sea anemone. Safely tucked away, in a cave below their love nest are 500 hundred eggs close to hatching. Marlin and Coral joke about what they want to name the kids. Marlin wants to name half of them Marlin Jr. and the other half Coral Jr.. Coral likes the name Nemo. She wants to name one of them Nemo. Enter a sharp toothed barracuda. Marlin is knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he discovers his love nest is empty, except for one little egg. I looked into my daughter’s eyes and told her the mommy and the babies were in the stomach of the barracuda. She almost started to cry. Her mom left to take our son to Nashville for Ice Hockey camp. Separation anxiety was very high with Lauren right now. Fortunately, "Finding Nemo" switched gears rather quickly and Lauren's fears subsided as we were introduced to Nemo (Alexander Gould).

Nemo was the sole survivor of the barracuda attack. The little fish was born with one fin that was too small. Marlin is an overprotective dad. He wants to protect Nemo from the pain the ocean offers. Of course Marlin is smothering Nemo. He is handicapping his son worse than Mother Nature has already done. Marlin's over devotion to Nemo's well being leads the young fish to rebel. An act which will lead right to an aquarium tank. Nemo's last words to his father before he is captured are "I hate you." Strong stuff for a kid's movie.

"Finding Nemo" plays on the greatest fears of both children and parents to create a tense, funny and completely heartwarming tale. Marlin begins to search high and low for his lost child. His adventure is a journey of growth, hope and despair. Marlin tortures himself as he overcomes multiple obstacles to find his child. Marlin discovers inner strength he didn't know he possessed. Nemo too grows. Nemo finds himself in an aquarium surrounded by a group of fish who have been institutionalized. Only Gill (Willem Dafoe) has a spark of life left in him. Gill wants to escape to the sea. He sees hope for an escape in Nemo.

Pixar has once again produced a quality film with wonderful characters and a smart story. The animation is top-notch. There are a number of hilarious characters. Marlin finds a travelling companion in Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a blue fish with short-term memory problems. Brooks and DeGeneres play so well together. Ms. DeGeneres turns in the funniest performance. Dory is a total ditz, but she has a great heart. You imagine that there will be interspecies breeding once the closing credits roll. Another funny set piece involves three sharks who are denying their nature and trying to see other fish as friends instead of food. Bruce (Barry Humphries) is a great white shark trying to get in touch with his inner child. I was happy to hear the voice of Bruce Spence (The Gyro Captain from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior) as one of the other sharks.

"Finding Nemo" deals with more mature themes than found in past Pixar movies. Small children may find the story a bit frightening, but the characters are lovable enough to keep them from completely freaking out at the thought of losing a parent. I had to answer some heavy questions from my little one as we watched the movie. I noticed that many other parents were doing the same thing. Everyone left the theater with smiles on their faces. "Finding Nemo" works on several levels. It amuses and entertains. It also affords parents and small children the forum to discuss serious issues in ways that can assure and comfort the kids. Much like the way Fred Rogers tackled serious children's issues in "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood." (If you leave before the closing credits have completely rolled you will miss a cameo by Mike Wazowski of "Monster's Inc.")

Rusty White, 2003