"Finding Nemo"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| ***** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Albert Brooks as MARLIN Ellen DeGeneres as DORY Alexander Gould as NEMO Willem Dafoe as GILL Barry Humphries as BRUCE Geoffrey Rush as NIGEL Rated G Studio: Disney/Pixar Directed by: Andrew Stanton Back to DVD Review Home |
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Not only does the “Finding Nemo” DVD have everything you would want on its two discs, but it also takes some of the best DVD features a step further. Watching the introduction to each disc is your first sense that the folks at Pixar are just a bunch of DVD nerds like the rest of us. And they designed their DVD with their own likes and dislikes in mind.
Disc 1 contains the widescreen version of the film, which is what you saw in the theaters. On Disc 2, you’ll find the full frame version. However, one thing that makes the full frame version actually more appealing is the fact that is isn’t your standard pan-and-scan transfer. Instead of increasing the image size to make the letterbox disappear, Pixar removed the entire letterbox frame. The result is a truly larger - not just magnified - frame. “Finding Nemo” is a rare DVD on which you’ll actually see more movie in the full-frame mode.
Perhaps this is why Disney decided to put their auto-play trailers on the second disc. While it was a great relief to put in Disc 1 and not have it force movie trailers on me, I found them hidden on the second disc. (And of course, that’s the disc I will probably watch more because there’s more to see.)
The image on “Finding Nemo” is nothing short of breathtaking. It is even better than what you’ve seen in the theaters - especially if you saw older prints with scratches and other blemishes. The digital image on the DVD is struck from the original computer file, not a film print. This process was started with “A Bug’s Life” and stands up today for the greatest depth and richness of color and clarity.
The first thing most DVD hounds out there look for is a commentary track. I know I do. In fact, the presence or absence of a commentary track often weights my decision on whether or not to actually purchase the DVD.
For “Finding Nemo,” Pixar took the commentary one step further. On the first disc is a special audio/visual commentary that extends the film an extra 35 minutes. Not only are you treated to a relatively insightful commentary with writer/director Andrew Stanton, co-director Lee Unkrich and co-writer Bob Peterson, but throughout the film, you’re taken to dozen of tidbits that include deleted scenes, outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, mini making-of documentaries and other fun stuff.
This, of course, is not new. I remember the first “Matrix” DVD having a special “follow the white rabbit” feature that revealed similar behind-the-scenes extras. However, Pixar realized that we didn’t want to wait for a symbol to appear on screen and push a button to get to the good stuff, so they just streamlined it with the rest of the film. Of course, if you don’t want to sit through the entire movie to get to these features, there is also the option to watch them separately.
Most of the informative features - like commentary tracks and a well-paced documentary called “Making Nemo” - are found on the first disc. On the second one, the folks at Pixar just took some chances to goof off.
The featurettes on Disc 2, including a humorous look at the fish behind the fish in the film and a tour of Pixar Animations Studios, don’t really take themselves too seriously at all. They’re fun to watch, and the kids should appreciate them. Jean-Michel Cousteau lends himself to Pixar to attempt a documentary about the coral reef, but he is overshadowed by Dory, Marlin and Nemo. While it’s fun to watch the characters from the film again, the standard obnoxious environmental message about coral reefs is preached at us a little too much.
Some other features fall flat, like the character interviews, but even without these extras, the DVD set is still excellent.
One neat feature that really is simple but effective are virtual aquariums found on both discs. These looping video clips of background from the film can be played on your television with no menu and no annoying voices. This is an excellent alternative to an animated menu repeated ad nauseum.
I tried to find as many Easter eggs as I could, which appear as Nemo symbols. I found a few (and I’m sure there’s plenty more out there). Many of them featured Bruce the great white shark taunting me to find more. However, there are some funny extra clips of Dory in these Easter eggs.
Specifications: Choice of 1.78:1 widescreen and 1.33:1 full frame (specially reframed for standard televisions) presentations; digital transfer; THX-Certified, including THX Optimizer; Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX; French and Spanish subtitles; English, French and Spanish language tracks.
