Finding Nemo

Despite the dead mom beginning, this is not from the Disney animation studio. It's Pixar (of "Toy Story" fame). Little clown fish Nemo (Gould) was born with an undersized fin and is the sole survivor of a barracuda attack. This makes nervous dad Marlin (Brooks) overprotective. When curious Nemo is scooped up by a scuba diver for life in a fish tank, it's dad to the rescue! He's aided by chipper blue tang Dory (DeGeneres), who unfortunately suffers from short-term memory loss, a sea turtle (director Stanton), and other denizens of both sea and air (including a helpful pelican), while Nemo is making new friends (and escape plans) with his tank mates. Since water is considered the hardest thing to animate, the undersea sequences are particularly breathtaking. There's the usual humor to keep adults interested as well as sweetness amidst the comedy.