Exploring the Reef (2003)
Exploring the Reef Review
Exploring the Reef is a 2003 animated short film. It is a Pixar short that was based on ‘Finding Nemo’.
Jean-Michael Cousteau’s documentary about the Great Barrier Reef keeps getting interrupted by Dory and other characters from the movie. This flick would fare better for big fans of the aforementioned movie and its characters, which has never been me, so the impact of this short is blunted on me personally. I just found the overall premise here rather childish. It fits the tone and the characters of the original feature, but it’s not something that adults can appreciate as much as kids.
It’s a reasonably amusing movie with Cousteau being well utilized and his frustrations made for a solid source of humor. The animation is strong too and the film’s dialogue is pretty memorable with Dory stealing the show as expected. The beginning was overlong and the one-joke structure continued to be problematic, but at least it was executed well and it is perfect for children.
