Pixar has struck again. The computer-animation powerhouse that brought us the Toy Story movies, A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc. venture under the sea for Finding Nemo, the tale of a timid clown fish searching for his son. And while the story occasionally lags, the movie more than redeems itself with its gorgeous visuals and sly sense of humor.

At the start of the movie, Marlin, voiced by Albert Brooks, has just moved into a new home with his wife and hundreds of future children. Since it seems there can never be two living parents in a Disney movie, tragedy soon strikes and he is left as the over-protective single father of only one child, Nemo (Alexander Gould). Despite a bad fin and his father's constant worrying, Nemo is desperate to hang out with the other kids. But maybe Marlin was right to be so cautious, since on his first day of school Nemo is captured by a scuba diver, brought to Sydney and deposited in a dentist's aquarium.

From there on out the movie intercuts Marlin's adventures as he tries to rescue his son with Nemo's attempts to get out of the tank and back to his father. Marlin teams up with Dory, (Ellen DeGeneres) a fish with a relentlessly upbeat attitude and an extremely bad memory. They have to make their way to Sydney Harbor, while avoiding becoming food on the way.

Nemo, meanwhile, meets his new tank-mates, all of whom were born in captivity except the battle-scarred Gill, (Willem Dafoe) who longs to swim free in the ocean again. Nemo's arrival prompts Gill to formulate a "foolproof" plan for escape.

The story Finding Nemo tells is a fairly simple, straightforward one and will likely appeal more to the kiddies than to their parents. But writer/director Andrew Stanton (who also voices Crush, the surfer-dude turtle) throws in enough quirky characters and unexpected situations to keep it lively; a trio of sharks twelve-stepping themselves away from eating fish and the aquarium denizens' fascination with dental procedures were among my favorites.

Some amazing voice talent brings the whole thing to life. Brooks plays on his neurotic, anxious persona as Marlin. Dafoe is suitably grizzled and world-weary as Gill. Allison Janney plays a starfish, Brad Garrett a puffer-fish and Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush is on hand as a pelican. Bruce the shark is brought to life with Australian gusto by Barry Humphries, who is better known as Dame Edna. The real standout, though, is DeGeneres, whose ditzy Dory is the perky heart of the movie.

As Marlin and Dory bounce from one peril to another, a few of their adventures drag on a bit too long. But if you find yourself getting bored, turn off your mind for a moment and just look; the movie is like a ninety-minute exhibit of underwater art unfolding onscreen. The tropical colors are dazzling, the backgrounds incredibly detailed and the exotic creatures brought to life as full-fledged characters with more facial expression than the entire cast of The Matrix Reloaded. If director/co-writer Andrew Stanton focused more on the pictures than the story, well, with results this beautiful it's hard to quibble.

Gorilla Pants rating: 3 out of 4 bananas