Last summer it turned out “Nemo,” not Neo, would be the star of the blockbuster season with a fish tale that had more heart than any of its human competitors.

After an early separation in the film, “Nemo” follows two divergent storylines. The young Nemo (Alexander Gould) has been hauled off from his Great Barrier Reef home to a dentist’s office where he is destined to become the next gift/victim for the dentist’s niece.

But the majority of the film follows the furious quest of Marlin (Albert Brooks, whose sarcasm and self-depricating humor work together amazingly here) to find his son. The over-protective clownfish braves the underwater world of sharks, jellyfish and whales in an attempt to reunite with his sole offspring. But he’s not alone as the short-term memory loss affected Dory (Ellen DeGeneres, in her most likable role ever) is along to help — and hinder — the search.

This ocean-spanning journey lets the team at Pixar have endless fun with the world of “Nemo.” The movie has Pixar’s most expansive landscape since “A Bug’s Life,” but with much more richness, depth and variety than the earlier film. That first peek over the coral reef and the deadly beauty of the jellyfish horde are some of the most glorious animated sequences on film.

And while the animators may be a little handcuffed by Nemo’s fishtank setting, the voice actors assembled in the tank provide plenty of their own special effects. “Everybody Loves Raymond’s” Brad Garrett lends his ultra-deep voice to Bloat the pufferfish and Vicki Lewis perfectly captures the multiple personality disorder of Deb/Flo. But the standout is Willem Dafoe. His creepy, yet warm voice is ideal for the rebellious Gill as his true nature is uncertain through most of the film.

And while the team of writers does a fantastic job in integrating these two storylines, it’s a deeper sense of integration which makes “Nemo” so transcendent. There’s plenty of juvenile and cute humor for the kids with vegetarian sharks, surfer turtles and singing rays, but there’s still a ton of fun for the older crowd.

Lobsters with Boston accents, a Mickey Mouse-sounding fish and allusions to “The Usual Suspects” and “The Birds” probably strike a chord with the older audience members. And even the simple humor of the movie (a young fish unabashedly admitting “I’m annoying” and the one-word flock of seagulls) feel perfectly tailored to a more mature and appreciative audience.

But the most unifying aspect of the movie has to be the relationship between Marlin and Nemo. Despite their separation during the majority of the movie, the determination of Marlin and his guilt over letting his son get taken away form a disarmingly true and relatable father-son relationship (possibly Hollywood’s best take on the dynamic since “Field of Dreams”), a relationship which is often ignored in children’s films. After all the fun of “Nemo” it’s the seriousness and depth of the movie that make it stick with people.

The two-disc DVD release of “Nemo” then allows for a little separation between the camps of fans. For the kids and casual viewers there’s a fullscreen version with some kiddie-themed extras. Besides a game of fish charades and “Knick Knack,” the quaint first short from Pixar, there’s a couple of educational features about the fish of the movie.

But for the more dedicated fish fans, there’s a widescreen edition that features one of the best ideas for a commentary. Director and writer Andrew Stanton, director Lee Unkrich and writer Bob Peterson provide one of the funniest tracks in a while as all three come off as lovable nerds who were as thrilled to make this movie as they were to meet Brooks and use obscure Australian actors for voices. But the commentary is visual as well as audio.

When the trio are discussing a subject, scene or actor, the film jumps straight to a deleted scene, short featurette or interview to further explain the point. It’s a beautiful option that integrates two of the most-used DVD features.

It didn’t seem possible that Pixar could have topped their “Toy Story” duo, but with “Nemo” they get the job done. In both features and film, “Finding Nemo” is a perfect cross-generational experience.

“Finding Nemo”: A

DVD features: AB,”Matthew T. Olson”

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