Pop culture retailers are going to be concentrating on the premiere of X-Men 2 and Free Comic Book Day during the first weekend in May, and by the fifteenth of that month they had better be ready for The Matrix Reloaded, but they shouldn't neglect an animated gem that will debut two weeks later on May 30.  Finding Nemo is the latest feature film from Pixar, the computer animation studio responsible for the Toy Story films and Monsters, Inc. Finding Nemo is a visually stunning underwater adventure that follows the comedic and eventful journeys of two fish -- a father and his son, Nemo--who become separated in the Great Barrier Reef.  Voice actors for Finding Nemo include Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe, and Geoffrey Rush.

There is no need to speak of the stunning visual brilliance that all the Pixar pictures have displayed, but great vocal talent and great visuals can't make an animated classic on their own.  What really makes the Pixar films a cut above their American animated competitors is great storytelling -- and Finding Nemo is written and directed by the Oscar-nominated Andrew Stanton, who has co-written all of Pixar's animated hits.  Though Disney merchandising isn't what it used to be, there should be Finding Nemo merchandise available this summer and savvy retailers may want to search it out.  Finding Nemo is the first Pixar title to be released in the prime early summer season, which Disney (the company that releases and distributes Pixar movies) had traditionally reserved for its own animated offerings.  However none of the recent Disney animated movies has come close to the success of the Toy Story films or Monsters, Inc., which explains why Pixar finally got the prime slot.  Don't expect them to blow it -- chances are Finding Nemo will have little trouble finding an audience.