Exploring the Reef (2003)

Very disappointing...

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

If I heard only the title "Exploring the Reef", I probably would have guessed this is another 40-minute IMAX documentary, but that is not true. It actually only runs for 7 minutes and is a mix of scientist Cousteau (son of the famous Jacques) telling us a bit about the importance of the Great Barrier Reef while being constantly interrupted by the animated characters of the film "Finding Nemo". It is solidly informative for such a short film I guess, but nothing really that grown-up wouldn't know, so with this and the animated characters I guess this is mostly a good watch for younger audiences. I personally enjoyed it nonetheless and I recommend it. Roger Gould, writer and director here, did a good job just like on so many other Pixar films. Go see it.

DVD bonus features never really draw me in. They usually range from reasonable to dodgy to downright awful. In came the 2-disc collector's edition of Finding Nemo, and 'Exploring the Reef', a bonus feature discussing (well, trying to, anyway) the coral and how it has been damaged, on the second disc. It stars French explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau and Marlin, Nemo and Dory from the feature film. It is educational... well, half of the time, anyway... but I'm happy to report that this isn't just one of those bonus features.In this bonus feature, Jean-Michel is doing his best to talk about coral reefs, but is constantly being interrupted by Marlin, Nemo and especially Dory. Most of the time, they are complaining that algae living inside a coral is creepy. Jean-Michel constantly speaks in French when he gets annoyed, some weird orchestral music is played any time he says his own name and there is even one moment when a title card appears saying 'Please stand by', with that relaxing music you usually hear during these moments.Dory is easily the funniest character in this documentary film. The only reason I didn't consider it perfect was that I didn't consider Nemo to be that... you know... great. But it's not a problem.It's educational, it's hilarious, it's got everything. In conclusion, it's easily the best ever bonus feature I've ever watched.

I loved this short 7 minute long film on the Finding Nemo DVD. I thought it was very funny, and unique. I was really surprised when I saw dory swim by. I thought it was just going to be exploring the reef. I love how they put the characters in there. I would have liked it even more if the Tank Gang was in it, though. lol! :)

This is a great short that's included on the Finding Nemo DVD.It features a scientist, Jean-Michel Cousteau, who's been studying the sea for most of his life. It teaches a lesson about the coral reef, while providing a bit of comedy from 3 characters from Finding Nemo. I enjoyed it very much.