Originally posted by Mouse Ears
Just wanted to comment that even Pixar does not strive for perfect realism. As a matter of fact, on the Nemo 'making of' presentation on the DVD, the director, Andrew Stanton, commented that some tests were making the ocean too realistic. They wanted a more colorful, lively, 'sanitized' reef. They also added a progression of darkness and changing color in the water throughout the movie to help advance the mood of the plot.
Anyway, just wanted to point out that the animation is more about the art and the story-telling than reproducing reality. The appeal of animation is that it takes us away from the limitations of reality!