Disney Pixar’s classic father-and-son tale Finding Nemo finally gets its release in the high definition Blu-ray format on Tuesday, December 4.

This writer has made no secret over the past few years that he’s been eagerly awaiting the release of Finding Nemo on Blu-ray. Since Blu-ray became the next-gen home entertainment disc format several years ago, Pixar has slowly been re-releasing its back catalogue – previously only available on DVD – in high def. For whatever reason, they decided to save Nemo for last.

Maybe it’s because they knew it would be one of the most highly-anticipated. With the story taking place primarily underwater, the Blu-ray quality really opens the visual floodgates and allows you to enjoy the sub-level world with the detail Pixar wanted you to see. The water, characters, and sea towns are absolutely vibrant and have been begging for this quality since it opened in theaters in 2003.

Computer-generated films have advanced much over the past nine years. But the funny thing with Nemo is that to us, it looks like it could’ve opened this year. The picture quality is that good.

Special features wise, you won’t find much new if you already have Nemo on DVD. The behind-the-scenes featurettes and bonus material are still in standard definition (save for the “Aquariums” that act as screensavers). We did find one small benefit on the front of our box: A free ticket to Monsters, Inc. 3D (in theaters December 19) for Disney Movie Rewards members.

Finding Nemo Ultimate Collector’s Edition includes five discs; a number that has become standard for Disney and Pixar home entertainment releases: Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, Digital Copy, and the special features disc (on Blu-ray). Note that the Blu-ray 3D film requires special 3D glasses, television, and player.

We highly recommend Nemo if you have a Blu-ray player and high definition television. Having not seen the film in a few years, it was a blast to watch and made us excited for that Finding Nemo sequel which is now in the works. It’s a must-have for Pixar fans who crave high-def, but if you don’t need the superior quality then you won’t find much exciting here.

Order Finding Nemo on Blu-ray in the 3-disc or 5-disc format on Amazon. The latter includes the digital and 3D versions.