Whoever said that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” were probably trying to flog knock-off designer bags and perfumes from the back of their van.

Of course the world of cinema is full of ‘homages’, which somehow makes it legit, but there’s something downright fishy about this Australian animation set in the sea.

Very much living on his own in the ocean and keeping to himself is Mr Fish (Nick Offerman). His home is a bit of a wreck - literally, which is why young Pip (Nina Oyama) mistook his belongings as trash. She’s after some new furniture to brighten up her small home, for when her parents return.

Mr Fish falls for her sob story and tries to help her out, but it all ends in a disaster – for both of them – ruining both their homes.

He thinks he may have a solution, a long shot, where there is an almost mythical fish, by the name of Shimmer (Jordin Sparks), which grants wishes if you find her.

With no other choices, they decide to try and discover her location, but also trying to do the same is cuttlefish Benji (Remy Hii), who has a big problem of his own that needs fixing. But who will find her first?

Although this film is based on Deborah Diesen’s children book franchise of the same name, with the first published in 2008, the only possible reason this film wasn’t called Finding Shimmer has to be for legal reasons.

Being kind, it is indeed a ‘homage’ in every sense to Pixar’s 2003 Finding Nemo, and due to budget differences, a far more inferior version at that; Pixar’s film coast $94 million to make (that went on to make 10 times that at the box office), whereas this effort was knocked up for less than $10 million. And you really do get what you pay for.

The animation is simplistic, with it looking like it could be set in space, such is the lack of any watery effects, with the fish characters floating in almost an eerie vacuum locale. To be less kind, if we were told it was produced solely by affordable AI, we wouldn’t be surprised. At all. Everything about it screams low quality.

And then you have the familiar premise, with everyone in search of another fish. Although Diesen wrote over twenty books – all published after Finding Nemo’s release – a-hum, just sayin’ – this is a cut and paste of that classic, that really couldn’t be more generic if it tried.

The vocal talent is also extremely limited, with Offerman being the only ‘name’ amongst a cast of enthusiast Aussie actors.

That said, it has a few chuckle-worthy sight gags – the best featuring a blowfish, that may entertain a young audience with a limited attention span with its bright colours, but you would be better off just putting the Pixar films on again, even if it’s for the hundredth time, because they blow this particular imitator well and truly out of the water.