The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015. Remaining movies: 265 Days to go: 260
Movie #112: Finding Nemo
The hardest thing to animate, I think, would be water, and yet Finding Nemo, taking place in the ocean as it does, is full of animated water, and it is exquisite. The first time I saw the film in theaters, I was so distracted by a floating piece of jetsam behind Marlin’s (Albert Brooks) head, I jumped straight out of my chair when it cut to a close-up of Bruce (Barry Humphries). But aside from just that one moment, the entire movie is a gorgeous display of undulating, glimmering, gravity-defying water animation — both above and below the surface. The water has real life and authenticity to it, in all its varying textures and motions. That aspect of the film alone is hypnotic and awe-inspiring.
Finding Nemo was the fifth feature film release from Pixar, and another example of Pixar’s stellar quality of storytelling and filmmaking. Their movies are touching and heartfelt and beautifully rendered, with characters that, be they toys or bugs or monsters or fish, are three-dimensional and intriguing and effective. They are characters to care about and relate to. They are excellent and important films, and I love almost all of them.
To be truly effective as a “children’s” movie, it’s crucial to also appeal to parents, and Finding Nemo is definitely that. Kids love the suspense and the drama and the humor, but adults also love the cleverness and the story of a father who will go to the ends of the earth for his son. He’s overprotective, but through the eyes of a parent who has lost so much and who wants more than anything for his son to be alright, and though it is heartbreaking at times, his overprotectiveness of Nemo (Alexander Gould) is also understandable.
Beyond the story of a parent’s love, however, Finding Nemo is a story on multiple levels of the strength and power of friendships. When Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) and Marlin meet up, she’s clearly the kind of personality that is friendly, outgoing and helpful despite perhaps not being all there. And though she irritates Marlin (an irritable guy in general), others are drawn to her and drawn to helping her — the sharks, the school of impressionist fish, the sea turtles, the whale. She’s just likable, but she’s also fiercely loyal and loving. Her bond to Marlin is strong, and though she has absolutely no personal interest in Nemo’s fate, she accompanies Marlin on his quest to find him. There isn’t a spirit more generous than Dory’s.
By the same token, though, the aquarium fish are also deeply committed and loyal to Nemo. They take him under their wings, protect him, teach him strength and help him grow. They’re the friends you meet when you leave the nest, the ones who build you up and encourage your independence. Gill (Willem Dafoe) is a mentor and a role model, both for his wisdom and his own conquered disability. Peach (Allison Janney) and Bloat (Brad Garrett) are protectors and co-conspirators. But in the end, it’s Nemo’s own ingenuity, built from the friendships of his aquarium-mates, that saves him and reunites him with the ocean. And that same ingenuity, strength and verve then save Dory from a fishing net.
Finding Nemo is about relationships, but also about growth. In their separate journeys, Marlin and Nemo both grow tremendously — Marlin into a more trusting and settled parent, and Nemo into a stronger and more confident individual. In ways that something like the Toy Story trilogy takes three movies to develop, Finding Nemo successfully matures its characters in a single film (Finding Dory doesn’t come out until 2016, so we’ve yet to determine what journeys our characters will face).
It’s also, easily, one of the most delightful and engaging films ever made — animated or not. It’s light and clever and touching and a whole lot of fun. Kids and parents alike are entertained by it and fall in love with it and share it over and over and over again with each other. My little girl loved the drama, as she does, getting all caught up and exclaiming “Oh no!” every time something suspenseful happened (particularly with the anglerfish). My son loves Bruce (“Fish are friends, not food.”), and still owns his Bruce plush he got at Disney World seven years ago. The oldest girl loves Dory, as everyone should. And my husband likes when all the aquarium fish escape in their individual bags, reach the ocean and say, “Now what?” Personally, my favorite part is when the lobsters speak in Boston accents, but to each his own, y’know?
Viable Option 