Finding Nemo

In 2003, Pixar released Finding Nemo, which was its first film to be released in the northern hemisphere summer. Starring Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Grad Garrett, and Geoffrey Rush, the film garnered over $900 million. It also received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for Best Screenplay and became the second highest grossing film of 2003.

After losing his mate and all but one of their eggs, Marlin (Brooks) becomes an overprotective father. But on the first day of school, his son, Nemo (Gould) gets taken by a scuba diver. Now, going against all his fears, Marlin goes off to find him alongside a forgetful fish named Dory (DeGeneres).

It’s funny how a lot of Pixar’s early films had such ridiculous concepts, but ended up being fantastic hits. Finding Nemo is a great story that actually has three different plots going on and they all manage to do very well. You have Marlin overcoming his fear to find Nemo, Nemo learning that Marlin wasn’t completely wrong and some (not all) of his fears were justified and Gill trying to escape. They all intertwine greatly to show that some concern is great, but you can’t let your fear ruin your life and you have to take great risks sometimes.

This also gives Marlin great development. He starts off a paranoid neurotic mess and in his encounters, realizes that things aren’t always as they appear. He’s also got great chemistry with Dory, making the whole “I’m with you and I remember” a great part of her arc. Marlin’s exploits also provide a great example of how stories travel and become embellished.

The animation is great as always, especially with the water and the kelp. It shows just how Pixar goes about doing its work, considering how they marine biologists said it looked too real.

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