FINDING NEMO
US, 2003, 104 minutes, Colour.
Voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen De Generes, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Alison Janney, Austin Pendleton, Stephen Root, Vicki Lewis, Joe Ranft, Geoffrey Rush, Andrew Stanton, Elizabeth Perkins, Barry Humphries, Eric Bana, Bruce Spence, Bill Hunter.
Directed by Andrew Stanton.
Pixar Studios have become one of the brightest of animation film-makers. They have had critical acclaim as well as huge box-office popularity with Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. Finding Nemo continues this tradition, a hugely enjoyable film both for children and for adults.
Firstly, the animation is outstanding, not only the skill in creating fish characters (not an easy thing to do) and in being able to suggest what life is like under water, both on the brightly coloured Barrier Reef and in the depths of the ocean. With their computer generated images, they are able to create a fantasy world that is not too far from realism.
The story is delightful as well as tugging at the heartstrings (although there is always a humorous line to offset any sentimentality). Marlin, a clown fish - who is not good at telling jokes - loses his family except for one baby, Nemo. He becomes over protective of his son who in a moment of rebellion is caught by divers and finds himself in a fish tank in a dentist's surgery in Sydney. Marlin sets out to find Nemo, encountering a comic fish named Dory, who suffers from short term memory loss and a sense of identity. Together their adventures include a group of sharks who are members of a kind of AA group who have sworn off eating fish, a school of jellyfish, some friendly turtles, a whale until they arrive in Sydney and with the help of the fish in the tank and a genial Pelican named Nigel, Nemo escapes and there is a happy family reunion.
While the creatures are all fascinating, they have a large cast of very talented voices. In all his films, Albert Brooks plays a put-upon, lugubrious character, with many ironic one-liners. He is perfect for Marlin, while Ellen de Generes with her deadpan patter makes a wonderful Dory. Geoffrey Rush is Nigel, Barry Humphries (more a Les Patterson voice), Eric Bana and Bruce Spence are the sharks, Alexander Gould is Nemo and the fish tank is inhabited by Willem Dafoe, Allison Janney and a range of comic talent.
Story and themes of family are very strong and audiences will identify strongly as well as enjoying the look and the sound of the film.
1. The popularity of the film, its worldwide success, appeal, to children, to adults?
2. The distinctive visual style, the Barrier Reef and its bright colours, the ocean, the fish, the Australian eastern current, Sydney Harbour, the world of the fish tank, the dentist's surgery? The underwater photography, realism, stylised?
3. The musical score and its range of moods, the singing of "La Mer" at the end of the film and the use of the Psycho theme for the introduction of the little girl?
4. The screenplay, a sense of realism, sentiment, irony, comedy and slapstick, caricatures? Yet a gentleness in the characters and the themes?
5. The father-son relationship, the father prepared to go to the end of the earth, or the sea, to find his son? The opening tragedy, the death of the mother and the babies, the father becoming over-protective, pestering his son in being careful? His son's reaction? The need to let him go, Nemo and his going out by himself, touching the boat, being captured? Marlin and his wanting to find his son, belief in him? The search, the meeting with Dory, friendship and trust?
6. The situation in the reef, its beauty, the new neighbourhood, the monstrous deaths? Destroying happiness? Nemo as the only baby surviving?
7. Marlin and Albert Brooks's lugubrious persona? His comic timing? The remarks, sad, funny? Care for his son, taking him to school, being over-protective? His grief at his son's disappearance? Meeting Dory, her help, short-term memory, exasperation? Seeing the sharks and their meeting against eating fish? The dangers in the journey, the rusty boat, the bottom of the sea, wanting to get the diver's goggles to read the address? The jellyfish school and the stings? The turtles and their friendship? Inside the whale? Sydney Harbour, the search? Being taken up in Nigel's beak, seeing Nemo, wanting to save him? The dangers of the journey?
8. Dory, Ellen De Generes' comic style, the short-term memory, the identity confusion, mixing up of names? Nice, helpful? The adventures with the sharks, her being able to read the goggles, the whale talk and the repercussions, with the turtles, the jellyfish, Marlin rescuing her? Her determination to find Nemo?
9. Nemo and his age, going to school, the others daring him to go out into the deep, touching the boat, being caught? In the tank, making friends with all the fish in the tank? The threat of being the gift to the young girl (and her horrible picture, the braces on her teeth - to be reinforced by her real presence and her shaking of the bags with the fish in them)? The plan for the escape, the attempt and its failure, the second time, success, playing dead, escaping through the flush, going out into the pipes, Dory and his father finding him?
10. Life on the reef, the range of parents, taking their children to school, the behaviour and talk of the young children fish, their being daring, the teacher and the learning expeditions?
11. Life in the tank, Gill and his being in command, the plan, executing it, being taken out of the fish tank at the end, the dentist restoring him? Peach and her warnings and being on the lookout? Jacques and his obsessive cleanliness? The other fish, their colours, blowing up their size, eager to take part in the plans? Their ingenious devices for dirtying the tank, helping Nemo escape? Their happiness that all was successful?
12. The fishing boats, the school of fish being taken, Dory being caught, the advice that they all should swim downwards, their success, breaking off the bow of the net and escaping?
13. The whale, the whale talk, being inside the whale, getting out?
14. The turtles, their help, comic touches, 150 years old?
15. Nigel and the pelicans, Nigel and his banging into the window, asking for the dental details, hearing the story, helping, the other pelicans, the greedy gulls and everything being "mine, mine, mine", Nigel rescuing Marlin and Dory from the gulls?
16. The dentist, his personality, his patients, Nigel and his requests, Darla and her birthday, touch, the theme from Psycho? The work of the dentist, Darla's screams - and the boy waiting to go in and his fear?
17. Marlin's joke, his telling it badly, his eventually being able to tell it properly?
18. A film of feeling, humour, humanity? The important themes of family and father-son relationships? Trust?
