Finding Nemo (2003)

I remember thinking a few days ago about the idea of films depicting the human condition. Someone, I think it was Capra, but I'm more than likely dead wrong, said that the only kind of movie that he wants to see is one about humanity. And it's true, if a film really shows humanity in its essence; the trials, the joys, the experiences, then it will truly be great. Funny that one of the best examples is a film about fish.

The guys at Pixar are creators in the true cinematic sense. They know how to tell a story and express their emotion in an artform that most people deem strictly for kids. In fact, Nemo contains plenty of stuff that seems to me to be well beyond children. For example; "WE ARE SWIMMING AROUND IN OUR OWN..." "Shhh, he's coming" Not to mention the idea of a shark support group and the numerous Hitchcock references.

I know that Pixar puts story above everything else when they set out to make a film, and how it shows. Of course, a story is nothing without characters, and their films are always chock full of them. Here, we've got Marlin, tortured by the loss of his wife and most of his children-to-be, he overcompensates by sheltering his surviving child, Nemo. Once Nemo gets taken, he forsakes everything else in his quest to find him. Nemo, who naturally seeks to rebel from Marlin's overbearing presence eventually learns that his father's actions are really for his own good. In the end, due to his efforts, he gains a deep respect for his father. It seems to saccharine when laid out on paper, but in the context of the film, it unfolds beautifully.

I remember somebody telling me that the film meant a lot to them because they were a parent and they could relate to that feeling whenever their child had gotten lost somewhere, in a store for example. It actually makes you think about your own life and your own role as a child, and maybe, as a parent too. This is really the essence of the film, that, even though we're watching fish, they're so human that we can relate to their struggles, their triumphs, their emotions. I admit, I still get teary-eyed towards the end when Dory says to Marlin, "I look at you, and I... and I'm home. Please... I don't want that to go away."

It is, of course, an entertaining film, and it never falters there either. In fact, it's one of the rare films that I can watch without paying attention to the timecode on my DVD player's display. Because of the nature of digital animation, they can really hone nearly every aspect of the picture at any point. This is the reason all of Pixar's films are so tight and engaging.

The film, of course, looks great. After watching the BBC series, The Blue Planet, it's obvious that Pixar did their research and it pays off. It's one of those hallmarks of a truly great film, it creates its own world. The ocean is a dangerous place, fo' real.

There are a few beautiful moments when Nemo uses dissolves and music to link Marlin's quest to Nemo's imprisonment, to segue from one scene to another. Not only is this an obvious cinematic device, it lets the emotion of the two scenes to become combined. Almost every scene melts into the next, creating a flowing stream of pure emotions. This, my friends, is pure cinema.