Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo is a Pixar animation that doesn’t disappoint any of its viewers. Finding Nemo came out May 30, 2003, and since then has become an iconic movie for kids. This animation has an unpredicted type of beauty with its use of color that draws the audience in. This movie primarily takes place under the sea, far away from human life, until the unexpected happens.
Nemo is a small clownfish that was born with an undersized fin. He lives with his dad in an anemone. His dad, Marlin, obsessively worries about his son, since he is all he has left; Nemo’s mother and all of her other eggs were lost to barracudas. On Nemo’s first day of school, Marlin is extremely worried about his son stumbling into unwanted dangers, such as the drop-off to deep water. Unfortunately, Nemo fails to be careful and ends up captive in a saltwater aquarium in a dentist’s office. With Nemo missing, Marlin doesn’t know what to do. He went on a quest to search for his son in the sea. Along the way, he is helped by Dory, a beautiful blue tang with short-term memory loss.

The characters in the movie are voiced by performers with well-known personal quirks; therefore the fish take on human characteristics. Albert Brooks portrays Marlin as an overprotective, neurotic worrier, and Ellen DeGeneres portrays Dory as friendly, bright, and scatterbrained. During the opening scene, some viewers became unsettled to find that the movie is about fish and not people. Pixar usually creates people-based movies such as Toy Story or Monsters Inc. Although quickly the audience learns to care about the fish since they have such a human-like personality. Olivia Bozarth says, “Dory was my favorite character because I could relate to her.” Although the movie is a so-called ‘kids’ movie, it also provides entertainment for all age groups. The movie continues to follow Marlin on his search for Nemo. The characters he meets along the way help to shape him and help him through his journey to overcome his long, unhealed trauma. Along the way, he is faced with obstacles such as running into a group of sharks that invite Nemo and Dory back to their home. Scott Baroneoffer says, “When I rewatched it as a teenager the jokes the sharks made a lot more sense.” The movie has hidden humor for the adults to catch onto which makes it pleasurable for all ages.

At the end of the movie, both Marlin and Nemo are reunited. As the movie ends, the audience is now able to reflect on the movie. The movie included personable characters. Viewer Scott Baroneoffer says that his favorite character was Nemo because “He’s like how I was as a kid”. It also includes humor and wit. There are also several lessons to be learned from Finding Nemo, such as the power of friendship, becoming independent, and the consequences of peer pressure. The movie also teaches children about the importance of not giving up. Marlin had many moments of weakness throughout the film where he felt like backing down. Dory was the one who gave him her optimism and joy when Marlin had none, encouraging him to “just keep swimming.”
Overall the movie was an unexpected delight for its viewers. Following the journey of a brave fish to find his son was surprisingly interesting and entertaining. The lessons that the movie taught are unforgettable and relatable. The beautiful scenery of the movie made it dreamlike for the viewers. With the canvas of fish and aquatic life, it felt like staring into an aquarium. The movie makes it so effortless to find yourself caring about sea animals on such a deep level. The characters are relatable and humorous, for children and adults alike. In the end, every fish had a separate journey to find its true selves, just like us humans are on our journeys.

Sources:

https://www.thenationalstudent.com/Film/2018-05-30/15_years_on_8_lessons_we_learnt_from_finding_nemo.html
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/plotsummary
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/fullcredits/cast