Throwback Thursday Review: 'Finding Nemo'

This week I will be reviewing Finding Nemo to correlate with the release of Finding Dory this weekend. It was nice to revisit one of the beloved movies from my childhood and the wave of nostalgia that followed, the poster above alone brings back memories as it was one of the Finding Nemo posters I once had hanging up in my room. Next week I will be out of town but I will be preparing my Throwback Thursday Review of Independence Day ahead of time so I can upload it next Thursday. This means my review of Independence Day: Resurgence will be delayed till the following Monday most likely and I plan on seeing Finding Dory and reviewing it before I leave.

'Finding Nemo' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, and Best Original Score.
Won: Best Animated Feature.

Finding Nemo is widely regarded as one of Pixar's best and for those who've been living under a rock for the last thirteen years, Finding Nemo follows the story of an overprotective clown fish, Marlin, scouring the ocean for his son Nemo after Nemo is abducted by a scuba diver. Along the way, Marlin encounters a wide variety of sea life, including an Alcoholics Anonymous-like group of sharks, a viscous Angler fish, dangerous jellyfish, and some chill sea turtles to name a few.

Andrew Stanton directs alongside Lee Unkrich and even lended his talents to the marvelous screenplay with assistance from Bob Peterson and David Reynolds so there's plenty of talent to be found behind the animated feature. The story is intellectual, full of heart, and filled to the brim with memorable quotes we've all used at one point or another. The film also bolsters incredible animation as the animators ensure every nook and cranny is eye-catching with vibrant colors, photorealistic lighting effects, and water that just looks so darn real.

I particularly liked the nice touches of the attention to detail on the fish scales, specs of dust floating about, and the movement of the water alone. The animation is all phenomenal even when given a warm cartoonish aesthetic, which I don't feel is a bad thing as it makes the environment all the more conducive. The score composed by Thomas Newman is just incredible. It manages to elicit feelings of suspense, wonderment, sadness, and even a warm glow of happiness on it's own but when added to the masterful elements at play it just warms the heart and completes the cinematic experience.

On the topic of emotion, one thing Pixar is supreme at is manipulating emotions tastefully and I can vouch that upon rewatching the film I smiled as I recounted my fond memories of the film, I laughed at the funny one-liners, and I cried several times as I now had a more mature viewpoint at some of the deeper emotional aspects in the film.

The film's cast doesn't slouch either with some spectacular recognizable voice talent. Albert Brooks voices the cautious clownfish Marlin and Brooks really delivers on the emotional heartfelt moments. Ellen DeGeneres provides the voicing for the forgetful royal blue tang Dory and has proved to be an audience favorite thanks to her charming personable mannerisms. Brooks and Degeneres share some great chemistry in their ocean-wide road trip as Dory lets loose and Marlin tries to reign control of their situations and that contrasting dynamic is intriguing enough on it's own without the additional pressures of dangers they encounter along the way.

Alexander Gould brings an adventurous spirit to a sheltered clownfish with an impish fin, Nemo, and the conflict between Nemo's willingness to plunge into perilous situations and Marlin's reluctance to even near such hazards makes for an interesting father son dynamic that tugs at the heart strings a few times. Another vital presence is Willem Dafoe's Gill, and just based on character design you can tell that Gill's been through a lot thanks to a rugged appearance and damaged fin, which allows him to sympathize with Nemo and a mentor-apprentice bond is instantly formed between the two. Dafoe brings out such emotion as Gill's concern for young Nemo is clear and understandable due to the risks should Nemo not escape the fishtank.

There are also a host of marine life, birds, and tank fish encountered by the protagonists that bring comedic relief thanks to their unique personalities. The beginning of the film introduces Nemo's three whacky classmates: Sheldon the H2O intolerant Seahorse, Tad the obnoxious Longnose Butterflyfish, Pearl the pretentious Flapjack Octopus, and Mr. Ray the dweebish Stingray teacher articulated by Erik Per Sullivan, Jordan Ranft  Erica Beck, and Bob Peterson. Once the journey is undergone Marlin and Dory encounter Bruce the sentimental Great White Shark, Chum the excitable Mako Shark, Anchor the impatient Hammerhead, a school of mischievous moon fish, Crush the easy going sea turtle, his righteous son Squirt, Nigel the realistic Pelican, and some shrill seagulls whose voices are expressed by Barry Humphries, Bruce Spence, Eric Bana, John Ratzenberger, director Andrew Stanton, Nicholas Bird, Geoffrey Rush, and Andrew Stanton once again.

In the fish tank Nemo is plunked into he encounters Bloat the high-strung Pufferfish, Gurgle the pessimistic germaphobe Royal Gramma, Peach the kind Starfish, Bubbles the easily amused Yellow Tang, Deb & Flo (her reflection) the luny Black & White Humbug, and Jacques the French Banded Cleaner Shrimp voiced by Brad Garrett, Austin Pendleton, Allison Janney, Stephen Root, Vicki Lewis, and Joe Ranft respectively. I apologize for the long listing but all these characters share the trait of being brief amusing supporting roles that service the story and show just how vast the ocean truly is and all the different personalities that can be found.

Elsewhere on land, the dentist P. Sherman that abducts Nemo is brought to us by Bill Hunter and his psychotic niece Darla is vocalized by Lu Lu Ebeling. The massive ensemble brings together some of the best vocal talent available and from all I've discussed it's clear Finding Nemo had plenty of talent in all departments.

So if I were asked if Finding Nemo was my favorite Pixar film? My response would be that I'm unsure, but am confident it ranks somewhere among the top five if I were asked to narrow it down, which is extremely difficult considering the outstanding content the animation studio puts out. Finding Nemo could have easily become a soulless visual effects reel if it weren't for it's personal story but the film's focus on narrative makes it one of Pixar's best and some phenomenal family entertainment. Finding Nemo isn't just one of the greatest animated films ever made, I'd dare place it on a list of the best films made post-2000 thanks to the culmination of a remarkable screenplay, breathtaking animation, magnificent score, and formidable voice cast.

Film Assessment: A+