Cinematically speaking, 2003 was all about one thing for me: the 12-month-long hiatus between The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Fortunately, there were a few films throughout the year that helped keep my mind off the wait. Second-hand Lions, featuring the formidable triple-threat of Haley Joel Osment, Robert Duvall and Michael Caine. From Justin to Kelly, by the sheer virtue of negative comparison. And then there was a little flick by the name of Finding Nemo…
I’m an unabashed Disney enthusiast, though I’ve tended to find the
quality of their recent output largely unpredictable. I can no longer
assume that I will enjoy most of the movies that bear the Disney label.
Disney / Pixar, however, is another matter. This is a glorious
collaboration that unfortunately is coming to an end after a string of
masterpieces. When Toy Story first hit the theaters, computer
animation as it was utilized in the film was a novel concept. By last
year, audiences were fairly used to the medium, but Finding Nemo
presented the most gloriously eye-catching animation yet. As one friend
of mine put it, the film was visually very “pleasing.” All that
ultramarine water through which the movie’s brightly-colored inhabitants
traveled was just the ticket to cool off an audience wilting their way
through a sweltering summer.
Finding Nemo focuses on
two complementary quests: little clownfish Nemo’s (Alexander Gould)
efforts to escape from the aquarium in the office of the dentist who
swiped him from the ocean and his father Marlin’s (Albert Brooks)
journey, aided and hindered by the forgetful blue tang Dory (Ellen
Degeneres), to get his son back. Because Nemo is the lone survivor of a
predatory attack that killed his hundreds of unborn siblings and his
mother, he bears the distinguishing mark of an undersized fin. While
this gives the neurotically protective Marlin another reason to fret
about his son’s fragility, it only serves as an obstacle for Nemo to
overcome.
After his first attempt to prove his courage landed
him in the aquarium, Nemo must rely on his resourcefulness and his new
friends to help get him out again. Among his colorful companions: Gill
(Willem Dafoe), moorish idol with scars recalling his days out in the
ocean; Gurgle (Austin Pendleton), a gramma obsessed with cleanliness;
Peach (Allison Janney), a starfish who serves as tank lookout; Bubbles
(Stephen Root), a yellow tang in love with the aquarium’s bubbles;
Jacques (John Ranft), a shrimp who makes it his business to clean
everything in the tank, including his companions; Bloat (Brad Garrett), a
puffer fish who has a tendency to expand into a sphere when he’s
stressed out; and Deb (Vicki Lewis), a damselfish who believes her
reflection in the aquarium glass is actually a twin sister named Flo.
The tank is a pleasant enough place on the whole, but Nemo misses home.
His desire to leave is lent urgency when the fish discover the dentist,
a man who comes across as decent enough but dim-witted, announces his
intention to present Nemo as a birthday present to his niece, who is
notorious for shaking her previous pets to death. Led by Gill and aided
by Nigel (Geoffrey Rush), a bumbling but magnanimous pelican willing to
help any creature in need, as long as it isn’t a seagull, he plots a
daring escape.
But the main storyline involves the quest of
Marlin and Dory. Together, the wimpy clownfish and ever-bubbly tang
encounter a number of frightening situations. They find themselves in
the company of a group of sharks, led by the charming Bruce (Barry
Humphries), who have difficulty abiding by their encouraging mantra of
“Fish are friends, not food.” They are lured into the clutches of a
grotesque bottom feeder. They must cross a stretch full of jellyfish
after failing to follow the advice of a school of silver fish, whose
leader is voiced by Pixar regular John Ratzenberger. They fall in with a
group of turtles whose easy-going leader, Crush (Andrew Stanton),
teaches Marlin something about letting go. They even make the useful
acquaintance of a whale, thanks to Dory’s hitherto unknown linguistic
talents. Their adventures are perilous, but there is always enough humor
to balance out any overriding sense of danger. Degeneres is the
standout cast member here; she makes Dory an incredibly likable and
memorable character who provides most of the film’s biggest laughs. Her
unlikely partnership with Marlin is very touching.
Finding Nemo
broke box office records and became the most celebrated movie of the
summer. The film lent itself especially well to the big screen, where
its bright palette of colors could be best appreciated. But the story is
just as charming and the animation just as superb on a television
screen. While the adventure and colorful characters enthrall children,
clever dialogue reels in the adults, making it a film to be celebrated
and cherished by people of all ages. It’s just a shame the partnership
is coming to an end…
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