Monday 5 March 2012

Finding Nemo (2003)

Rating: 9.2/10 

"'Marlin: I can't read human.' -'Dory: Then we need to find a fish that can read this. Hey, look! Sharks!'"

'Finding Nemo' is one of Pixar's masterpieces. And I will tell you just why. It is Disney with balls, and much more heart and brains. This is not a story JUST for children but for adults as well.

The story is about a father and a so; "A clown fish named Marlin living in the Great Barrier Reef loses his son, Nemo, after he ventures into the open sea, despite his father's constant warnings about many of the ocean's dangers. Nemo is abducted by a boat and netted up and sent to a dentist's office in Sydney. So, while Marlin ventures off to try to retrieve Nemo, Marlin meets a fish named Dory, a blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss. The companions travel a great distance, encountering various dangerous sea creatures such as sharks, anglerfish and jellyfish, in order to rescue Nemo from the dentist's office, which is situated by Sydney Harbor. While the two are doing this, Nemo and the other sea animals in the dentist's fish tank plot a way to return to Sydney Harbor to live their lives free again." (www.imdb.com)

The actors who lend their voices to the animated characters are both brilliant and spot-on the comedy tricks. Some of these actors is Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Allison Janney, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett and the new talent in the block who so brilliantly voiced the character of little Nemo, Alexander Gould.

This film is so heartwarming, moving and at the same hilariously funny that any viewer (and I bet my credibility as a film junkie) will not be taken by the story and the characters. Two times Academy Award Winner Director Andrew Stanton ('Wall-E'), in collaboration with Lee Unkrich, did a remarkably superb job not only in terms of how to make the narration both speedy, comedic enough and also dramatic but was very attentive to the way he chose to create the world down under, something which was not tried ever since 'The Little Mermaid' popped through our screens back in 1989. A great achievement for a director to make both children and grown-ups around the globe to embrace and relate to the story of Nemo and his dad, and also a very witty way to get moral messages across on when parents should let their little ones on their own.

This for me was not only one of Pixar's greatest achievements but also a ground-breaking films to show the world how animation can be just as an equal contender as a dramatic film in terms of getting a film done and bringing people in the theatres to enjoy this film.

Albeit having a limited expertise on animation, it is my personal belief that this film will be a classic and it will hit the cinema history books to come as it offers a blend of various elements that constitute good filmmaking; not only it surpasses the challenged of creating a truly enjoyable plot but also the graphics and the music, which was composed by world-known music composer Thomas Newman, accordingly make for a wondrous spectacle for any viewer that generously sits down to watch it. It does not play on children's gimmick jokes just to make it comprehensible for them, but instead has a very serious adult-tone to it, thus making it more approachable for a wider audience to watch, unlike quite a few animated films that tone-down their level to be appreciated by the younger crowds.

For those who appreciate fell-good animated films, this will not only surprise you by its wit and charisma but also move and engage you to a level you will not be expecting. A film I strongly suggest by any film-goer to screen, this is 'Finding Nemo'.




Finding Nemo (2003)

5 comments:

  1. Yes, definitely one of Pixar's best. And did you catch that the shark being named Bruce is a subtle nod to Jaws? Great review!

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  2. I love "Finding Nemo" and Ellen Degeneres was super awesome!!! (She was a "natural blue"! hahaha)

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  3. @Alex Jowski: Awww thank you! Hahaha yes totally agree! One of Pixar's best this one. And spot on on the Bruce name. Hahah I thought it was so funny!!! =D

    @Prasinada: Exactly why I love it so much. DeGeneres is soooooo hilarious in this film. Hahahah 'natural blue'. She can speak whale too!! =D

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  4. 9.2 καλά έβαλες! Βάζει γυαλιά σε αρκετές ταινίες, και μας έχουν λέιψει τέτοιου είδους..

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  5. @Daydreamer: Seriously you gotta watch 'UP' as well. It's excellent as well, despite the fact that is an equal contender of 'Finding Nemo'. I'll lend it to you sometime. I'm sure you'll love it. ;-)

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