Hey folks, Harry here... only seven days till I see FINDING NEMO!!! EEEEEeek, must see... now... ARGH! Pixar Movie coming soon! This review caused me to drool... I need sleep. Beware of spoilers! Here ya go....
Hi Harry, Blabbermouse back again, this time from a screening of ‘Finding Nemo,’ the latest Disney/Pixar release.
Back when ‘Titan AE’ flopped, I read an article quoting a Fox animation executive blaming it on audiences’ supposed disinterest in conventional 2D animation. (Never mind the 3D effects and backgrounds in 'Titan' and just about every 2D animated feature these days.) These guys never get it: It’s the story and the characters. I’ll say it again, only louder: IT’S THE STORY AND THE CHARACTERS, and how they interact in a way that seems natural and organic; the characters’ choices affect the story’s flow, and the events that take place change them in turn. If there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s movies where things happen not for any particular reason, but because they need some way to get from point A to B, and the hell with character motivation, consistency or just plain old cause and effect.
The Pixar films have never fallen into this trap, and they’ve never tried to coast on their gee-whiz, eyeball-dazzling CGI animation, this current effort included. They’ve again chosen an environment – an undersea world and its inhabitants – that plays to the strengths of the Pixar look while minimizing the presence of human characters. What they’ve also done again is create a story where (save one detail at the end) every plot point seems to occur naturally and grow out of who the characters are and what came before; it’s the secret ingredient that makes Pixar’s films more than just superb children’s (or even ‘family’) movies.
I wish every movie did this: make sure the story and characters (remember them?) are 100% nailed down before frame one is shot. I won’t try to synopsize the movie, except to say while it’s supposedly about clownfish Marlin’s oceanwide search for his captured son Nemo, it’s really about Marlin overcoming the fear and overprotectiveness that has inhibited both his and Nemo’s lives. The film begins with a sequence explaining the cause of Marlin’s fear of all the terrible things that might happen, and it’s exactly this fear that’s the catalyst for the events to come.
The choice of Albert Brooks is inspired, given his career-long specializing in neurotic characters; you can believe the anxiety you hear in his voice, as well as his growing sense of empowerment and determination as he gradually realizes he’s equal to the challenges facing him. His odd-couple partner is a straight out of ‘Memento,’ memory-impaired blue tang fish named Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. As with Brooks, the actor’s personality is a perfect match for the character’s personality: flibberty-gibbetty, cheerful and more than a little empty-headed.
‘Finding Nemo’ differs from the usual animated feature storyline with the absence of an outright villain: there’s no Gaston, Hopper or Lord Farquaad scheming to do the heroes in. Instead, the ‘bad guys’ are characters who either don’t know any better or can’t control their instincts. Along the same lines, it’s interesting that all the supporting characters go out of their way to help and cheer on Marlin and Dory in their quest. This sense of community (‘it takes a village,’ anyone? I can’t wait for the anti-‘politically correct’ crowd to start beating up ‘Nemo’ over this) gives the film an emotional resonance that seems to be lacking in our increasingly ‘I’ve got mine, you’re a loser’ society. (If anything, the film goes this route once too often, with a ‘let’s all work together’ climax that seems a bit of an afterthought.) Continuing in its ‘p.c.’ ways, the film firmly endorses an inclusive policy towards the physically challenged: instead of being ostracized for an underdeveloped fin, Nemo is instantly accepted by a trio of peers who all but proudly show off their own imperfections.
Some images and details that stick in the mind: an ocean community that feels like an underwater version of Bambi’s forest…a winky nod to Spielberg with a shark named Bruce (as ‘Jaws’ mechanical shark was called during production)…a predator/prey chase through a sunken submarine that brings both ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Alien’ to mind…two Hitchcock references within a minute of each other…a Buzz Lightyear doll on the floor of a dentist’s office…and a cameo from ‘Monster Inc.’s Mike Wazowski, swimming behind the closing credits. (Thank God they’ve retired the ‘outtakes’ shtick this time around; that gag was getting more than a little old.) There’s also one shot that just floored me with its beauty and subtlety: the camera is angled down on a defeated Marlin and Dory, their heads out of water looking up at the pelican who’s just given them bad news flying away. We don’t see the pelican flying off though – just distorted slivers of his reflection reflected in the waves around them, fragments that gradually vanish.
A few years ago a planned ‘Incredible Mr. Limpet’ sequel starring Jim Carrey crashed and burned due to the usual ‘creative differences.’ I forget where I read it (right here in AICN?) but supposedly the real reason was the ghastliness of some test animation that tried to map Carrey’s facial contortions onto a CGI fish. In contrast, the facial articulation on ‘Nemo’s characters is (as usual for Pixar) astounding, with smile dimples and furrowed brows conveying real emotion and personality.
The bottom line: a film that will have kids, their folks and anyone who appreciates a good story about intriguing characters lined up for repeat viewings; and another (deserved) zillion-dollar hit for Pixar, with second-hand credit to Disney for teaming up with Lassiter & co. Now if only the Mouse House could come up with a hit like this themselves. (Me, I thought ‘Treasure Planet’ was gonna be that film, but what do I know?)
BLABBERMOUSE
