Tuesdays with Tom: 20 Years of Finding Nemo
Diving into the aquatic Pixar classic; plus thoughts on Blink-182, 100 Foot Wave and remote working
Many years ago, I read a terrifying stat that only ten percent of the oceans on Earth have been explored by humans. Even though roughly 71% of this planet is made up of water, and 97% of that water is in the oceans, we know very little about what exists in oceans. This mystery has compelled human beings to create many tales and stories out of oceanic creatures that may or may not be real. Between Moby Dick and Sphere, we often think of the ocean as a horrifying place filled with danger. However, there is a very notable ocean-based film that captured our hearts while creating a much brighter world within the ocean. On May 30, 2003, a film called Finding Nemo was released in theaters and for 20 years, it has enraptured millions around the world with its heartwarming story about sea creatures.
When Pixar Studios released Toy Story in 1995, they had no idea that it would become an instant cultural phenomenon or a smashing box office success story. With its stunning computer animation effects and inspired casting, Toy Story revolutionized what was possible in animated filmmaking and announced Pixar as a leading voice in family-friendly entertainment. Proving that Toy Story wasn’t just beginner’s luck would be a taller order than expected for Pixar. Their next film, A Bug’s Life, premiered in 1998. Although A Bug’s Life was also a well-reviewed, box office hit, it failed to capture the cultural epicenter in the ways Toy Story had. It didn’t help that it came out shortly after their main competitor, DreamWorks, released Antz in theaters. The two ant-themed animated kids movies overlapped in so many ways that it hurt both of them in the moment. Pixar continued on with the 1999 release of Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. in 2001, but they both lived in the long shadow of their original hit.
Andrew Stanton was involved in nearly all of those Pixar films, but he took center stage with the production of Finding Nemo for the first time at Pixar. As a kid, Stanton loved going to the dentist to see the fish tank and often wondered if the fish were from the ocean. As an adult, Stanton became a father and was inspired by a shark tank during a visit to a theme park with his young family. He felt that the world of the ocean could be beautifully rendered in computer animation. He also began noticing that he was overprotecting his son in certain situations and needed to learn to be more hands off. The final dose of imagination was sparked by a photo in National Geographic with two clownfish peeking their heads out of an anemone. In describing the photo, Stanton said he “couldn't take my eyes off them” and he crafted a story about a father and son relationship built around clownfish.
Stanton wrote the entire screenplay before production began on Finding Nemo, which is “very unusual for an animated film” according to Stanton’s eventual co-director, Lee Unkrich. The artists at Pixar immersed themselves in the studies of oceanography and fish biology to make the effects as believable as possible. Many of them took scuba diving courses to observe the coral reef that the film is largely based on. Like they had with Toy Story, the steadfast commitment to re-inventing animation was very apparent with Finding Nemo. With that already underway, Pixar shifted its attention to finding another stellar vocal cast.
Originally, William H. Macy was tapped to play Marlin, the overprotective clownfish father and protagonist of the movie. Macy recorded most of the dialogue for Marlin before Stanton decided to change course. He said the character needed “a lighter touch” and Albert Brooks was brought in to replace Macy. Brooks’s comedic chops and acting intensity made him an eclectic fit for the neurotic and amusingly unfunny Marlin character, but Stanton insisted that the switch “saved” the film. Ellen DeGeneres was hired for the role of Dory, the forgetful regal blue tang fish, after Stanton watched her “change the subject five times before finishing one sentence” during an episode of her daytime talk show. The rest of the cast was rounded out with some heavy hitters like Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Stephen Root, Geoffrey Rush and Eric Bana. Barry Humphires, a longtime Australian voice actor, played the great white shark, Bruce. Stanton ended up playing one of the film’s most beloved characters in Crush, the sea turtle. It appeared that Pixar once again assembled a note-perfect cast to tell their next story.
Finding Nemo unofficially begins Pixar’s now-established trend of starting their movies with traumatic aplomb. I can’t think of another children’s film that begins with mass murder, but it is undeniably effective in creating the stakes and defining the main characters of Finding Nemo. The ocean is a ruthless place and Marlin finds himself the victim of an unimaginable tragedy. His wife, Coral, dies trying to protect hundreds of their eggs from a barracuda attack and only one, damaged egg is left uneaten. Marlin tearfully vows to keep the surviving child safe and names him after the last name his wife suggested. From there, the story jumps forward to Marlin and Nemo, now a young fish with a deformed fin, living their lives in an anemone and a safe community.
Marlin is the epitome of a helicopter parent. He obsesses over safety and doesn’t believe Nemo is capable of doing anything by himself. He has no time for jokes, which is ironic since he’s a clownfish and everyone he meets assumes he’s hilarious. The running gag about his botched joke is one of my favorite parts of the film as an adult. Marlin is a very bad listener. Nemo asks him if he’s ever met a shark or a sea turtle and he might as well be speaking another language. He’ll eventually learn to listen to others, but not in a way he’s expecting.
The opening sequence with Marlin and Nemo’s backstory and Nemo’s classroom does a tremendous job showcasing the world of Finding Nemo. Mr. Ray is a hoot and the visuals are gorgeous. There’s also constant danger present for these fish. When I ranked the top 10 Pixar films a few years ago, I said this was the most quotable Pixar movie. I stand by that comment. The infamous “touch the butt” scene with Nemo’s pals sends both Marlin and Nemo on their legendary quests. Nemo is captured by an Australian dentist named Philip Sherman and Marlin is forced to embark into the ocean to find his son. Neither will be alone though. Marlin meets Dory, who has short term memory loss and probably ADHD for fish, and they are instantly picked up by Bruce, a great white shark. This is one of the film’s highlights: the Fish Eaters Anonymous meeting with Bruce, Anchor and Chum. “Fish are friends, not food.” I too was relieved when Dory announced she had never eaten a fish. I’m not sure how realistic it is for a shark to not eat fish, but it sure is funny.
Meanwhile, Nemo is dropped into the dentist’s fish tank and meets a friendly group of captive fish. Bloat, Bubbles, Gurgle, Deb, Peach and Jacques are a little crazy after living in a tank for their whole lives. They’re a quirky bunch. The only exception is Gill, played by Willem Dafoe, who like Nemo comes from the ocean and longs to return. They’re occasionally visited by Nigel, a pelican who loves watching root canals from the window side. In the film’s only homage to the fraternity lifestyle, Nemo is initiated into the club and given a nonsensical nickname, Sharkbait. It doesn’t take long for Gill to rope Nemo into his scheme to escape from the tank. But the first attempt goes poorly for Nemo and they temporarily abandon the plans. But danger looms as the dentist plans to give Nemo to his niece, Darla, as a gift. Darla has a habit of shaking fish to a watery grave. Nemo is on the clock to figure something out.
What struck me upon watching this again is the juxtaposition of Nemo and Marlin. In the fish tank, Nemo is forced into independence. If he wants to survive, he needs to push himself beyond his father’s enforced limits. He does it all in the extremely confined space of the fish tank. On the other hand, Marlin is out in the wild and risking his life every second of the way. He essentially adopts a surrogate kid in the delightfully daffy Dory and immediately starts parenting her with his blinders on. Like Nemo, Marlin doesn’t believe she is capable of doing much. However, it’s Dory who often saves his clownfish tail. She can read the address on the dentist’s scuba mask that reveals Nemo is in Sydney. Dory also shows Marlin how to have fun and comes baked in with surprisingly wise mantras. There’s a deeper meaning to her “just keep swimming” approach.
Along the way to Sydney, Marlin and Dory encounter a spooky light-bulb fish, a goofy school of fish, a patch of jellyfish and, most memorably, a sea turtle family on the East Australian Current. It’s a hilarious choice to make Crush and the other sea turtles seem like surfing stoners. But they’re not just there for jokes. Marlin watches as Crush lets his son fall outside of the current without assistance and gives him a high fin when he safely returns on his own. After all, sea turtles are on their own from the moment they’re born. Pixar could probably make a spinoff film about Crush and his friends and it would be thoroughly entertaining.
Gossip around Marlin and Dory’s adventure to save Nemo spreads across the entire ocean and eventually to the ears of Nigel, who can connect the final dots between them and Nemo. Once Nemo learns that his dad is on the way, he’s got the inspiration he needs to finish Gill’s escape plans. It’s a close call, but a “playing dead” Nemo is flushed out into the sea. Marlin and Dory get swallowed by a whale. Dory is convinced she speaks whale and that he’s taking them on a long, disgusting Uber ride to Sydney. Marlin thinks they are dinner. It’s the final lesson Marlin learns about trusting others. He needs to let go. He finally does and Dory ends up being correct.
There’s a near miss on the family reunion that involves Nigel and the idiotic seagulls in Sydney. Eventually, Nemo is found. But not before one more encounter with death. Dory is captured by fisherman and another school of fish. This time, it’s Nemo who engineers an escape plan by inadvertently using Dory’s life philosophy. “Just keep swimming.” It’s a nice wrap-up on this incredible journey. Marlin finally trusts Nemo to be on his own and Dory as a reliable friend. And after avoiding death in a litany of ways, Marlin is no longer terrified of ocean life. His wife would be proud of both of them. He even finishes his dad joke with some confidence.
If Toy Story remains Pixar’s magnum opus, Finding Nemo is the movie that solidified that it was more than a one trick pony. At the time of its release, it was the highest grossing animated film in history and it became the first Pixar film to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. It is still the highest selling DVD film of all-time and I don’t think any new film is breaking that record. It cemented Pixar’s status as an innovator in Hollywood storytelling and that they could invent dazzling spectacles out of any environment. It further proved that they could weave in universal human themes that delight viewers and tug at their heartstrings. With a memorable cast of characters, a beloved world and lots of laughs, Finding Nemo stands the test of time as an animated film classic.
Finding Nemo is a story about the complexities of parenthood and growing up. Every parent wants to protect their children from harm, but shielding them from everything is impossible. In turn, children need to learn that their parents can’t do it all for them. It’s an ongoing process for both parties. Finding Nemo is also a story about building trust after personal tragedies. By insulating their family from the world entirely, Marlin robbed himself and Nemo of creating new relationships and emotional growth. We might not always need our parents right beside us, but we can’t do much alone. As cliche as it is, Finding Nemo is about the journey, the destination and the friends made along the way. The ocean may remain a massive unknown, but I choose to think it's like Finding Nemo more often than not.
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Tom’s Thoughts of the Week
In the last two episodes of Friday Night Beers, Vince and I drank beers called Bell’s Oberon and Singha. For those who went to our live show last year, you know we reviewed Oberon there but we decided to do it again in our regular format. Singha, the signature beer of Thailand, is a fascinating episode if you are curious to learn about what beer is like there. Please subscribe, rate and review our podcast here and follow our Instagram page for relevant updates!
Here’s another shameless plug for the podcast. We are hosting our second ever live event next month in Chicago! On Friday, June 9th, we will perform our podcast at Fatpour Tap Works - McCormick in the South Loop neighborhood of the city. Details for the event are posted online and it is free for 21+ audience members to attend. It is first come, first serve with seating, but if you are in town and looking for a funny start to your summer, please join us.
Blink-182 is one of my all-time favorite bands and I had the pleasure of seeing them again in Chicago a few weekends ago. There are few bands who make me more sentimental for my childhood than Blink-182 and I was instantly transported to those days when they took the stage at the United Center. If I’m being candid, I wasn’t expecting their best performance given their age and Mark Hoppus’s recent battle with cancer. I’m thrilled to say that they not only played exceptionally well, but also delivered one of the most satisfying concert experiences of my life. It definitely helped that I went with my core friends who grew up loving the band together and we all share a deep personal connection with the band. All of those factors bled into an unforgettable night. Well done boys!
Continuing streaming’s slow march towards profitability and consolidation, Bob Iger announced that Disney+ and Hulu will merge into one app by the end of 2023. The details on this long-rumored decision are not fully known, but it signals that Disney is keen on keeping Hulu within the company. There was industry chatter about Comcast potentially buying Hulu back from Disney. Comcast currently owns a 33 percent stake in Hulu and Disney has been negotiating the final buyout terms before the January 2024 deadline (full disclosure: I work for Comcast). Personally, I never believed Disney was serious about offloading Hulu. However, it is clear that Disney doesn’t value the Hulu brand name as highly as others do. While Disney+ initially was branded as the hub of family-friendly Disney content, advertising is a much bigger priority today than it was four years ago on Disney+. It makes sense to put as much high value content as possible into one place so that advertisers can monetize across audiences of all ages (namely, adults). Hulu may continue to exist as a hub icon within Disney+, but it seems like it will no longer be available as a standalone app in the near future.
As a lifelong Midwestern man, I’ve never had the opportunity to surf. But I have learned something about myself when it comes to surfing. I am mesmerized by surfing documentaries. Momentum Generation was a fantastic documentary film and when I watched the series 100 Foot Wave last year on HBO, I couldn’t look away from the screen. I had no idea that 100 Foot Wave was returning for a second season and I was delighted when it popped up on my HBO Max watch list. As a quick refresher, 100 Foot Wave chronicles the lives of big wave surfers. It’s headlined by Garrett McNamara, the unofficial godfather of this surfing style, and his quest to surf the largest waves on the planet. He was successful in his quest and currently owns the world record for surfing a 100-foot wave (hence the title) in Nazaré, Portugal. In short, 100 Foot Wave follows McNamara, his family and the big wave surfing zealots who gradually join him in Portugal and other swell-happy surfing locations around the world. The second season picks up in the middle of 2020 and if you think that COVID-19 stops these people from chasing gigantic waves around the globe, think again. The amount of jaw-dropping footage that’s captured on 100 Foot Wave is astonishing. These surfers are drawn to these highly dangerous waters like a moth to a flame and nothing prevents them from trying to catch the waves. It’s an inspiring show about chasing your dreams, the power of self-belief and, frankly, watching people do insane things. I will never surf waves like this, but I’m thrilled to watch it on television.
In general, I’m exhausted with any pandemic related topics these days. Perhaps the most tiring debate is the ongoing battle over remote working. We have officially come full circle on this topic. When the pandemic began, many grumbled over the indefinite nature of working from home. Then, the tides turned and remote working was embraced by workers and employers with gusto. Now most companies are demanding that people return to the office and many are not having it. I wrote about the nuances of remote working in 2021 and my stance remains largely unchanged. The hybrid model is here to stay and people value flexibility. But I’ve long felt that a lot of full-throated remote working supporters are actually lazy people hiding in plain sight. It appears this is more than just a theory. According to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, American productivity has declined for five consecutive quarters, which has never happened since this data started getting collected in 1948. In fact, it is the sharpest decline in these figures in 75 years. Gregory Daco, the chief economist at EY-Parthenon, who collects the data, was quick to state that remote working is not the only factor to consider with this decline. Between “The Great Resignation”, where millions of Americans abruptly quit and left for new jobs, and the “quiet quitting” movement, there’s been unprecedented change in our collective attitudes and approaches to the workplace. Inflation and mass lay-offs are also components of this trend, but it would be silly to completely dismiss the impact of remote working in this equation. There’s a general assumption that the only people staunchly in favor of in-person work are greedy C-suite executives who only care about the bottom line. I’m not sure that’s entirely true today. It seems pretty clear that it’s difficult to onboard new employees fully remote and equally so for those employees to build relationships with their co-workers exclusively on video calls. And like I suspected a few years ago, many companies are actually holding it against those who refuse to come to the office when it comes to promotions and internal team hierarchy. Most careers are built on relationships, not productivity, and completely avoiding in-person collaboration is a major hurdle towards relationship building. As Daco says in the Fortune article, this entire dynamic ultimately comes down to trust. Does your company trust that you’re productive outside of the office? Are you holding up your end of the bargain? As a hybrid-environment worker, I am grateful for the benefits I get from remote working. At the same time, it’s a privilege I earn by remaining productive and engaged with my job. I can’t say that’s universal for every remote employee I’ve worked with. I find it strange that so many people are upset that the companies who write their checks have the nerve to ask them to show up a few times a week to the office. If you go all the way back, imagine how thrilled you’d be if your company said you only needed to show up three days a week to work in 2019. To me, that seems like a reasonable compromise considering how lenient most white collar industries were about the initial days of remote working. The harsh truth is if remote workers aren’t productive, this arrangement is going to be ruined for everyone. Time will tell how this dynamic plays out, but it seems like the power of the working world is shifting away from the employees and back to the employer at the rate of productivity in this country.
Since we no longer have young children or grandchildren, we are not up on current animated films. Toy Story and Finding Nemo have been a delight over and over. I was impressed with your in depth analysis.