The next Pixar gem to be transformed into a Pixar-Disney 3D experience is the awe-inspiring, “Finding Nemo”. Those who have seen the film previously know what to expect with the story, but this enchanting 3D re-release offers a connection between the mature audience and the newest audience, those born after the original 2003 release.
The animated film offers a glimpse into the complex society that is The Reef. After a traumatizing experience losing his wife, Marlin (Albert Brooks) dedicates his life to protecting his most precious accomplishment, Nemo. Nemo is a spunky boy looking to escape his father’s mundane lifestyle of being ultra cautious. Embarking on his first day of school, Nemo travels with some fellow classmates to the “Drop Off”: The place where their protected reef develops into Open Ocean. With an urge to break out of his protective “cocoon” Nemo accepts a challenge to swim out to a boat docked outside the drop off. Disobeying his father’s orders to stop the challenge turns into yet another nightmare for Marlin as Nemo is whisked away by an amateur diver.
Before Marlin can track down the where the boat has taken his kidnapped son, he travels through miles of Open Ocean before running into the quirky and free spirited Dory, a Pacific Regal Blue Tang who maintains a life forgetting where and who she is, due to short-term memory loss. The two become inseparable due to Marlin’s exploitation of Dory’s reading ability and Dory worry of being alone and forgotten. The duo meet a trio of sharks hoping to reform into non-fish eaters, a deadly cloud of jellyfish, a group of radical sea turtles, and blue whale who swims them with the additional distance to reach Sydney Harbor. Nemo has been kidnapped and placed in an aquarium at a dentist’s office outside of Sydney Harbor. The fish who call the tank their home accept Nemo quickly and hope to use him as means of escape. As the two stories combine, Nemo learns of his father’s brave voyage to rescue him and yearns to be reunited.
The swells of emotions found in my first viewing seem to be even more profound while watching “Finding Nemo” in 3D. I really don’t know whether it is caused by personal maturity or Pixar’s ability to convey a complete emotional connection in a smallest bit of story telling. Regardless, I found myself fighting off tears almost the entire movie because the connection between Marlin and Nemo as well as Marlin and Dory are examples of friendship and love of the purest kind.
The visuals are what make “Finding Nemo” even more astounding. I recall conversations of how far animation had matured in 2003 and this still rings true here in 2012. The depiction of life under the sea is so detailed it becomes other-worldly and the added dimension gives the movie’s background a great depth and character. The film portrays an ocean where life is everywhere by detailing even the smallest speck of life in the sea. “Finding Nemo” is one of my favorites in the Pixar-Disney universe and this re-release allows us to fall in love with the story once again and gives a younger audience a chance to meet characters that they will remember forever.