#9 Film of the 2000s: Finding Nemo

Quick question to all the readers about to criticize me for putting a Disney cartoon ahead of five Best Picture winners (Slumdog Millionaire, The Departed, Chicago, Million Dollar Baby and No Country for Old Men) and two classic guy-movies (The Dark Knight and Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2):

What are the Top 10 Greatest Animated Films of All Time?

Do you have them? Have you thought long and hard? I'll give you some time if you want to think about it. Go ahead...

Ok, ready?

Now do me another favor. Go ahead and tell me which of your Top 10 Animated Films were NOT Disney movies.

How many? One? Maybe? And it was Shrek?

Or, if you like anime, do you think Spirited Away matches up with the rest? C'mon.

My Top Ten:

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This is what started it all. As the first full-length animated picture, Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs created an empire from a lost princess, a Prince Charming, and seven little friends that have never been happier going to work all the live-long day. Everyone you know can sing along; everyone you know has compared themselves to one of the dwarfs; and everyone has either grown up wanting to be rescued or wanting to recscue a princess.

2. Pinocchio. Yea, I wish upon a star. I wish upon one every night I star-gaze. My conscience is also my guide. Why shouldn't it be? It's common sense to let your own personal Jiminy Cricket (and not those around you) guide the decisions you make. Common sense, however, doesn't seem so common in the world I love in. Because of that, I feel more people may need to take Pinocchio more seriously.

3. The Lion King. This epic tale of redemption and fulfillment of destiny was the last gasp for non-computer-animated features. It was also Disney's crowning achievement before ...

4. Toy Story issued in a new era of animated filmmaking. If you think Toy Story was a simple story of toys who come to life when their owner is gone, try this analogy on for size:

Woody = all hand-drawn animated pictures ... everything we've known until now.
Buzz = the new wave of animation. He's flashy, advanced, and represents all that kids want. He's an astronaut, the new wave that explores new galaxies and takes us to inifinity and beyond.
Andy = all children. Woody and Buzz will compete for the attention and respect of Andy, who is growing wiser and more mature by the minute.

For ten years after Toy Story's release, America's young audience experienced a new wave that seems here to stay. After seeing Toy Story, A Bug's Life, and Monster's Inc, hand-drawn films like Mulan and Tarzan lose their quality and crispness. While neither Mulan nor Tarzan lack a strong storyline (both can be linked to the coming-of-age plot of The Lion King without much difficulty... if the oven ain't broke, don't fix it... also, Woody's character in Toy Story didn't lack depth either), the flash of something new and exciting can easily steal the interest of children across the country (much like how Buzz's gadgets - not personality - steal the interest of Andy).

So take THAT analogy and go think about it for a while ...

...While I get to #5: Finding Nemo, aka the #9 film of the decade.

(If you want to know #6-#10, you won't get a detailed analysis. #6. Fantasia. #7. Beauty and the Beast. #8. The Land Before Time. #9. The Sword in the Stone. #10. Sleeping Beauty. Cinderella's for sissies.)

What makes Finding Nemo a classic Disney movie? Well, let's go over a classic-Disney-movie checklist, and check off the qualities that Nemo fits.

Question 1: Does it star a youth who has lost a parent? See: Snow White (both parents), Bambi (mom), Dumbo (parents), Pinocchio (mom), and Simba (dad).

Answer: Yes. What I always forget is the tragedy of Finding Nemo's opening scene. After Marlin's wife and all of his children are eaten by a barracuda, he becomes the over-protective father to the only child he has left. Such tragedy sets the tone for all Disney classics.

Question 2: Does this young character experience a growth period with strange characters in order to discover himself or herself? See: Snow White's dwarfs, Simba's Timon and Pumba, and Belle's clock, tea cups, and candlestick.

Answer: Yes, two times. While Marlin embarks on a rescue mission involving a blue fish with short-term memory loss, three fish-a-holic sharks, and a stoner turtle, Nemo finds himself doing a stint in a dentist's aquarioum. The inhabitants include a french-accented cleaning machine, a blow-fish with a temper problem, and a mysterious escape artist named Gill,voiced by Willem Dafoe. After his hilarious initiation atop Mount Wanna-hock-a-loogie, Nemo gains acceptance and respect for the first time in his life. Only then does he acquire the confidence needed to help Gill plan their daring escape.

Question 3: After the growth period, does this character face the ultimate challenge? See: Pinocchio goes inside a whale to recue Geppetto; Arthur slays the dragon; and Simba challenges Scar.

Yes, two times. Nemo not only risks his life clogging the water filter, he fakes his own death in order to get flushed down a drain. Then, when he finally reunites with Marlin, Nemo chooses to risk his life yet again in order to save a squad of fish about to be captured by a boat in Sydney's harbor. Marlin, on the other hand, must let Nemo motivate these fish to save themselves. Now that he's learned how to let go, Marlin must allow Nemo to risk his own life in order to save others.

Question 4: Does the film have morals that appeal to adults too? See: Bambi (Don't kill deer); Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty (all men have a beauty to rescue); and Robin Hood (help those who can't help themselves).

Answer: Yes. Let your children grow up. Let them make mistakes. After laying a proper foundation, let them become who they were meant to be.

Question 5: Does it have great animation? See: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the first animated feature film), Fantasia (still trippy to this day), and Toy Story (first CGI feature film).

Answer: Take a look at Nemo's field trip to the drop-off. There's a 15-second introduction to Australia's Great Barrier Reef that'll leave your eyes and mouth gaping open. Thanks to its keen attention to detail (and endless studying of marine life), Finding Nemo nails the swimming behavior of each of its characters. You can also see every scale on a fish's skin, every tastebud of a whale's tongue, and every feather on a pelican's head.

Finding Nemo is a classic film, all the way. It also happens to be animated. It takes CGI to a whole new level, and has a story deep enough to be compared to the great hand-drawn classics of Disney past. It has humor appealing to kids and parents alike, and has drama that'll bring a tear to anyone's eye. Emotionally gripping, visually breathtaking, and socially conscious, Finding Nemo is a Top Ten Film of the 2000s.