Just Keep Swimming

I thought about taking a long deep look at one of the most watched movies in my childhood to talk about disabilities, or conservation, or the way we find ourselves by facing our fears. But then I just thought, what is the best message for the time we are in? What words of encouragement could help show people the things they need in this year of uncertainty and struggle. And then it hit me, the answer wasn’t deep in the recesses of the movie at all. It was right there on the surface.

Just.

Keep.

Swimming.

Finding Nemo is by and large, a story of perseverance. Each and every character has to overcome a number of obstacles to get what they are after. And for a story about fish, it’s incredibly human. The journeys of Marlin (Albert Brooks), Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) and Nemo (Alexander Gould) show the power of pushing through your struggles and finding that the thing you are looking for isn’t often too far away. All you have to do is Just. Keep. Swimming.

Marlin is hurt by his past. We’ve talked about this before in other reviews but he’s the character in the forefront who’s letting his fears control him. And he has good reason. He lost nearly everything by being reckless in his past and now he’s so afraid of losing Nemo, the only thing he has left. So, he’s overly cautious. But when Nemo is taken too, he has to overcome those fears to save his son. Not only that but he has to go out into the very thing he has dreaded for so long. Marlin is a great example of not letting pain from the past define the future. If we want to truly flourish in our lives, we have to see that we can still do things even if they hurt us the first time. We can love, even with heartbreak, we can pursue our dreams even after rejection, there are so many opportunities we pass up because we fear the past will repeat itself. But we have to go forward or we will never overcome our fears. We can’t let our fear of what has happened influence what might happen. We need to Just. Keep. Swimming.

Dory is dealing with memory loss. She’s got a condition that hinders her and makes it hard for her to accomplish things. And often she makes excuses because it’s just how things are. But then she remembers “P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney” and then again, and again. She finds that the very thing she thought would always hold her back hasn’t. And that’s the second major lesson. Just because you think you can’t do something doesn’t mean you can’t do something forever. Often there are limitations we can’t control, but that doesn’t mean they have to forever define us. People with illnesses can recover, people who come from little can build themselves up to be prosperous. But if we never see our lives as able to improve, we will always struggle. If we want to get better, we have to persevere. If we want to overcome the issues that ail us, we need to Just. Keep. Swimming.

Nemo is thrust into a new situation, surrounded by strange fish, and forced to adapt to a life while never knowing if he will be able to get back to his father. And as the days go on he comes to learn that these new fish who once overwhelmed and scared him are not any more scary than those he knew in the reef. And since he comes to be a part of them and learns that he has value he not only grows more confident but also learns that he doesn’t need a helping
hand to accomplish things. So, he pushes forward and, in the end, actually teaches his father things he learned from the tank fish. Life is constantly changing for us. We rarely stay in the same place forever, whether that is related to our jobs, our homes, our relationships, or numerous other circumstances. We can’t control a majority of the world around us but we can control how we react to those changes. We can adapt the way Nemo does and move to see each change as an opportunity rather than a setback. And if we do that, then we can make our lives better. We can Just. Keep. Swimming.

At the time of writing this, there is an election in a month, we’re still living in a global pandemic, the climate is swiftly changing, people are struggling to make ends meet, and so many other things around us are making our lives hard. But the truth is, we can make it through these trying times. We can overcome our past and defeat the things that make us fearful. We can overcome our own limitations whether external or internal and prove we’re more capable than even we knew. And we can adapt to changing circumstances and seize opportunities to make our lives better and go forward with a bigger purpose and a far greater appreciation for the world around us. We can make it. All we have to do is Just. Keep. Swimming.

Here is my rubric for reviewing and ranking the movies in the Pixar series:

 

Voice Performances
Storyline
Worldbuilding
Most Memorable Scene
Villain

 

Each category will be ranked on a scale of 10 points for a possible total of 50.

 

So here is my breakdown for Finding Nemo:

 

Voice Acting: The cast in this one just seems to be missing something. Ellen DeGeneres is possibly the best she’s ever been. But aside from that all the other roles just seem to lack a fully understood personality. And each part is unfortunately forgettable in the grand scheme of the movie. They aren’t bad, but they aren’t memorable (6/10)

 

Storyline: The story is overly complicated. There feels like an endless supply of unnecessary obstacles and by the time the movie gets to it’s climax it’s a little exhausting. The most interesting moments happen between Nemo and the Tank Fish and they get lost over all the issues happening to Marlin and Dory. (6/10)

 

Worldbuilding: The Underwater world is fascinating, but I feel like it didn’t go far enough. I wanted to see more and the parts that work well don’t get enough time to really flourish. There is nothing bad or misplaced, but there could have been so much more to explore. (7/10)

 

Most Memorable Scene: There are a few, but clearly the Shark Chase is absolutely the best one. The hilarious vegan shark intro, the accidental blood spill, the chase itself and then the minefield exploding all work to make a very fun scene that happens a little too early in the movie. (7/10)

 

Villain: Phillip Sherman is not that interesting mostly because he doesn’t get developed much, and Darla is only in the movie for a scene and while more memorable, she’s also underdeveloped. The biggest obstacles aren’t really villains and the movie’s antagonist happens to be more the distance than the dentist. (4/10)

 

Total Score: 30/50

 

Current Ranking:
Toy Story 2
Monsters, Inc.
Toy Story
A Bug’s Life
Finding Nemo

 

The Lessons of this one are so vital to our lives right now and I hope you all can find a way to just keep swimming through whatever is troubling you. But I’m going to move on to next week’s big movie which is sure to land a few punches of Pixar given wisdom.

 

And until next time, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!