Photograph of clown fish by aitvaras
How do I love thee Finding Nemo? Let me count the ways…
I am generally quite happy to accept that we all have different opinions, without feeling the need to try and prove that my opinion is the right one. However, if anyone says that Finding Nemo is not the greatest feature length animation film ever made, I shall fight them in the streets over it (figuratively). It has it all – humour, tragedy, courage, determination, loyalty, friendship, a blue fish with a short memory, love, addiction recovery, teamwork, triumph over adversity, beautiful scenery, and a blue fish with a short memory. I took my daughter to see it at the cinema, she must have been 4 or 5; it wasn’t the first time she had been to the cinema, but it was the first time she sat still and watched a whole film through without fidgeting and talking. We were both enthralled.
Aside from loving the film just because it’s great, I’ve also come to realise that so many parts of it are reflections of my life, more metaphorically than literally, but sometimes literally! I have selected a couple of examples:
Near the beginning, when Nemo is getting ready to go to school with his Dad Marlin, they don’t just leave their anemone home once, no, Marlin is very anxious, so they test things out a bit. They go out, and back in again, out and back in again, out and back in again. If you want to see that bit, go along to 1:14 on the clip below (sorry for the quality of it). I shall explain how it relates to me below the clip…
Finding Nemo – TM & © Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved
…Because I do some acting and performing, I have to put myself out there a bit. The problem is, I’m actually quite shy and socially awkward – you wouldn’t know it from this site would you, with the big header picture which screams “Look at me everybody!”. I expect a psychologist would say that there is some over-compensation going on here; I put on a display of bold self confidence which I can then hide behind. I expect the psychologist would be right. But sometimes when I come onto this site, I cringe a bit and worry that people must think I’m really “up myself”. The same with my business cards, I had business cards made with my photo on them because it seemed like a good idea, but whenever I give them out I end up apologising that they have a photo of me on them. I go out, and back in again…out, and back in again.
The second and final clip is the classic “Just keep swimming” song. Over recent years I’ve been through some tough times, and the words of this song have quite literally kept me going at times, they really have. Whatever happens, and however difficult things might seem, you just have to keep going until you get through it. I have said it to myself many a time, try it, you’ll see: Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…
Finding Nemo – TM & © Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved
