Theatrical Review: Toy Story 5

Date: Sunday June 28, 2026
Time: 10:30am (the actual movie started at 10:57)
Party: 3 (my mom, sister and I)

Review:

Introduction

It's kinda shocking to think I wasn't initially considering going out to see this movie. We all grew up with the Toy Story movies. Even though my sister and I only saw 3 in theaters, it's another of those Disney franchises we've known and loved a long time. Not so much Toy Story 4 for me because it felt unnecessary after how great 3 was. There'd also been a couple of seasonal shorts they did for Halloween (Toy Story of Terror) and Christmas (Toy Story that Time Forgot) we enjoy returning to every year.
When 5 was announced, I was skeptical as I'd been for 4. As much as we love these characters, what's left for them to do to keep things fresh, interesting and overall fun?

The Taylor Swift effect

No surprise- the thing that tipped the scales for me was Taylor Swift getting involved. There'd been billboard sightings for months that Swifties had attributed to the soft-launch of the Taylor's Version of her debut album. I even heard whispers of her being the first person in a while to win an Grammy and OSCAR in the same year. I'm here thinking "wait, what do you mean Oscar? I know she did that song for the Cats movie everyone trashed"... but nope, they were talking about this. 
"I knew it, I knew you" played on the radio station at work the day it came out... unfortunately while my hearing is good enough to pick out that atrocious KPop Demon Hunters song from a mile away, I wasn't able to hear this song clearly other than it being Taylor's signature style. Including today, I've listened to it with full focus and zero distractions three times and at some point, I may have to purchase the mp3 so I have it readily at my fingertips. I'm also long overdue to purchase the other Midnights tracks that were only available digitally, but that's beside the point.

The point is Taylor got us to this movie. And we owe her a big thank you. It was a really fun movie with our favorite characters and the all-too-relatable emotions at its core. It brought back all the feelings we've had watching the previous movies and gave us some new things to ruminate on. 
Actually, the movie was so good I completely forgot until the credits that her song was in it. There's a post-credits scene or two but it's worth sticking around a few extra minutes for the charming animations that accompany her song. 
I haven't fully absorbed the song yet but I agree with all the comments- it definitely shares the same folklore with "Betty" and solid proof that her country roots are never too far behind. 
And the fact that "Karma" happened to be playing on the mall's PA system on our way to shop at JC Penney's afterwards... to borrow from another Midnights track, no way was that accidental...

Movie Discussion with potential spoilers

If you asked anyone who'd seen Toy Story, any of the movies, which moment stood out to them the most, their answer is likely to be one of two things. Either Andy's farewell at the end of Toy Story 3 or "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2.

Can I just say I'm so grateful that this movie only brought back that song's heartbreaking melody and none of Sarah McLachlan's vocals? There's numerous emotional moments in this movie, some hitting harder than others. If her voice came in singing any of it, I wouldn't be able to get through without crying hundreds of times. All of us still remember that first time hearing it and the gut punch that was in the movie.
It makes me all too happy to report that after the emotional rollercoaster Jessie has had throughout this franchise, she finally gets some much needed closure regarding Emily. It takes a long while to get there but the payoff... I won't give away exactly what but it was beautifully done. 

The much-hyped up central conflict of this movie was the whole Toys vs. Tech debate. How devices and screentime have taken over the lives of kids and teenagers. They do a really good job of making LilyPad a formidable enemy, including her not-so-subtle way of removing the toys from Bonnie's room so she can take over. 
But if there's one thing I've learned from this franchise, the baddie is never the first person you expect. Oftentimes, it's the last person you expect and when it comes out of nowhere and it hits you, it hits you. The two characters are extremely different and while I only have the first Inside Out to go by, Riley and Bonnie go through a lot of similar things. Struggling with the changes that come with growing up. 
Mind you, Inside Out had me sobbing almost through the entire movie. It was a lot- the twist at the end about how Sadness is just as valuable as an emotion as Joy helped make up for it in the end. But if we didn't have the toys in the spotlight doing their thing and this movie solely focused on Bonnie's struggles, it would've been a much sadder movie to get through. 

We saw a little of this in TS4 when the one "friend" she "made" was a talking spork she named Forky, but her difficulties making friends is still very much front and center. Her character is only 8 but it's hard not to see a little of myself in her. Making friends has never been one of my strong points... 
Toy Story 5 did a really good job of balancing all of the different emotions and showing off how many dimensions all of these characters have. Woody makes a reappearance to pitch after leaving at the end of the previous movie and he and Buzz Lightyear still have that great chemistry. But Jessie is clearly the star of this movie. Her with her trusty steed Bullseye and some new friends she meets along the way. 

Along with the main storyline, we also have a few interludes featuring a bunch of Buzz Lightyear toys. They emerge from a shipwrecked shipping container and get into various situations before intersecting with the main story. Let's just say they're full of surprises, which they should considering that they're the latest model of the toy.

Easily the highlight for me was the play aspect. Whenever the toys are played with in this series, the imagination of these kids is always a wonder to behold. My favorite was when Jessie is brought into playtime along with the early-gen devices she meets. I can't give away what happens but seeing the plot twists that play out and how much fun they are to watch... it reminds us all what attracted us to these movies in the first place. It brings that kid in us back to the surface. 

All that's left to say is if you're one of those people who skipped out on TS4 or have skepticism about coming back to this 30 year old franchise.... please reconsider. The proof is in the cinematic picture but if the behind-the-scenes special on ABC that aired a few weeks ago was any indication, the people at Pixar love what they do and it's reflected in their work. 
It still blows my mind to think that one of the writers was born the same year the original Toy Story came out... not because it makes me feel old but the fact that opportunity came and she was able to take it and make something amazing... it doesn't get much better than that.
Also, I can't remember the last time I watched any movie and was so absorbed that I didn't check to see how much time was left.

Grade: A (can't quite give it an A+... maybe 97 or 98 out 100... one storyline could've wrapped up a little bit sooner)

Trailers:

We need to stop getting to the theater so early because all of these ads and commercials are so annoying...

I know that Toy Story is technically a kids' movie but it was a little awkward having to sit through all these kiddie commercials.

Of course we had the trailer for Minions and Monsters and latest Paw Patrol movie.
And Moana again... hopefully our next time to the movies will be to see it because it still looks fun. 
At least to their credit, the minions trailer was funny. I have it in my notes as "death by Lego."

There's a new Spider-Man movie subtitled Brand New Day... I know I hadn't watched any of the new ones since Endgame. To the point I think I've flat-out refused to see this series without Tony Stark. But it feels like I definitely missed something because Peter didn't seem on familiar terms with Bruce Banner or Mary Jane. Is it a multi-verse thing or amnesia? No idea... but I don't really care enough to find out.

There's a teaser for Pixar's next movie, Gatto. Where it's two cats interrogating another and they all get distracted by the swinging lightbulb.
Hexed is another Disney movie coming out this fall. It's about a teenage girl who discovers she has magical powers and winds up in a magical world. I wonder how all of the die-hard Owl House fans feel about it, whether they'll support another Disney property about a magical world or they'll just bemoan the fact their beloved show was unceremoniously put out to pasture before its time. I didn't see much of that series but I saw enough that I did enjoy it and I feel bad for the fans for how it ended.
(I googled it- there is a thumbnail for a video connecting the two so yeah, it's still a sore spot)

The two non-Disney animated movies were Forgotten Island (which I still very much want to see in the fall) and Wildwood.
Wildwood, I'm still figuring out what it is. They say it's by the same people who brought us Coraline so it has to be magical but also a little creepy and weird. 

Theatrical Review: Lightyear

Date: Saturday, June 25 2022
Time: 11am
Party: 3 (my mom, sister and I)

Director: Angus MacLane

Writers: Angus MacLane, Matthew Aldrich, Jason Headley

Composer: Michael Giacchino

Cast:

Buzz Lightyear- Chris Evans

Alisha Hawthorne- Uzo Aduba

Diaz- Efren Ramirez

Burnside- Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Izzy Hawthorne- Keke Palmer

Mo Morrison- Taika Waititi

Darby Steel- Dale Soules

Sox- Peter Sohn

Emperor Zurg- James Brolin

Review: 

My sister had wanted to go to the movies for something she wanted me to see for ages. And she enjoyed this movie.

My mom and I, not quite as much.


According to the opening slate, this was Andy’s favorite movie back in 1995 and why he and so many kids wanted Buzz Lightyear toys.

For the target audience, I think the movie did all right. There was one other family in the theater with us and the kids were into it. And my sister is very much a kid at heart even in her 30s.


Without going into too much detail, I thought this movie was ok.

The premise is about a group of space voyagers (including a team of space rangers) getting marooned on a foreign planet and Buzz is determined to complete their mission to get off it.


Going into a bit more detail, his determination to uphold the space ranger code (“always complete the mission”) that it becomes an obsession… it reaches a point where everyone else has built lives for themselves on this planet except for him.

In true to form filmmaking, this can only mean one thing- a montage.

Typically, montages happen midway through a movie or somewhere during the third act after a falling out from a misunderstanding… they’re also used to extend the movie’s runtime. If I’d experienced a montage in the first third of a movie on a previous occasion, I can’t remember it. All I do know for this particular case, I get why they chose this route. I just didn’t find it exciting. You also gotta wonder- when does it stop being about the mission and becomes more wanting to atone for past mistakes?

Our one view into the passage of time is through Buzz’s colleague Hawthorne (played brilliantly by Uzo Aduba of OITNB fame). She goes from engaged to married, seeing her son graduate college until she’s no longer there to greet him when he returns…

Because the trials involve trying to reach hyperspace, Buzz ages 4 minutes per mission while everyone else ages 4 YEARS. Aside from Hawthorne and his emotional support robot cat, Sox, it’s a lonely existence.

….

Quick aside- some critics have attacked this movie because Hawthorne is a lesbian and they show her married to another woman… it’s just a minute of screen time and somehow that kills the whole movie for some people?

First off- THAT is the dealbreaker that resulted in this being the least successful Pixar movie ever?

Personally I think the movie has some other problems that are a lot bigger than that.

Like some of the writing…

And second- there’s been this constant struggle over the past several years between giving all walks of people adequate representation in the media and pushing agendas. Some people aren’t going to be happy no matter what, but surely there’s a way to offer representation where it doesn’t come off as forced… some day, someone needs to figure it out how to strike that balance.

The one question I have left to ask on this topic (that I’m willing to publish on a public forum)…

how did Hawthorne and her partner conceive in the first place? Did they figure out how to do IVF on a foreign planet sometime during Buzz’s absence? I mean, I guess if Matt Damon can grow plants on Mars in “the Martian,” anything’s possible.
…


Fast forward even further into the future, a new enemy emerges… veterans of the Toy Story franchise (and the short lived animated series “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command”) will recognize the villain immediately.

Thanks to Sox, Buzz now has the perfect formula of fuel to reach hyperspace. Bad news- enemy forces have made it impossible to reach “the turnip” (his nickname for their spaceship… haha, makes me think of how the protagonists in the Pikmin series called the Pikmin ship “the onion”).

Against his reservations (cuz he’s so used to working on his own), he teams up with Hawthorne’s granddaughter Izzy (Keke Palmer has come a long way since playing spelling bee hopeful Akeelah - she’s really funny in this role) and her ragtag team of recruits. Darby was a former convict who’d since been forbidden to handle weapons and Mo is so neurotic he keeps wanting to give up or surrender.

Much of the film focuses on a comedy of errors, some super hilarious and others not so much. There’s a ridiculous amount of “one step forward and two steps back”… I know the space program had a lot of trial and error to get us to the moon, but still. Even with the jokes and various quirks from the characters, I felt a little deprived of enjoyment.

Then the big reveal of the bad guy’s true identity… if you look at the whole picture, yeah, it kinda makes sense. But I found it such a turnoff, something like what they did with Quill’s father in the second “guardians of the galaxy” movie would’ve been better and I’m still not over that either.

For some positives, Sox is another great addition to Disney’s league of cute animal sidekicks. The moment you meet him, you know he’ll steal every scene he’s in the moment he opens his mouth. I mean, he’s a talking cat with robot quirks and a wry humor with perfect timing- what’s not to love? (I also love his name cuz I use it [or Mittens] whenever I see stray cats with white paws)

As someone who grew up with Tim Allen playing Buzz Lightyear (he’s still awesome by the way), Chris Evans did such a great job taking over for the role I barely noticed the difference.

Whether this recast happened because of politics, don’t know/don’t care. In a way, it does kinda make sense… action figures based on movie characters rarely include sound bites from the original actor. (So much money would go to paying them royalties that manufacturers would actually lose money…)

There’s a lot of funny references to earlier forms of technology… if you grew up with things like I.V.A.N. the GPS, it’ll give you a good laugh.

As is the case with a lot of movies, watch out for running gags because there’s a good chance a big payoff will be coming later. And of course a bunch of little references to the original Toy Story movie, including the story behind his signature catchphrase.

Also- space food is kinda gross. Between the TV dinners and the sandwiches with the meat on the outside… bleck!


Despite the movie not being the best rollercoaster with all the ups and downs, it does have some good messages about perseverance… and some others I won’t go into because it could give away some crucial plot points

Grade- B

***

And if anyone cares, these were the trailers that showed. A bunch we'd seen a bunch of times already so there's no point fleshing them out again.

Minions, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, DC League of Super-Pets, and the latest Thor movie... if we continue going to the movies, we'll probably see these trailers a billion more times. 

Two new ones oddly go hand in hand.

The long-awaited Avatar sequel (subtitled "Way of Water") is coming this December. The trailer was a lot of scenery and maybe one line of dialogue... but seriously, it's Avatar. The visual effects and escapism sell itself. This one's gonna be exciting to see on the big screen.

Right after it, the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend Disney movie- Strange World... which felt like a mix of the worlds of "Avatar" and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." In other words, one of those movies where my dad says the people who made it were on drugs. 

This time, he might actually have a point...

It was only maybe 18 minutes of trailers, but one of the kids in the audience asked when they showed the Disney screen "is the movie finally starting? Finally!"

Pretty much summed it up right there. 

Theatrical Review: Finding Dory

Date: Wednesday July 7 2016
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Time: 11:15am
Party: 2 (my sister & I)

Director: Andrew Stanton
Composer: Thomas Newman

Cast:
Dory- Ellen DeGeneres
Marlin- Albert Brooks
Nemo- Hayden Rolance
Hank the Septopus- Ed O'Neil
Bailey the Beluga- Ty Burrell
Destiny the Whale Shark- Kaitlin Olson
Fluke the sea lion- Idris Elba
Dory's Pipe-pal Destiny the Whale Shark-
Janet- Diane Keaton
Charlie- Eugene Levy
 
 Duration: 103 minutes (+3 trailers)

Opening Remarks

I could make a habit of coming to the movies during the week. It's nice not having to search for parking spaces. Heck, even worrying about being late for the movie. This started at 11:15 and the theater didn't even open until a little after 11.
Five kids between the ages of 15 and 5 were already waiting out front when we showed up.
Noticed one small change as we were waiting... the ticket price went up by 50 cents... so for two people, that's an extra dollar... but someone who loves movies as much as me, that isn't a big deal.

The seven of us were the only ones in the theater for a while. Some people showed up later on, but I couldn't tell out many because they all sat behind us. Many of the laughs throughout the movie came from them- we all had a really good time.

Trailers:

Big surprise, all of them were animated.

Disney has its new "princess" movie- "Moana"- which I believe is about the daughter of a Hawaiian deity played by Dwayne Johnson.
The guy is really getting around and I really don't mind it. He's got a lot of charisma and he'll probably go on to become the most successful wrestler-to-actor career trajectory in the history of said trajectory. Can't wait for "Ballers" to come back to HBO in a few weeks.

There's a brand new one called "Storks"- playing around the myth that storks deliver babies and a teenage girl and a stork are on a mission to do just that... in a time when storks are no longer in the baby delivering business.

And of course, there's "The Secret Life of Pets"... and FINALLY, I think we have a storyline. I'd been saying for months that it looks cute from the trailers, but what is it about? You can get away with hours of cute animal videos, but not a whole movie- there needs to be a plot.

From what I can gather, the main dog, Max, has to deal with his owner getting a new dog. Worrying about being replaced and forgotten about. In fact, it's almost like "Toy Story" but with animals.
...whoa, doesn't sound nearly as original anymore, does it?
Basically, all of these animals know each other because they live in the city full of close-knit apartment complexes and with some dog parks. Max and his new "brother" wind up in the city and accidentally get taken by animal control and it's up to all the other animals to get them back.

Oh, and before the trailers, there were at least 9 commercials... so yeah...

The Short:

Almost forgot about this... my last theatrical Pixar movie was "Toy Story 3" so I forgot that they came from shorts.

It's called "Piper" and it's about a baby sandpiper [the birds on the shorelines with those little twiggy legs] that ventures from its nest for the first time.
All I will say: lots of laughs and get ready for cuteness overload.

The Main Event:

In case anyone's interested, I'll include the link for my "Finding Nemo" review. It was one of my favorite movies. #23 out 101 to be exact.
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2014/06/23-finding-nemo-2003.html

Right off the bat, Pixar is good at doing so many things and like with "Finding Nemo," they deliver on all those things.
 
1- they're good at making you cry... or almost cry

Basically, we get the story of Dory's life up until the point she bumps into Marlin at the beginning of "Finding Nemo." It's nice how they brought everything full circle.
We see her with her parents and how she tries to find them when they get separated. I swear, there was one point where I almost lost it. Baby Dory is so cute and it's hard to see her so sad.
In the future when I see this movie again, they'll probably get me :P just not this.

2- you're guaranteed a happy ending... and chances are you'll cry over that too

Sure, how everything ties together at the end is a little too convenient (biology, withstanding), but after going through so much with Dory, it's so nice to finally get that point.
And yeah, almost cried again :P

Okay, enough about that

3- [maybe the most important one] you'll get to meet characters that, even with short-term memory loss, you'll never forget

"Nemo" had so many great characters from Bruce and the sharks to Crush the 150-year old sea turtle to Nemo's tank gang and Nigel the Pelican.
And I had said that Dory was my favorite.

We get another crop of great characters with the perfect people behind their voices.
You'd almost think that Pixar was dipping into the talent pool of Disney-owned ABC or the casting director was a fan of "Modern Family" because they recruited two people from the show.

We have Bailey, a beluga who has issues echolocating, played by Ty Burrel. Aka Phil Dunphy. Aka (at least in my book) the guy who had a part-time job of insulting oranges. [I believe it was Minute Maid- and he always spent those ads saying how much better orange juice is than the fruit itself- and the oranges show every now and then that they have feelings too].
Yeah, Bailey was kind of a dork, but who better to play him, right?

One of the scene-stealers from the movie, EASILY, is Hank, the septopus octopus (he's missing an arm, so he can't really be an octopus).
But there's also Becky the loon and Gerald the sea lion. Both are of few words, but they generated a lot of the laughs in the theater.

The Story:

This wasn't referred back to in the movie, but I remember in Dory's first scene in "Nemo" she said how short-term memory loss runs in her family ("At least I think it does. Hmm... where are they?").
Whether or not that line was planted on purpose or it was a random comment to say about her memory issues, I'm not sure. But it's another nice way to tie the two movies together.

While hanging with Nemo on a school field trip, Dory suddenly remembers that she had a family and had been looking for them.
And of course Marlin and Nemo come along for the ride.
The way they get separated is almost like what happening in "Nemo"- except Dory wandered off, completely forgetting what Marlin said about being best at forgetting things. But unlike with P. Sherman, Dory's life was kinda saved by the humans that pick her up. (She'd picked up one of those plastic rings for 6-packs- and that likely would have become a problem).

In Quarantine, she meets Hank, who wants to take her place on a van heading to an aquarium in Cleveland. As a character, he defines curmudgeon and rather than being free in the ocean, he wants to spend his life alone in captivity.
And like with Marlin in "Nemo," he lightens up over time and "falls in love" with Dory the way Marlin, Nemo and the viewing audience has.
He also has a really cool camouflage ability that he uses throughout the movie to get Dory where she needs to go.
 
At one point, she also gets reacquainted with an old friend. Destiny the Whale Shark and her used to talk to each other through the pipes, hence the name "Pipe-pals." Destiny is a little near-sighted (well, whale sharks do have tiny eyes... and now that I think about it, Pixar got it wrong... whale sharks don't eat fish, they eat plankton... Dory got to Destiny's tank via a bucket full of dead fish).
Beyond this, I really don't want to say too much. This one is of those movies meant to be completely immersed in. A reason why we go to the movies and ess-ka-pay from life for a while.
The movie overall is very funny (lots of laugh-out-loud moments), has a lot of heart, and there's also a lot of action. More suspense than "Nemo" had. But I can't help but be in disbelief of the fact Hank was able to transport Dory in practically every type of container that holds water. Or that Dory could linger in the same type of seawater as the other characters without being affected by the differences in temperature.

Is it better than "Nemo"? I really don't know. Both have their strengths. Was it worth all the years Ellen practically begged for this movie to be made? Actually, yeah, it was worth it. I'd still put "Finding Dory" above "Monster's Inc." and "Cars."
"Wall-E" and the "Toy Story" franchise... maybe not.

And before I forget (the way I did Ty Burrell's name when I was putting the cast list together), watch through the credits. Not just for Sia's song "Unforgettable" but also for one final scene.

Grade: A

 

23. Finding Nemo (2003)

Code-name: Sharkbait
("Sharkbait, bru-ha-ha!")

Directors: Andrew Stanton*, Lee Unkrick
*Andrew wrote the story and worked with Bob Peterson and David Reynolds on the screenplayType: animation, adventure, comedy
Music: Thomas Newman

Cast:
[The Ocean]
Nemo- Alexander Gould
Marlin- Albert Brooks
Mr. Ray- Bob Peterson
Dory- Ellen DeGeneres
Bruce- Barry Humphries
Chum- Bruce Spence
Anchor- Eric Bana
Fish School- John Ratzenberger [aka Pixar's good-luck charm]
Crush- Andrew Stanton
Coral- Elizabeth Perkins

[The Dentist Office]
Nigel- Geoffrey Rush
Gill- Willem Dafoe
Bloat- Brad Garrett
Bubbles- Stephen Root ["my bubbles!"]
Deb/Flo- Vicki Lewis
Peach- Allison Janney
Jacques- John Ranft
Dentist P. Sherman- Bill Hunter

Notable Awards and Nominations:
OSCAR- Best animated film
nomination- OSCAR- Best Original Screenplay
nomination- OSCAR- Best Sound Editing
nomination- OSCAR- Best Original Score
nomination- Golden Globe- Best Picture (comedy/musical)
AFI- Movie of the Year- 2004

Write-up:

First Impression

First of all, Pixar is amazing in general. The only film from this company I didn't get into was "Monsters Inc." I don't know, but not a huge fan. (And for the record, I have not seen "Cars 2," which I've heard some horrific things about, and don't plan on seeing "Planes").

In 2003, it was on the cutting edge. They had success already with "Toy Story," a series I enjoyed, but didn't fully become immersed in for a couple years.
"Finding Nemo," on the premise alone and the amazing animation, of course, we had to go out and see that.

That was a particular amazing summer where I did so much. Among those things, I got my permit (don't ask me why, but I didn't bother to get my license until summer of 2005), I went to an amazing Jesse McCartney concert, "The O.C." premiered and I went to the movies three times.
The other two were "Freaky Friday" and "Princess Diaries 2."

I don't have a lot of old ticket stubs, but I still have mine for "Finding Nemo."

Saw it on June 6th 2003 at 4:40pm.

The animation's incredible, we had such memorable characters and dozens of great quotes.
This was before I became an avid viewer of Ellen's daytime talk show, but she was probably my favorite part of this movie. Animation agreed with her voice so well.

Bits of Trivia

For someone who goes crazy over movie trivia, I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know a lot of stuff that went on behind the scenes of this movie. Other than one or two TV sneak peeks where they showed how they make the underwater scenery and movement of the characters look so realistic. And they also showed other Pixar references in the background, including a Buzz Lightyear at the dentist office and the Pizza Planet car in the "great escape" sequence.

Some interesting tidbits I'm picking up:

• Dory was written specifically for Ellen
• It was dedicated to Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who became the namesake for the protagonist of "Cars"
• It beat out "The Lion King" for highest grossing animated film (a title, I believe, was later taken by "Toy Story 3" and most recently, "Frozen")
• Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer were approached to score the film and turned it down (both great composers I respect, but they weren't quite right for this

Actors and Actresses

Willem Dafoe's been appearing in my reviews a lot lately... it's not intentional, I promise.

I've said some movies are more about the story than the actors.
This one has been so about the memorable characters that I didn't think to look up the all-star cast. At the time, I only knew Ellen, Albert Brooks (who I'd seen previously voiceover for the tiger in Eddie Murphy's "Doctor Doolittle" remake), and Brad Garrett (even though I watched very little of "Everyone Loves Raymond," my mom loved him in that show).

Willem Dafoe and Allison Janney, I picked up on only a couple years ago. For once, it is kinda nice to see Dafoe play a good guy, even though Gill does look a little rough around the edges when we first meet him.

But now I'm learning that Eric Bana was one of the sharks, Nigel the pelican was done by Captain Barbossa himself, Geoffrey Rush...
the actual screenwriters even got into the act with Bob Peterson as the teacher, Mr. Ray, and Andrew Stanton as Crush (a toootally awwwesssome sea turtle, bro)...

Yeah, great cast of people.

More often than that, though, Pixar to me is about the characters and the cutting edge computer animation.

Characters, Quotes and Sea Life

The makings of great films also include falling in love with certain aspects at first and appreciating more things about them as you get older.

I don't know how the fascination with sea life started when I was a kid. I loved animals in general, everything from dinosaurs to cats and dogs to dolphins and whales. So I knew a lot of stuff when it came to these guys. At one time, I did have a fish tank, but it was all freshwater warm water fish, mostly tetras (and to this day, it still confounds me that my catfish never managed to stay alive after the one I had for a number of years died).

Some of it comes from computer programs like "In the Company of Whales" and "Shark Alert," where I absorbed so many facts like a sponge.

Right now, I'm remembering back to my college's Marine Biology club taking a trip to the Camden Aquarium and my friend Kirby found Nemo and pointed out Dory (a blue tang) to a kid who was a fan of the movie.
LOL
I thought I knew my stuff about marine life, but Kirby was even more savvy about that stuff.
Oh well, at least a fellow marine biology major, he's living that dream in some capacity... it's been a while since we've talked, so maybe this is a good excuse to see what it is that he's doing. Other than fishing and helping out people with their fish tanks with his expertise 8-)

But I digress...

I don't know WTF is with Disney and killing off parents (I'm still groaning over "Frozen" in that department because that could have easily have been avoided), but that's how the movie begins. Nemo's mom gets eaten by a barracuda.

As a result, Marlin is left to raise Nemo alone and he's overprotective to the nth degree.
On Nemo's first day of school, this becomes a major issue. Nemo gets fed up and tries to prove he's capable of being on his own by swimming to a boat... where he gets himself caught by an Aussie dentist.

So in an odd sort of way, this is another version of your "fish out of water" story. Marlin has no choice, but to put his fear of the oceanic unknown aside to get Nemo back. Right away, he bumps into the friendly, although absent-minded, Dory.

Then their story continues on, following the address on the diving mask...

Say it with me...
P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney

It's a guarantee you'll never forget that address after seeing this movie even once ;)

...and they run into all kinds of obstacles along the way.
You get lots of action and adventure, plenty of drama (mostly from Marlin being a neurotic drama king, lol) and Dory provides the comedic element to lighten everyone's mood.

Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming swimming swimming...

Then on the other side of the Big Blue and the EAC (East Australian Current), we spend the other half of this part of the film with Nemo and his new friends, who live in the dentist office fish tank. They'd been there so long that they know all the dentist's habits by the clock... They also have their issues.

As Gill puts it; "Fish aren't meant to be in a box, kid, it does stuff to you"

Like the damselfish who's convinced her reflection is her sister
And the yellow tang who is oddly possessive of his bubble-churning treasure chest

My bubbles!

Probably my favorite quote of the movie :-P I use it whenever I can... that and the seagulls who constantly say "Mine!" ...and occasionally I like to say "es-ca-pey" like Dory

Nemo's storyline with his tank-mates is all about putting together the "great escape," a plan that's failed miserably on numerous occasions, even resulting in permanent scaling for Gill. Not just to get him back to the ocean, but to keep him out of the hands of P. Sherman's niece, Darla, who they've labeled as a fish killer.
She's not exactly the female equivalent of Sid from "Toy Story," meaning she doesn't intentionally kill fish. She just doesn't know not to shake the plastic bag holding them.

While Marlin and Dory head to Sydney, Australia, they're on this mission, but part of their storyline is the cliché of two opposite personalities traveling together.
Marlin being the pessimist, worrier and realistic and Dory being the optimist and idealist. They compliment each other really well. Often times, this helps keep them alive.
Marlin does a great deal of this, knowing well to be wary of the so-called "vegetarian" sharks, even when things are looking up.

On the flipside, he almost leads the two of them to death of jellyfish

I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy...

because he doesn't listen to her about swimming through the trench.
After what happened in the beginning of the film, he has trouble trusting anyone's judgment but his own, particularly Dory's, since he perceives her to be an absent-minded flake.
Sooner or later, he does learn to let go a bit and grows immensely as a character.

Despite all the things the characters endure, everyone gets their happy ending with plenty of laughs and tense moments along the way.
Good for all ages, although I'd read a couple accounts from people who thought the opening scene with the barracuda was a little too intense, however short it may be. Not quite as bad as some other Disney death sequences, but still worthy of note.

Upcoming Sequel

I wasn't sure if it was just a running joke or she was deadly serious, but rarely did a lot of time go by without Ellen lobbying on her talk show for a "Finding Nemo" sequel...
After doing this for a number of years, she finally got her wish last year.




 "Finding Dory" was announced and is currently in production.

On the one hand, I guess it does make sense because "Toy Story" had great success with its sequels. But then again, there was also "Cars" and "Monsters Inc." that had not-so-good sequels/prequels. Plus, "Finding Nemo" is so amazing on its own that any notion to top that seems ludicrous.... but nonetheless, we shall see how this works out.