Finding Nemo - 2003

Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated family film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) who, along with a regal tang called Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), searches for his abducted son Nemo (Alexander Gould).

Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and to let Nemo take care of himself. The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It was the 2nd highest-grossing film of 2003, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, earning a total of $868 million worldwide.

Finding Nemo is also the best-selling DVD of all time, with over 40 million copies sold as of 2006 and it was the highest-grossing G-rated movie of all time, before Pixar's own Toy Story 3 overtook it. It is also the 4th highest grossing animated film of all time. It is currently the 25th highest grossing film of all time.

In 2008, the American Film Institute named it the 10th greatest animated film ever made during their 10 Top 10.

The inspiration for Nemo was made up of multiple experiences. The idea goes back to when director Andrew Stanton was a child, when he loved going to the dentist to see the fish tank, assuming that the fish were from the ocean and wanted to go home.   In 1992 shortly after his son was born, he and his family took a trip to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (which was called Marine World at the time). There he saw the shark tube and various exhibits he felt that the underwater world could be done beautifully in computer animation.  Later, in 1997 he took his son for a walk in the park, but found that he was over protecting him constantly and lost an opportunity to have any "father-son experiences" on that day.   In an interview with National Geographic Magazine, he stated that the idea for the characters of Marlin and Nemo came from a photograph of two clownfish peeking out of an anemone:

"It was so arresting. I had no idea what kind of fish they were, but I couldn't take my eyes off them. And as an entertainer, the fact that they were called clownfish—it was perfect. There's almost nothing more appealing than these little fish that want to play peekaboo with you."

Where the Lilies Bloom - 1975

I was 9 when this film came out and I still remember the first time I went to the movies to watch it. Growing up without money I could relate to the way these kids lived. It wasn't until I got older and seen it again that I understood what these kids were really surviving.

A sincere and unglamourized look at the backwoods Appalachians has four children left parentless when their father dies. They refuse to let his death be known to the proper authorities for fear of being separated and placed in an orphanage. Mary Call ( Julie Gholson), though not the eldest of the brood, takes on the parent-figure role, protecting the kids from the frightful world of adults, especially landlord Kiser Pease (Harry Dean Stanton). Pacing and plot development are very slow but effectively detail the changes the children undergo as they grow and learn to accept Stanton as a friend. The latter gives a strong performance as a crusty gent who is really pretty cool.

Based on the novel written by Bill and Vera Cleaver (Nominee, 1970 National Book Award for Children's Literature; Notable Children's Books of 1969 (ALA); Best Books of 1969 (SLJ); Outstanding Children's Books of 1969 (NYT)).

The Incredible Mr. Limpet - 1964

We always need a good movie for the 'kids' that the adults will like, too. Here's one that I recall seeing as a young boy at the movie theater. I really loved the fantasy of a man escaping to his own undersea world.


The story begins September 1941 just a few months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Shy bookkeeper Henry Limpet loves fish with a passion. When his friend George Stickel enlists in the Navy, Limpet attempts to enlist as well, but is rejected. Feeling downcast, he wanders down to a pier near Coney Island and accidentally falls in. Inexplicably, he finds he has turned into a fish. Since he never resurfaces, his wife, Bessie, and George assume he has drowned.


It's a live-action/animated film from Warner Bros. It is about a man named Henry Limpet who turns into a talking fish resembling a tilefish and helps the U.S. Navy locate and destroy Nazi submarines. Don Knotts plays the title character. The live action was directed by Arthur Lubin, while the animation was directed by Robert McKimson. Music includes songs by Sammy Fain, in collaboration with Harold Adamson, including "I Wish I Were A Fish", "Be Careful How You Wish", and "Deep Rapture".

To Kill A Mockingbird - 1962

To Kill A Mockingbird is based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel by Harper Lee that was published in 1960. It's a classic of modern American literature. It's about good and evil and a must-see film for everyone. I was so engrossed in this film as a child as I could easily relate to the growing up years of the three children in the story.


The movie was a hit at the box office, making more than $20 million, against a $2 million budget. It won three Oscars: Best Actor for Gregory Peck, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Horton Foote. It was nominated for five more Oscars including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mary Badham, the actress who played Scout.


Harper Lee was pleased with the movie, saying: "In that film the man and the part met... I've had many, many offers to turn it into musicals, into TV or stage plays, but I've always refused. That film was a work of art." Gregory Peck met Lee's father, the model for Atticus, before the filming. Lee's father died before the film's release, and Lee was so impressed with Peck's performance that she gave him her father's pocketwatch, which he had with him the evening he was awarded the Oscar for best actor. Years later, he was reluctant to tell Lee that the watch was stolen out of his luggage in London Heathrow Airport. When Peck eventually did tell Lee, he said she responded, "'Well, it's only a watch.' Harper—she feels deeply, but she's not a sentimental person about things." Lee and Peck shared a friendship long after the movie was made. Peck's grandson was named "Harper" in her honor.


In May 2005, Lee made an uncharacteristic appearance at the Los Angeles Public Library at the request of Peck's widow Veronique, who said of Lee: "She's like a national treasure. She's someone who has made a difference...with this book. The book is still as strong as it ever was, and so is the film. All the kids in the United States read this book and see the film in the seventh and eighth grades and write papers and essays. My husband used to get thousands and thousands of letters from teachers who would send them to him."

Goodnight Mister Tom - 1998

This film is based on the 1981 novel by Michelle Magorian.  It follows a young boy, William Beech, who is evacuated from London during the air-raids of World War II, and put into the care of Tom Oakley, an elderly recluse.  Thanks to Tom, William Beech is able to experience a new life of loving and care.

Two musicals based on the book have been written and this 1998 film was made.  There is also a new play of Goodnight Mister Tom, adapted for the stage by national children's dramatist David Wood, opening in early 2011 in London, England.  I really enjoyed this one as it depicts two broken souls at very different ends of the age scale.