Opening sequence 3- Finding Nemo

This film is also a highly popular film, particularly with those that were children when it first came out on DVD in 2003. One of the main characters- Marlin a clown fish- and his wife are seen inspecting their new home where they hope to raise four hundred children, all of whom are currently in eggs in a crevice below their home. Their new neighbourhood is shown with bright lighting from above the ocean, warm colours and happy laughter of children chasing each other.

 

Marlin on the left, wife Carol on the right and their
four hundred children waiting to hatch

The opening sequence of this film is child-friendly and nicely coloured to represent the happiness and security about the sea. I could use a similar affect at the beginning of my production, with the two heroes in their bright colours and in a bright light to signify that help has arrived. By changing the lighting and the shades of the colours, the mood presented is changed, such as when Carol swims out of her new home and comes face to face with a predator of the sea. All their new neighbours have hidden and Carol's main worry is her four hundred children nesting below. Marlin warns her to return the anenome, but she dives, a sudden movement that sparks the antagonist's anger and causes it to attack.

 



Face to face with danger

Danger

 

The happiness of the opening scene has gone, replaced by a slow and serious darker mood, exaggerating the obvious danger. Following Carol's dive, the predator goes after her, but Marlin puts a full-force tackle against it, only to be whacked aside by the monstrosity's tail and knocked unconscious.

When he awakes, all is gone, but one egg. Nemo, a name chosen by his unfortunate wife.
The colours in the picture of Marlin finding his one remaining child are all dark shades of blue and shadows. This is perfectly symbolic of his mood when he realises that next to nothing remains of the life he could have had and his immense grief.





The colours in the picture of Marlin resting the last egg on his fin are a bit brighter, his one last shard of something that could have and should have been. We see clearly the crack in the egg, which may be the cause of Nemo's characteristic 'lucky fin'. By Marlin calling his last child Nemo, he is remembering his wife's request and honoring it. He grows into being an over-protective father, much to Nemo's annoyance, but Marlin has lost so much already and couldn't stand to lose what little he has left.