Finding Dory

This week, Ellen Degeneres announced on her show that the sequel to Finding Nemo will be hitting theaters in November 2015.  The sequel will focus around the quirky, forgetful Blue Tang, Dory.  The title? Finding Dory.

Immediately, I was thrilled.  Me being the Disney fanatic that I am, I was excited to see that Finding Nemo was going to return to the big screen.  I was also very excited to see that the movie would be focused on one of my favorite characters from the original movie, Dory.  Since Dory was my favorite character from Finding Nemo, I can't help but be excited for this film that is to premiere in two and a half years.  I think it will definitely be a treat for my generation to see the story that we saw as children continue as adults.

But then I started to get wonder if this may be an unnecessary extension of the classic Pixar film.  Part of what made Dory so lovable was the fact that she was a supporting role.  I feel like an entire feature length film of Dory being forgetful may be too much Dory.  The basic story line for Finding Dory is still unknown, but I have a feeling it will be a LOT of Dory.  I hope Pixar can keep the line between funny and too much uncrossed.

Regardless, this movie comes out the day after my 22nd birthday, and I'm already hoping that I get tickets for my birthday....

Bringing life to the past again

In the spirit of October and Halloween and zombies, I thought I'd make a post about movies that are being re-animated (no pun intended) and why.  Finding Nemo hits theaters again, but this time in 3D; The Lion King and Titanic, both huge successes originally at the box office, came back for round two with an added dimension.  The list continues on, and the future has even more in store (Little Shop of Horrors, The Birds, Dirty Dancing...see the rest here), both in our regular 2D movie experience and in pay-an-extra-four-bucks-for-glasses 3D.  Why not just make something new, though?

The fact of the matter is, even these "classics" are just imitations of other stories that came before, and I'm not entirely sure that such a thing as an "original idea" even exists these days.  It's sad to think of the world of creativity in that way, but really, what are we left with?  Directors, producers, and screenwriters therefore must come up with ways to manipulate the same old song and dance into something that another generation can enjoy, with updated pop culture references, soundtracks, and images.  Plus, with the relatively new frontier of 3D available for exploration, ticket prices rise (in a fair ratio to the increase in cost of making a 3D film, on average about 18% according to the MPAA) to add to the climbing cost of living in today's world.  There has to be something flashy and new to add to the old storyline to attract an audience back to the theater, whether it's in the technology or the talent (you know that you see some movies just for the actors, admit it); otherwise, viewers just won't be pulled back in to see a plot they've watched unfold seven times before in various formats.

I'm not saying that this isn't a decent way to make up for a lack of new ideas; after all, it is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Still, I wouldn't mind seeing filmmakers give a little more effort in the way of creating something at least slightly new, rather than spending more money to jazz up the same shots from the "original."  If you want an upcoming generation to think outside of the box and to try new things, you've got to inspire them through what they see on the big screen, because who doesn't want to be just like a movie star?

Never Too Old For A Children's Movie

Some people say that Disney is just trying to make a quick buck by re-releasing Finding Nemo in 3D this weekend. They might be right, but I don't care. I am still going to see it regardless.

Finding Nemo came out on May 30, 2003. I was an eleven-year-old schoolboy at the time, around 4th or 5th grade. Since then I have seen the film at least ten times. My friends and I, now college students, still quote the movie at each other to this day. It remains one of my favorite movies of all time. That's right, Nemo is right up there with films such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Inception. 

Finding Nemo isn't the only movie made for kids that makes it to my unofficial favorites list. Disney classics such as Aladdin, Lion King, Up, and Toy Story. are all there. So are other children's movies like Despicable Me and Rugrats in Paris. 

Some of these movies, like Aladdin, have a certain nostalgia factor to them. I have great memories watching the Disney classic in my living room with my brother, singing along to "Prince Ali," my favorite Disney song to date. They were great when I was a kid, and they are still great today. Other films, like Up, came out when I was in high school. I was not the target audience, and yet I went to see it anyways.

I firmly believe that nobody is too old to go see a nice heartwarming kid's movie. 

I remember going to see Despicable Me with three of my friends. We were something like seventeen-years-old at the time. We went on a day off from school. When I asked the lady at the counter for a ticket to the film, she gave a small chuckle before asking me for my $9.00. Did she think I was a fool for wanting to go see a rated 'G' children's movie on my day off from school? Whatever she thought, I didn't care. The film was great. I laughed and connected with the characters, just like any other good movie.

So all in all, I don't care that Hollywood is getting lazy and re-releasing Finding Nemo in 3D. I find it to be another chance to see a great movie up on the big screen again, even if I need to shell out $11.50.

There's nothing wrong in escaping the hardships of life by returning back into your childhood every once and a while.