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1. Finding Nemo (2003)

But it is without question that my favorite Pixar movie of all time until Inside Out rolled around is another movie. By its fifth entry, Pixar proved that it was the real deal with the modern animation masterpiece, Finding Nemo. The movie features what in my view were Oscar-worthy voice performances, particularly by Ellen DeGeneres as the show-stealing Dory. (The Nemo sequel, Finding Dory, is thankfully slated for a July 2016 release).

The animation in this movie stands out as the first thing to be lauded. The realistic ocean waves, the ocean creatures, and the ocean action sequences all seem real, and much more modern than the caricature of The Little Mermaid. Indeed, skeptical little me expected nothing more than a rehash of the story, what with the antagonist shark in the poster and all.

But Finding Nemo is so much more than that. It is the story of an adventure - Nemo himself – that is born out of the inherent desire of all humans to leave the family nest and not be overprotected (a theme played out again in, of course, Inside Out). It is also the story of discovery and self-discovery - of Marlin, Nemo’s dad - as he has to navigate fears and endure the loss of a loved one (in that sense, to be fair, Pixar borrowed from the tried-and-true trick of many Disney movies, the loss of a parent/spouse).

The movie is, at the same time, clever, funny, and exciting. The characters are memorable (see, again, Dory), the antagonists scary, and the denouement rewarding.

Parental anxiety, teenage angst, and the inevitable clash between them is explored brilliantly in Finding Nemo. Come to think of it, it is explored brilliantly in The Incredibles, and in Inside Out. And the themes of gaps between the ages are clear in the Toy Story sequence, in another Pixar movie, Brave, and even in WALL-E. How metaphysical of Pixar to explore these themes so consistently, given that it has proven itself the most adept creature of all at bridging the gap between young and old, aging and growing, and between your emotional past and future, given its interminable and unarguable success with audiences across the generations.

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