Finding Inc

 

Pixar is without a doubt, the best and most famous animation company, they deliver great stories that can keep us grounded, make us laugh, cry and bring joy. They were really kicking off in the 2000s with the rise of computer animated movies, and their first two movies from that decade were loved by critics and audiences alike, and those movies were, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo. Both movies are visually appealing, very funny and emotional too! Another thing about them is that they both have a lot in common. I am embarrassed to admit that I was a bit inspired when I saw an “Honest Trailers” trailer for Finding Nemo, that pointed out that both MI and FN have a sentimental protagonist and wacky sidekick duo and as time went on, I started to think about it and I realized not only was that true, but also the three main characters in both movies, are similar in many ways, and I would love to talk about it today.

 

Protagonists

Both movies have a sentimental protagonist that go through the challenges of fatherhood.

James P Sullivan, or Sulley as he likes to be called, is a lovable character. He’s a sweetheart, he loves his job and is more like himself. If you remember the prequel, he was an overconfident jerk, he acted like that to hide that he was actually terrified because his dad is an iconic scarer, and he’s been expected to live up to him, the downside of being the offspring of a famous celebrity. It’s when he and Mike are stuck in the camping sites, Mike tells him to stop being what others want to be and just be himself and that’s what helped them get out and ever since then, Sulley felt more like himself, was humble enough to admit he’s not great at everything and becomes the sweetheart he is today. In the present, the only problem he seems to have is that he is a bit of a workaholic, he spends most of his time working out and scaring and nothing else, (as Mike said to him, “There’s more to life than scaring,”) but even with that, he still is a good guy. He gets along well with his co workers, he stands up for Mike when Randall is picking on him, and is there for Mike, like how he hooked him and his girlfriend Celia up for a reservation at Harryhausen’s for Celia’s birthday and even offered to get Mike’s paperwork so he and Celia won’t lose their table. He even is a good sport to Randall, wishing him luck, showing while he is the best scarer, he has not lost his humility, it’s great when people are like that. When he first meets Boo, he is afraid of her, since monsters think that humans are dangerous, but as time goes on, particularly, the scene where he tucks her into bed, he starts to develop paternal feelings towards her, to the point where, he cares more about Boo’s safety than breaking the all time scare record, especially in the scene where he accidentally scared her, making him realize that scaring kids is a terrible thing to do and how much it was harming innocent children, he was probably willing to quit his job as a scarer because of how he felt about her, and that’s deep. He had shown to be worried about her, when he thought she had been crushed into a garbage cube he was emotionally distressed (in a clever tribute to the classic Looney Tunes Cartoon, Feed The Kitty) and he was clearly relieved when he saw she was alive and unharmed, he was caring like when he helped her go to sleep like a parent would with their child, he cared about her safety from not letting Mike send her to the wrong door or dispose of her that quickly, or going to look for her when she goes missing, or when the right door was there, he didn’t put her in, knowing Randall might’ve been behind this, he was very insistent about getting her home safely and not throwing her in like trash, he was playful with her, playing hide and seek with her in the bathroom and he felt terrible when he accidentally scared Boo (as the filmmakers said in the commentary, it’s like if you take your kids out of the car and you bonk their head on the door fringe, you accidentally hurt your kids and all you want to do is take it back). It’s Sulley’s fatherly feelings towards her that gets Sulley to show and see that humans aren’t dangerous, and he and Mike find a better way to get power, by making kids laugh, not only is laughter more powerful than screaming, but it’s a win-win for the monsters and children, the monsters can have energy and power, and the kids won’t be scared or traumatized anymore, and Sulley is given the position as CEO, where he’s able to do great for the monsters and children.

Marlin is a really interesting character, he’s an overprotective father. Usually, these types of characters wouldn’t work and would annoy the heck out of viewers, as a girl who’s had some overprotective family members in my life, it would annoy me to death. However, thanks to Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Bob Peterson and the crew at Pixar, they kept him from being annoying to the viewers, and made him a lovable character. Originally Pixar wanted to show what happened to Marlin’s wife and all but one of his unborn children through flashbacks, but the problem was, Marlin was too unlikable, because the viewers didn’t understand why he was this way, and by the time they did, it would be too late due to being shown at the end, so Pixar made the smart move by explaining it in the opening. Marlin was a charming wisecracker, he was cheerful and very romantic towards Coral, he may have been a little less level-headed than his wife, but he clearly was a great guy and excited about living in a nice spot in the reef and having kids, but all that changed when a tragedy struck. A barracuda came and while Marlin told Coral to get inside the anemone, the soon to be mother, fearing for her children’s safety, swam down to the grotto, causing the monster to attack, Marlin tried to fight him but, the predator hit Marlin with his tail, and he fell into the anemone unconscious. By nightfall, he finally came to, only to realize that his wife and children were all eaten, leaving the poor guy heartbroken and traumatized, however, a spark of hope does arise. While crying over his loss, he suddenly saw that one egg, somehow survived, he swam over to it and held it in his fins, and vowed to take care of him and never let anything happen to him. Ever since then, Marlin had become a victim of PTSD and an overprotective father. While he does have trouble trusting others, worries about Nemo and eventually Dory too much to the point where he ends up overreacting and insulting them which is what lead to them getting lost in the first place, we do sympathize with him and understand his actions. We see how this tragedy traumatized him and we can see how much he loves his son. It’s his love for him that drives him to overcome his fear and leave his comfort zone, and even before they got separated, it was clear he was a good dad, teaching his son the importance of thinking for himself and making safe or smart choices (even though it went wrong, which I’ll get into later). Plus he did at least apologize to Nemo and Dory near the end of both movies, showing he is willing to admit he made a mistake and try to be better, and he can see that even if one is physically or mentally disabled, they’re still capable. He may not be a perfect dad but his love for his son and surrogate daughter makes him a great father or figure. Plus, as a girl who can have anxiety, he’s become more relatable as I got older.

Sidekicks

Both movies also have a wacky sidekick that might not have only made viewers laugh or become their favourite characters, they also got the spotlight in the sequel or prequel, where the title had one word changed. They even did something nice for the protagonist (reuniting the protagonist with the child), that touched viewers hearts so much that it made them want to hug the characters.

Mike Wazowski is a really interesting character, he’s selfish, he gets too caught up in wanting to break the scare record, that he doesn’t stop to think that maybe Sulley doesn’t care about it (since the monster had developed fatherly feelings towards the little girl and upon realizing how horrible scaring really is), that was why he refused to go back with Sulley, and he was so eager to do anything to ditch Boo quicker, just because he found her to be a threat to their friendship. He also could be a bit rude, like when he snatched his teddy bear from Boo, however I do kind of understand why he was angry and see his point, it was a bit rude of Sulley to let Boo use the teddy bear without asking Mike, she may be a kid, a really little kid but that’s no excuse to give a child someone else’s toy or property without the owner’s permission. That’s why the episode of Friends where Rachel let’s Emma keep Joey’s Hugsy before even asking Joey and guilt tripping him into letting her keep it, annoys me to no end, if someone gave away my soft buddies or my property without consulting me, I would be mad too. Even in the prequel, he wasn’t the best leader at first, he cared more about getting back into the scare program, and he didn’t collaborate well with his teammates.

However, he does still have great qualities. In Monsters University, he was determined to become a scarer, he worked and studied hard, after he and Sulley realized how they had been acting, he did a better job as a leader, he helped the team practice and they improved on the Scare Games, and when he realized he wasn’t fit to be a scarer, while he felt sad about it, it was after he and Sulley talked about their problems, that got Mike up and he guided Sulley which helped them get back to the monster world. As they left the university since they got expelled, Mike did encourage Oozma Kappa to do well in scaring, and he did give Sulley the idea of working in the mail room and they did a lot of small jobs, which got them their positions at Monsters Inc. Speaking of which, in MI, Mike always pushed Sulley to work out in the morning, he had a great relationship with his girlfriend, he knew where to take her for dinner, he tried to help Sulley with his problem (the latter knew he would be the guy to help since he is very smart) and warmed up to Boo slowly but surely. If you revisit that scene where Sulley scares Boo, if you were able to recover a bit from crying, you’d hear Mike (who’s talking to Waternoose about the situation) saying, “He was gonna test it out on that sweet little girl!” that’s just cute! There is one more wonderful thing he did , which I’ll get into soon. Mike is also very funny, he is in a lot of the slapstick moments, from spraying his own eye, when he fell into the waste basket, when Roz slammed the gate on his fingers, when he hurt his eye to make Boo laugh, and of course doing DreamWorks’ favourite gag, Mike hurting himself in the nuts, those moments never fail to make me laugh. Even some of his lines can get a good laugh, like his exchange with Randall when he gets caught or when he thinks there were other kids in the garbage cube. Now onto the great thing he did, he fixed the door, so Sulley could see Boo again, since he grew to care for her and he could see how much he missed Boo, he willingly fixed it while hurting his hands in the process, that was just so sweet, it shows what a good friend he is and how much he cares for Sulley’s feelings, and he gave the audience one of the most beautiful endings in any movie ever.

Dory has to be one of Pixar’s best characters ever, she’s not only my favourite character in the Finding films, but Pixar in general. She’s a very funny character, from her getting Nemo’s name wrong, speaking whale, some of her forgetfulness can get a good laugh. She’s also very lovable, her childlike personality can charm audiences, she’s very caring towards others and she can be very wise. She helped Marlin see the error of his ways and become a better dad, she helped Hank loosen up, become more nicer and learn to live a fulfilled life instead of being in a safe box forever, she encourages others to get out of their comfort zone, all those great qualities come from her parents Jenny and Charlie. They raised her really well for the little time they had with her. She can also be relatable, especially for anyone who has a disability, it does show some folks might have trouble understanding these disabilities and even loved ones can say the wrong things which can hurt the disabled being, but they can also see what they’re capable of, how unique they are and not useless. Plus, who could not feel emotional during her monologue to Marlin, it’s made even more emotional when you see the sequel, she was separated from her parents when she was little, she grew up looking for them and as she got older, she soon forgot about them, and a lot of fish swam away from her because of her short term memory loss, poor thing! Plus, while she’s bubbly and forgetful, she’s not dumb, when she saw Nemo, “belly up” she quickly believed what Marlin saw, she also knows when to stand up for herself, when Hank insulted her for her memory, she instantly called him out and when a crab rudely refused to tell her where Marlin went, she threatened to feed him to the seagulls unless he answered, which brings me to the sweet thing she did. This interrogation lead to her reuniting Marlin and Nemo (especially sweet when you remember Marlin thought Nemo was dead, had she not reunited them, Marlin would’ve fallen into depression), while the reunion was cut short by the net, it just makes me want to cry happy tears and hug Dory for what she did.

Kids

I don't have a Boo toy so I used one of my Calico critters

Both movies also have a child as the tritagonist, a child the protagonist cares for.

Boo is without a doubt, one of the cutest children in animation, the way she giggles, whenever she talks in baby gibberish or it could remind others of when they were little. Here’s a picture of me when I was about the same age as Boo, in fact, it was months before Monsters Inc came out.

Plus, whenever she’s in danger, you do feel Sulley’s fear for her safety when Randall kidnaps her or when Waternoose was chasing them, where you agree with Sulley when he tells the latter to leave her alone. Plus, I like seeing her become more brave. She’s afraid of Randall, due to her fear of reptiles, but once Randall pushes Sulley and nearly pushes him to his doom, that’s when Boo fights Randall, kind of like in A Bug’s Life, when Dot stood up to Thumper, the one she feared the most. It’s a great way to show even the littlest ones can have courage and overcome their fears.

Nemo is a really interesting character, he’s resentful towards his father, he rebels against him, and before they got separated he told him that he hated him. However, thanks to Pixar’s power, they made him a really likable kid. While he was desperate to get away from his dad, Nemo still was willing to respect his wishes, when his new friends dared him to swim into open water, he told them, no, showing that while Marlin was overprotective, he did at least succeed in teaching Nemo the importance of thinking for himself and not caving into peer pressure, which is a tricky thing, especially as a kid, it will get harder when he becomes a teenager, (think of Uncle Jesse’s talk with DJ, in the Full House episode, “Just Say No Way,”)

On a side note, kids, always trust your feelings, if your friends or peers are doing something stupid or dangerous or you know is wrong and they try to pressure you to do it too, do what you know is right, if you do so, not only will you be safe, but you’ll also know if those people really are your friends, fake friends are bad news.

Now, back to Nemo. We can also understand his frustration with his father’s overprotective nature, we later see this also makes him doubt his own abilities because his father always helped him, without giving him a chance to try it on his own. When he was in the tank, he missed his dad and felt bad for what he said to him, showing he has a good heart. He thought his dad wasn’t looking for him due to his fight and his fear of the ocean, but once Nigel told him and the tank gang about his adventures, Nemo feels amazed and sees how much his father really loves him, and this is what inspires him to try to jam the filter again (since the first time, it backfired and he nearly got chopped to shreds in the fan) where not only does he succeed but he learns from his mistakes from the last attempt, showing how much he really looks up to his father. His adventures in the tank helped him learn to problem solve, since when Dory was caught in the net, he instantly gave all the other fish that were caught in the net instructions on what to do, showing the audience and Marlin how much he has grown and afterwards one of the first things he says to Marlin, is saying he doesn’t hate him. He’s also a great friend to Dory, when he first met her, the first thing he wanted to do was help her, he was willing to save her from the net, he was patient with her with her short term memory loss (since he is disabled too), he called his dad out for the harsh words he used towards her and was happy to see that she was okay, and he considered her family. Nemo is a great kid and fish.

Sentimental Protagonist/Wacky Sidekick Duo

Both movies also have humor or heart based on the relationship between certain characters. Let’s start with the humor

The humor comes from the dynamic between the protagonist and deuteragonist, where the former is sentimental and the latter is a wacky character and they can both get funny lines and moments that can bring in the humor (though the sidekick does get a bit more).

Mike and Sulley are one of Pixar’s best duos. They have Sulley as the straight man and Mike as the goofball, resulting in some of the funniest moments from Pixar, one of my favourites would have to be the “spoons” gag, Mike’s crazy idea and Sulley’s skeptical response, just gold! Plus, they are also really good friends too, they try to support each other and may get into fights but they soon do make up. Their friendship is really great, especially for the humor.

Marlin and Dory are yet another iconic duo from Pixar, with Marlin’s uptight and timid nature as the straight man and Dory’s forgetfulness and positive nature as the goofball, while Dory does bring a lot of the humor, some of Marlin’s interactions with Dory can bring a few laughs, like his face when Dory tries humpback whale, or some of the things he said whenever she spoke whale, or when she sang, “Just Keep Swimming” Marlin’s annoyance is pretty funny, especially when he complains that the song getting stuck in his head. They balance off each other well, sure Dory helps Marlin more but they still are an iconic (non romantic) duo.

Parent/Child

Both movies also have a bond between the protagonist and child that is the heart of the movie.

The bond between Sulley and Boo is just so beautiful. Sulley at first was afraid of her because monsters think humans are dangerous and he isn’t so sure what to do with her, but it doesn’t take too long for him to warm up to her and the scenes they share together are just so cute, from playing hide and seek in the restrooms, Sulley helping Boo go to sleep, when they say goodbye to each other (a scene that makes a lot of people cry, even Sulley, if you look closely, you see his eyes getting glassy) and of course, that beautiful ending where they both reunite, just hearing little Boo’s voice and the smile on Sulley’s face, just enough to make viewers cry tears of joy. Their bond is beautiful especially for fathers and daughters, and it’s without a doubt, the heart of the movie.

The relationship between Marlin and Nemo is such a sweet bond, sure they were separated from each other throughout most of the movie but a video on YouTube helped me see that they did support each other indirectly, it was Marlin that unknowingly inspired Nemo to attempt the filter plan again.

They may have their differences but you can see that they do care for each other, you can see how much Marlin loves his only son, since he vowed to protect and care for him, and Nemo does love him and even before their fight, he still tried to respect his wishes when he refused to take the dare his friends gave him. The few scenes they share together can also be sweet, from Marlin tickling Nemo, the two reuniting in the fishing grounds, the two making up after the net dropped (with Marlin also telling Nemo how old Crush was, since he asked his father how old sea turtles are in the beginning), them racing to school and the hug they shared before Nemo went off to school. Plus, in the sequel, seeing them work together is kind of nice and it also shows Marlin trusts Nemo better now and knows he’s capable, it’s amazing.

Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo are two wonderful films from Pixar, they were great ways to start without a doubt Pixar’s golden decade, they were releasing hit after hit, and showing what a great animation company they are. I always loved them since I was a kid and seeing the great similarities they share, makes me love them all the more.