Finding the Concept for Nemo

Do you ever wonder how much work goes into making your favorite movie? Most know that there are several stages in making a movie and that there are hundreds of team members working hard together.Each movie also as its own set of obstacles and creative process. This is the process that Pixar went through to create Finding Nemo.

Idea
Many of the employees at Pixar scuba dive or have a deep love for the ocean. When it was time to pitch a new idea for a movie, Andrew Stanton took his idea to the head of the studio.

Concept


Once the okay was given to start the project, teams were assembled to conduct research in order to make the characters and environments as realistic as possible. Animators took trips to aquariums to study how fish moved and interacted in their environments. When designing the characters, the team had to figure out how much they wanted to characterize the fish. Since fish are exaggerated in real life, the creators had to be careful with proportions and style. They decided to exaggerate the eyes and mouths more than anything else. Dog's facial expressions were studied to create expressive features. Another challenge that the designers faced was making the characters look appealing since, in real life, fish are slimy and smelly. The team was able to achieve appealing characters by creating three types of fish: gummy, metallic, and velvety. Every character fit under one category and had it's own specific process. 

Sound
At the same time as the concepts and storyboards were being drawn up, recruiters set out to look for voices to bring their characters to life. Once the cast was set, recording begun. The animators then use this audio to fit the characters movements too. Music is also scored. These pieces add atmosphere to the scenes and aid animators in timing and screenplay.

Animation
Every member of the animation team had to be educated in the way that each specific fish moved and interacted. They attended study sessions in Hawaii to study tropical fish. A real-life reference was always available back home inside the Pixar studio as well. A 25 gallon fish tank supplied with a variety of marine life was built for all to admire. With the whole crew educated in marine life, the animation process was divided up into different departments or teams. One team might work on backgrounds, another on character modeling, and another on character movement and interaction. An important fact that the animators had to keep in mind was that fish aren't affected by gravity the same way as we are. Water makes movement and timing much trickier to judge. By slowing down videos of fish swimming, the team was able to dissect the way that marine life moves.These tapes also helped animators figure out how to communicate emotions without human anatomy. In the end, these teams collaborate to produce a rough version of the film that is then sent to texturing, lighting, and sound.
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Finding Dory

                      
The Ellen Show _ Ellen Announces 'Finding Dory' by hulu    

     After 10 years of waiting, Pixar has announced the long anticipated sequel to Finding Nemo! They chose Ellen DeGeneres to announce this news on her show (this is fitting because she will be cast as Dory again). In this movie, the story will follow Dory on her adventures and we will learn more about her family. The release of this is scheduled for November of 2015. It's a long wait but it will defiantly be worth it!

    Are you excited for this movie!?

There Are Many Fish in the Sea

     Have you been curious about what the characters in Finding Nemo were based on? Were they made up or are they actually based on animals that live in the sea? Well, most are based on wildlife that actually lives in the earth's oceans! In this post, I will talk about the fish that many of the characters were based on. 

 Royal Blue Tang

     Can you guess who this is? Yes this is the fish that Dory was based on. The blue tangs are indigenous to reefs in East Africa, Japan, Samoa, New Caledonia, and the Great Barrier Reef. They like to live in pairs and eat algae and plankton. They are also the most popular marine aquarium fish in the world.

Moorish Idol

     This is what Gill was based on. These fish have been seen in East Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Ducie Islands; Hawaii, southern Japan and all of Micronesia. They like to live alone and are picky eaters, often choosing not to eat anything when their preference of sponges and corals are not present. 

Ocher Starfish

     This is the starfish Peach was based on. This sea star is common in the Pacific Ocean. Their main diet consists of plankton and mussels. Most are purple, but many are also yellow, orange, reddish, and brown.   

Do you have a favorite aquatic critter? 

Finding This Blog

"I can't read human!"

One of the cutest and well crafted movies of this century has to be Pixar's Finding Nemo. Maybe you've heard of it? If you have and it has taken a spot in your heart then this blog is for you. Even if you haven't seen this movie or don't care for it, all are welcome to explore and enjoy the fun articles and facts about this cinematic masterpiece. What is your favorite thing about Finding Nemo?

On this blog, I hope to spread the joy that I feel for this movie through various blog posts. Some themes and content will include: "fin" facts, movie clips, behind the scenes, about the actors, and other fun discussion topics. Feel free to request topics or features!