Finding Nemo

DE-STRESSFLIX: A movie that will suck stress from your life.

Starring Ellen Degeneres, Willem Dafoe, Alexander Gould. Directed by Andrew Stanton.

Swimming through the open ocean, Dory and Marlin continue their search for Nemo. After passing through some rather strange looking “balloons,” they happen upon three sharks. Struck with fear, Marlin wants to swim away, but Dory (Degeneres) is convinced they will be helpful in the search. Three vegetarian sharks: a great white, a hammerhead and a mako with sharp teeth, invited the two fish into their home — a sunken submarine. The sharks allow Dory and Marlin to be their guests to their “Fish are Friends, Not Food” support group where they introduce themselves and share how long it has been since they last ate a fish. The sharks see that Marlin is a clown fish and push him up to the front of the meeting to tell a joke, but as Marlin swims up, shaking with fear, he bumbles out an attempt to tell a joke with hopes that the sharks won’t want to eat him.

Dory shows hope and courage through her personality and remarks throughout the entire movie, but especially in this scene with the intimidating sharks 50 times her own size. If you need a light-hearted film that subtly gives you a sense of your own strength, Finding Nemo is where you should start. While the colors and characters make you feel alive, the background message will inspire you to find what truly makes you happy and give you that extra sense of bravery.

Plus, the movie will set you up for the June release of the sequel, Finding Dory.

–Hannah VonGrey, for the Clarion