Finding Nemo 3D: A Visit To Pixar Studios To Talk About The Animated Adventure's Return To Theaters
Nearly a decade ago, Pixar brought us a story about an anxious clownfish who embarks on a life-altering adventure through the ocean, desperate to find his son, who was snatched up by a fish-collecting dentist. Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Pixar Studios to screen the film ahead of this week's 3D release. Not only was it a dream come true to get to visit Pixar Studios, but going there to see one of my favorite Pixar movies was a treat, to say the least. And Finding Nemo 3D did not disappoint. It helped that I hadn't seen the movie in a while, but seeing it again on the big screen, added to the 3D upgrade made the movie feel almost new again. From the sound of it, Pixar put a lot of work into the movie's 3D upgrade, and it shows in the finished product.
As I mentioned when discussing the Partysaurus Rex screening, the Pixar Studios lobby is decorated with various statues and artwork, paying tribute to Pixar films. This includes a really cool Brave tapestry, and a 3D display featuring Dory and Marlin swimming face-to-face with Bruce the shark. Just outside of the building are statues of well known Pixar icons Luxo Jr. and his ball. It also looks like they set up a big stone arrangement, similar to the one featured in Brave in the grassy area. You can check out some photos in the gallery below.
The trip to Pixar Studios included a screening of Partysaurus Rex, an interesting lesson on how 3D technology is being used to upgrade older Pixar movies, some dinner (a tasty buffet and cupcakes for dessert!), and finally, the screening of Finding Nemo in 3D. The in-house theater is pretty roomy, with red chairs and a dark ceiling that lights up with twinkling (and shooting) stars when the rest of the lights go out. Once I was able to get over my excitement at getting to see Finding Nemo on the big screen at Pixar Studios, I focused on the movie itself. With its vibrant colors and beautiful ocean setting, Finding Nemo is a film that benefits well from a 3D conversion. The colors and textures seemed especially enhanced, offering a really great visual experience in addition to a fantastic story. As an adventure story and a tale of friendship, family and bravery, Nemo holds up really well. It's still as funny and heartfelt as it ever was. I'd definitely recommend fans of the film (especially those who haven't had the opportunity to see it on the big screen) check it out.
The next day, we visited the Aquarium Wing of the Academy of Sciences to speak with co-director Lee Unkrich, Stereoscopic Supervisor Bob Whitehill and Director of 3D Production Josh Hollander to talk about revisiting the movie and its 3D makeover.
Unkrich sounded very pleased with what Bob Whitehill and his team did with Finding Nemo, in 3D.
From what Unkrich says, it sounds like CG animated movies have an advantage over live action films when it comes to 3D conversion. He compares the process to having a time machine, in a way...
One of the things that works really well for Finding Nemo is that there numerous scenes that seem built to look beautiful in 3D. Unkrich said one of his favorite scenes to see in 3D was when Marlin is taking Nemo to his first day of school. It's one of numerous scenes that really benefits from the 3D upgrade, and that's as much a testament to the work put into the 3D version of the film as it is the original movie. Unkrich told us his instincts have always been with staging and depth.
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As for the story, the focus on an overprotective parent trying to get to his son and also learning how to let go is as relevant today as it was nine years ago, and it'll probably be just as relevant a decade from now. "Every parent is afraid of letting their kid go out into the big dangerous world," Unkrich said. "And every kid wants to go out into the big dangerous world. I think that's why it affected so many people, is that it was about such fundamental truths about our experiences as parents and kids."
And it seems like the success of Nemo emboldened the people at Pixar to take a more emotional approach with their stories. "It gave us confidence to be more emotional and attack deeper things," Unkrich said. "I guess if Nemo had tanked, maybe we wouldn't have been so bold with some of the other choices we made." Use of the word "tank" in this context got a laugh from all of us at the table. Fish puns!
When I sat with Unkrich one-on-one later on, I asked him if there was any temptation to change aspects of the movie beyond the visual effects. I didn't have anything specific in mind when I brought it up- I can't imagine what changes could be made to improve the story - but I was curious about his perspective, looking back at something he worked on years ago…
We also got on the subject of Dory. The primary focus of Finding Nemo's story is on Marlin getting to Nemo, but Dory is a big part of the humor in the film. Unkrich said it was clear from the beginning when they first started working with Ellen Degeneres that Dory was a really funny character and there was a lot of heart in her. But one of the greatest things about Dory as a character is that she's this sort of light-and-funny figure in an otherwise emotionally heavy movie, and then we get to the end, and she brings this great emotional moment in the film. "In my mind, that's when someone is firing on all cylinders in a movie," Unkrich said. "If you can take a character that the audience has been laughing at and then have you feel for them. When does that happen? That's great. That's like gold."
We also sat down with Bob Whitehill and Josh Hollander to talk in a bit more detail on their involvement in the 3D upgrade. One of the things I mentioned during the roundtable was how great the textures looked in the film. Wet fish seemed shinier, the whales tongue looked bumpier. There were a lot of things that seemed crisper and more realistic than ever. Stereopscopic Supervisor Bob Whitehill attributes that more to the added pixels, but he credits the original makers of the film for what a great job they did on the texture
Both Whitehill and Director of 3D Production Josh Hollander were in agreement that they wanted to honor the look of the original film. A balance had to be struck between creating the kind of 3D effects people would be looking for without drastically changing the movie or somehow detracting from the original film. "We really just want to stay true and honor those original films, and honor the vision of the original film," Hollander said. "Bob often says that 3D can mirror a story arc the same way score does. Similarly with the other technology - the shading, the textures, etc. - we feel like we want to honor that original and just do it justice, make a 3D film that's worthy of its original version."
Bob Whitehill added to that...
Finding Nemo isn't the first Pixar film to receive a 3D makeover, nor will it be the last. You have to consider the amount of organization it takes to keep all of the files together, especially when factoring in the number of people working on them. If something is saved in the wrong place, it could be lost forever (or for a long time, anyway). Once technology advances, the films coming out in recent years may be revisited ten years from now. Whitehill spoke about the steps being taken today to make sure the files are properly stored and upgraded in anticipation of future projects.
Their efforts will likely be greatly appreciated in time if and when it comes time to bring these movies back, perhaps ten years from now when technological advancements call for another rerelease. From what Hollander added, it sounds like this has been a learning process over the years…
Theoretically. But again, the time spent and efforts taken will be well worth it in the long run. The effort put into Finding Nemo's 3D make-over shows in the finished product. Pixar has succeeded in taking a beloved movie to the next level by making it an even better visual experience for fans and newcomers to enjoy in theaters.
Stones in the grassy area at Pixar studios
The Brave tapestry!
Cars!
Monsters!
Part of the lobby. Anyone up for a game of pool?
Luxo Jr. and his ball!
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A few shiny trophies
The trophy case in the lobby featuring Pixar\'s numerous awards.
Incredibles up on the second floor!
Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.