I have a confession to make ... as an adult, I really don't care much for animated movies. Man, it feels good to reveal that deep, dark secret about myself ... confession really is good for the soul, I suppose. I'm sure that when I was a kid, I enjoyed those types of "cartoonish" movies, and I truly tried to like them when my own children were young. Oh, I can watch animated movies as well as anyone and even glean some great life lessons from them ... like last Thursday when I took my two young movie buddies to see Rise of the Guardians. That particular flick was filled with lessons ... lessons about fulfilling your purpose in life, learning to love yourself and working together with others for the greater good of mankind. The truth is that it was a great movie, but for me, it would have been an excellent movie had the makers chosen to use real people playing real characters rather than using animation to tell the story. Now having owned up to my lack of love for animated films, I must also confess that there are a couple of those types of movies I can watch over and over again for two reasons ... the story wouldn't work using actors and traditional film work, and the lessons contained within those stories are big enough to overcome my intrinsic dislike of animation. I watched one of those films a couple of days ago, and I haven't been able to shake it from my mind ... yep, a little animated fish has been swimming around in my head, and he just will not go away.
Finding Nemo opened in theaters in 2003, and it became an almost overnight success, including ending the year as the second-highest grossing film of the year, and it is the best-selling DVD of all time. It's hard to believe that a movie about a little fish could generate so much buzz (and money), but it has certainly stood the test of time and proven itself worthy of all the accolades it received. It's a well-done film from a technical standpoint, and for its time, the computer-generated animation was cutting edge. The nitty-gritty of the science of the movie wasn't what made Finding Nemo such a huge and lasting success, however, it's the story and more specifically, the life lessons contained within the story that makes the film so memorable. It's a story about survival, risk, love, commitment, trust, and so much more ... it's a story about being lost ... about finding your way ... about being found. It's a story about recognizing that different doesn't mean bad ... about realizing that you may be stronger than you think you are ... about reveling in the love of family and friends. It's just a darn good story about a fish ... it's just a darn good story about life.
As I lay stretched out on my couch watching the movie, I found myself identifying with little Nemo in ways that I never have before. I was struck from the very beginning of the film with the realization that little Nemo was born a survivor ... all of his siblings were eaten by a barracuda, and he was the sole survivor of the attack. He had a tiny right fin from damage that occurred in the barracuda battle, which made him different from the other fish around him. He got mad at his dad and took off on his own, and ... well ... you should watch the movie and see all the things that not only Nemo experienced but his family and friends as well. A couple of other things struck me as I watched the film this time, a couple of big things. Nemo never gave up ... no matter the obstacles he encountered, he believed he could conquer his fear and triumph over them. He believed in himself ... in spite of his shortcomings, he believed he would survive and make it home.
See here's the thing ... I think maybe all of us are flawed in one way or another, born with a tiny fin in some area of our lives. And often, instead of believing in the plan God has for us, we get so focused on our tiny fins that we give up and stop swimming altogether. Forget going on any grand adventures or helping our fellow fish or learning anything about bravery and courage. We tread water and look at our tiny fins and say, "A fish like me can never amount to anything. A fish like me shouldn't even try to swim at all. A fish like me couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't ..." You can fill in the rest of that last sentence for yourself.
Hey, God ... remember when my friend called me a salmon? And remember when I said I was more flounder than salmon? If it's OK with you, I think I'd like to be Nemo.
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