Where's the music?

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2003)

Being a fan of Pixar, I saw Finding Nemo on opening day, surrounded by a host of individuals whose years are mere fractions of my age. Regardless, I was memorized by the film visually, I thought the emotional depth was well beyond what many past animation films have gone for, and I thought that it was one of the most entertaining films of any kind produced in recent years. My only problem? The music. It is not the score was particularly bad. In fact, it was quite engrossing, but what I have come to expect from animation films is a type of sing-along, the modern American musical, and I thought that that was sorely missed. Many will scoff at my request for this type of music in Nemo, believing that it would demeaning for such a good film. But music does not lower the artistic level of such a film, indeed, for a film with this specific audience, songs can be the best way to bring individuals into the story and raise audience involvement. I believe that a more traditonal animation soundtrack would have greatly increased the effectiveness and longevity of Finding Nemo.