The last animation that I wanted to critically analyse in terms of environmental storytelling was something extremely different to the previous two, because it is set underwater! I chose 'Finding Nemo' because I thought the aspect of analysing a setting which is completely unfamiliar to me yet was a film which broke my heart, would be a good mix.
The use of SPACE in this animation is incredible. It is incredible because it makes you feel like you are a part of the film, a fish in the ocean as well. The sea is SO large, in every direction you look in this film, you feel like the sea is endless and you feel swallowed by it. I think this aspect alone makes the environment extremely successful in 'Finding Nemo'. Also the way the shots are composed is also very well done, there is always something in the distance, and if there isn't then there is a gradual fade into a dark blue, almost black colour, which brings this sinister feel to the film, and that dark dangerous element that comes with the sea. I also really admire how the sea life itself, is rather dazzling. If you look to the left of the screenshot above you can see the colourful sealife, but it doesn't detract from the characters themselves. The characters are more vivid in colour hence why they are so distinguishable and that was probably a primary motive for the artists however, the plants alone are of such detail that they look like they are alive. They move with the sea very naturally, but don't distract you from what is happening in the film unless you change your point of focus yourself.
Looking at space again, here is a shot where Nemo and his dad are going under some sort of rock/sea cave and the sinister tone is here too. It feels as though you can't really see what is behind the shadows which could potentially be a foreshadowing for the rest of the film. The only source of light is coming from the hole which is off centre, but I really like the composition of the sequence and how the artist has really thought about lighting and perspective as the two fish swim towards the audience. I also think the red sealife here is equally beautiful. Every bubble has it's own shadow, and the red is so rich in colour and contrasts both the blackness of the shadow and the blue sea itself.
l also really like how dull the real life environment is here as opposed to the wild, underwater world. If you look at the walls and the countertops, they are boring neutral colours. And then if you look at the fish tank, you can see just how vibrant the water world is again. It makes the audience prefer to be back in that underwater world because there is literally nothing exciting going on here. And this is implied just through the environment. There is also more texture in the underwater world as opposed to the real world. The texture of the glistening water, the scales of the fish, the fuzz off the plants, in comparison to the tiles, the wallpaper, etc, it's not as exciting. No one gets to see what it's like underwater everyday, hence why it is more vicarious and inviting.
Overall I think the environments are really cleverly used here and done really successfully. They help excite and invite the audience into a world they have most likely never been in, which is quite hard to do in an animated film!
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