Finding Nemo

The soundtrack I’d want to hear if I lived underwater.

Image source: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Nemo-Thomas-Newman/dp/B000095J94

Finding Nemo Original Soundtrack by Thomas Newman

Rating: 8.5/10

Finding Nemo, one of my childhood favorite Pixar films and a film that successfully made me want to live underwater, tells a heartwarming and adventurous tale with a soundtrack fit for the ocean blue. Re-listening to the instrumental tracks of the soundtrack led me to feel incredibly nostalgic and very much in the mood to rewatch the film itself.

I only have one major peeve about this soundtrack, that being a lot of it feels plain (for lack of a better word). Thomas Newman has some fantastic compositions on the soundtrack with some beautiful moments. Many of the instrumentations and score choices, however, just feel predictable and a bit unoriginal. Fast paced violins during adventurous scenes, classic descending bass lines when something bad is about to happen, brash horn rips when there is a surprising scene, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love the music, much of it just feels like a movie score that I’ve heard before.

The great moments in this score definitely outweigh the bad in my opinion. My favorite track is actually the main theme, Nemo Egg. The piece immediately puts you under the ocean. The simple piano line, the soft wind chimes, and the soft entrance of the strings playing the same motive as the piano did, all with a slight echo effect, add to the feeling of the ebb and flow of the waves. It’s such a calming and beautiful piece that is a perfect representation for Nemo and Marlin’s relationship.

I feel like whenever Newman captures the ocean, he does it best with instruments like piano and harp. These pieces on the soundtrack are ones I could hear playing in an aquarium as you are surrounded by the beautiful fish and their tanks. I understand, however, that there is a story at hand and Newman is writing in order to enhance it. So not every piece he composed can sound calm and beautiful.

The tracks Why Trust a Shark and Friends Not Food dive head first into one of the many challenges our protagonists face on their journey. Because sharks are sneaky, the score reflects this with quiet bass lines and quick rhythms. Once it is obvious the sharks have become a problem, the orchestra plays a Jaws-reminiscent motive that screams classic chase scene music.

So although parts of the score feels very average, there are also many moments that are beautifully done and feel very original when it comes to film scoring. I haven’t listened to or watched Finding Nemo in a long time, but having a chance to hear the music again made my four-year-old self very happy. I also love a score that is nice to listen to while doing school work, and Newman’s score definitely fulfills that requirement. Finding Nemo is a classic movie with a great score that I recommend any aquaphile listen to.