Which Pixar Film Don't You "Get"?

Scene from Finding Nemo

*NOTE: Originally published at Readwave

A look at when a great film doesn't feel that way to you.

There's no denying that Pixar generally makes great movies. Every time that they release a new one, the question is if they could top themselves. With this weekend's release of Inside Out, the question is back up in the air. Are we going to, as the ads claim, see their best movie since Up? Reviews suggest so, though it is hotly debated which of the studio's current 14 titles is the best (nobody can even agree on which Toy Story is the best). So instead of getting into conflict over this, I want to ask a more personal question: which one of their film's don't you "get"? 

This is a loaded question. When I say "get," I simply mean which one has received hunks of praise yet leaves you feeling cold? I am not saying necessarily which is the worst. General consensus is that Cars 2 is the weak spot. That would be a case where you "get" it, unless you love it (if you do, explain why). For me, there was a stretch of Pixar titles that I didn't necessarily "get." Two noteworthy titles have been The Incredibles and WALL-E, which are fine but don't capture my enthusiasm. In fact, I almost respect them more on merit than how much I willingly choose them as my favorites. For all of my dismay, I notice WALL-E's achievements in animation and its still very bold first act. In this case, I "get" its appeal.

Yet the only one that I don't actually "get" is Finding Nemo. To thrust you into the zeitgeist, it came out in 2003 and became a cultural phenomenon as the studio's fifth film. It was temporarily the highest grossing animated film. It was Pixar's first Best Animated Feature Oscar win. It has an astounding 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. While Toy Story was still the cornerstone to the franchise, Finding Nemo was everywhere and the amount of children that I heard quoting the fish Dory has created a personal grudge. With it being a third of the way through the studio's current output, it's amazing that people are still talking about it.

So while I have gone on about how I think that A Bug's Life is underrated, I find Finding Nemo overrated. This isn't to say that this is lower rung entertainment. I find that for those complaining about the bug's film simplicity, then there should be some fault thrown this way. While it did the "dark opening scene" shtick before Up perfected it six years later, the film feels like vignettes thrown together to show two fish venturing the ocean and just miraculously finding the clown fish's son. It could just be that Dory makes this feel like a less tolerable version of Rain Man, but I find its reliance on very silly humor to be at times a little detrimental. We have characters needlessly spouting lines in a goofy manner and passing it off as humor.

Where with Cars I saw once and went on living life, I have occasionally every few years returned to Finding Nemo with intent of understanding what I am missing. I have now seen if five or so times and I am trying to still find what works about it, or more specifically why it continually ranks among the studio's best. I remember being initially enthused when I first saw it (it's why I own the DVD), but that second time felt like a betrayal. It was very silly in a manner that Dreamworks Animation gets flack for. The jokes about touching butts and inking yourself are something you'd expect more from less revered work like Monsters vs. Aliens, yet is passable because it's Pixar.  The only difference is that there's enough of a heart to compensate the low points. 

So while it is likely that you'll be quick to jump on me and argue "But Finding Nemo is amazing," do understand the point of this entry. I would love to understand why this one is amazing not on a quality level, but on a visceral, in the moment, level. I simply don't connect with it the way that my generation, or general fans, do. So for those willing to participate, what Pixar film don't you "get"? Which one ends and instead of an emotional rush, you get a shoulder shrug?