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Finding Nemo (soundtrack)

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Finding Nemo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film score by
Thomas Newman
ReleasedMay 20, 2003
Recorded2002–2003
Studio
GenreFilm score
Length59:40
LabelWalt Disney
ProducerThomas Newman
Pixar soundtrack chronology
Monsters, Inc.
(2001) 		Finding Nemo
(2003) 		The Incredibles
(2004)
Thomas Newman chronology
White Oleander
(2002) 		Finding Nemo
(2003) 		Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
(2004)

Finding Nemo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2003 Disney/Pixar film of the same name. Featuring original score composed and conducted by Thomas Newman, the cousin of Randy Newman, who had collaborated with Pixar productions since Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Monsters, Inc. (2001). The album consisted 39 instrumental tracks from Thomas' score and a cover of Bobby Darin's 1959 single "Beyond The Sea" (which is also a cover of the 1945 single "La Mer" by Charles Trenet) performed by Robbie Williams, released by Walt Disney Records on May 20, 2003.

Background

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"The ideas were as much about how music was transitioning from moment to moment or feeling to feeling, as much as the individual feelings or moments themselves. So it’s a lot more effort. There’s a lot more notes, and there’s a lot more things that animation has to do."

— Thomas Newman[1]

Finding Nemo was the first Pixar film not to be scored by Randy Newman. Instead, his cousin Thomas was recruited to score the film, for whom it marked his first score for an animated film. Stanton mainlined Thomas' scores for the dramatic films The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Meet Joe Black and The Horse Whisperer (1998) while writing the script, up to the point where he felt like the composer was an essential character in the film and his music helped him set the script's tone. Newman said that "In animation, action is changing so quickly that there’s really not a lot of suspended moments. In live-action, sometimes a mood or a feeling can go on for quite a while. Animation is a lot more effort. There are a lot more notes."[2][1]

In contrast the exuberant music composed by Randy for Toy Story and Monsters, Inc., Newman had a "more fluid and emotionally atmospheric" which suited the tone of the film. Another approach for the film's music is instead of having metal sounds and colors to give a kind of watery feeling which was onomatopoetic, he approached for a low hum of ocean and underwater sound, which was enough to imply water as opposed to restating it over and over again.[1]

Reception

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Filmtracks.com wrote "the phenomenal diversity of Tom [Thomas] Newman's selection of dozens upon dozens of specialty instruments and electronic sounds, as well as those rumbling pianos and choppy strings, is what floats his music for Finding Nemo. As unlikely as his involvement with the project may have initially seemed, he made it work, and even if it didn't resemble any other Disney score in history, you can't help but applaud the risk that was taken, as well as Tom Newman's answer to the challenge."[3] Noah Marconi of Soundtrack World wrote "Despite minimal melodic material, Newman binds the score with his characteristic orchestration, string gestures and harmonies."[4] James Southall of Movie Wave called it as "easily the best score of the year".[5]

Music critic Jonathan Broxton commented that the score Finding Nemo as an "amalgam of best Thomas Newman scores ever heard" but criticised the "lack of thematic material".[6] Music critic Alex Burns wrote "Thomas Newman’s score throughout Finding Nemo is really effective with some exciting twists and turns".[7] Reviewing the main title "Nemo Egg", he called "serves its purpose of setting the scene of the film, with Newman’s colourful scoring shining through. A calm and peaceful opening before the chaos begins."[7] Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote "From dreamy to scary to silly, each of Newman's 39 cues for Finding Nemo is a wonderfully intricate, miniature composition. While this score may not be quite as dazzling as his work on scores like American Beauty, this is still a thoughtful and rewarding collection of music that is absolutely perfect for the film it supports."[8]

Ranking it as one of Newman's best soundtracks, Natasha McMeekin of Collider commented that the score "not only embodies the movie's characters and their subsequent emotions, but the sea itself — calm, beautiful, soothing, but at the same time, harsh, unforgiving, and unpredictable."[9] It was also ranked fifth on the "Best Pixar Scores" by Maria M. on MovieWeb who further commented "The depth of the score showcases Newman's attention to detail and ability to compose pieces that add another layer to the story."[10]

Track listing

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No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Wow" 2:31
2."Barracuda" 1:27
3."Nemo Egg (Main Title)" 1:16
4."First Day" 1:15
5."Field Trip" 0:57
6."Mr. Ray, Scientist" 1:28
7."The Divers" 1:56
8."Lost" 1:01
9."Short-Term Dory" 0:43
10."Why Trust a Shark?" 1:17
11."Friends Not Food" 1:50
12."Fish-O-Rama" 0:29
13."Gill" 1:39
14."Mt. Wannahockaloogie" 1:20
15."Foolproof" 0:32
16."Squishy" 1:32
17."Jellyfish Forest" 1:32
18."Stay Awake" 1:47
19."School of Fish" 1:02
20."Filter Attempt" 2:05
21."The Turtle Lope" 2:04
22."Curl Away My Son" 1:28
23."News Travels" 1:12
24."The Little Clownfish from the Reef" 1:14
25."Darla Filth Offramp" 2:20
26."Lost in Fog" 1:05
27."Scum Angel" 1:22
28."Haiku" 1:41
29."Time to Let Go" 2:22
30."Sydney Harbour" 0:25
31."Pelicans" 1:12
32."Drill" 0:50
33."Fish in My Hair!" 1:29
34."All Drains Lead to the Ocean" 1:36
35."...P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney..." 0:36
36."Fishing Grounds" 1:41
37."Swim Down" 1:45
38."Finding Nemo" 1:19
39."Fronds Like These" 1:54
40."Beyond the Sea"Robbie Williams4:26
Total length:59:40

Accolades

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Awards[11]
Year Association Award Category Recipient (if any) Result
2004 Academy Awards[12][13][14] Best Original Score Thomas Newman Nominated
Annie Awards[15] Outstanding Music in an Animated Feature Production Won
BMI Film & TV Awards[16] BMI Film Music Award
Motion Picture Sound Editors[17][18] Best Sound Editing in Animated Feature – Music Bill Bernstein
Satellite Awards[19] Best Original Score Thomas Newman Nominated
Saturn Awards[20][21] Best Music

Personnel

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Credits adapted from CD liner notes.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Greiving, Tim (June 15, 2022). "The Ever-Changing Process Behind Pixar's Greatest Soundtracks and Scores". The Ringer. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Greiving, Tim (June 17, 2016). "Composer Thomas Newman heads back under the sea to score 'Finding Dory'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "Review: Finding Nemo (Thomas Newman)". Filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Marconi, Noah (May 20, 2020). "Finding Nemo – Thomas Newman". Soundtrack World. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Southall, James (March 17, 2004). "Finding Nemo soundtrack review". Movie Wave. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  6. ^ "Finding Nemo – Thomas Newman". Movie Music UK. May 31, 2003. Archived from the original on June 13, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Burns, Alex (May 30, 2020). "Thomas Newman 'Nemo Egg': Lost and Found". Classicalexburns. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Phares, Heather. "Review: Finding Nemo [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  9. ^ McMeekin, Natasha (May 9, 2022). "9 Best Thomas Newman Movie Soundtracks, From 'Finding Nemo' to 'American Beauty'". Collider. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  10. ^ "Best Musical Scores From Pixar Movies, Ranked". MovieWeb. May 16, 2022. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  11. ^ "Finding Nemo (2003) Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
  12. ^ "The 76th Academy Awards (2004) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  13. ^ Susman, Gary (January 27, 2004). "Three-'Ring' Circus". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  14. ^ Fernandez, Maria Elena; Greg Braxton (January 28, 2004). "Dawn's early rite". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  15. ^ "31st Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2003)". The Annie Awards. The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  16. ^ "2003 BMI Film/TV Awards: Song List". BMI.com. May 14, 2003. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  17. ^ "'Gangs,' 'Perdition' top Golden Reel nods". Variety. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  18. ^ "Disney Feature Animation And SpongeBob Squarepants Earn Double Gold". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  19. ^ "2004 8th Annual SATELLITE Awards". The SATELLITE Awards. The International Press Academy. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  20. ^ ""The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" leads the nominations for the 30th Annual Saturn Awards". Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Archived from the original on October 17, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  21. ^ Morfoot, Addie (February 17, 2004). "Saturns' rings around 'King' with 13 noms". Variety. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2004.
  22. ^ "Credits – Finding Nemo [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
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