SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

THE DESIGN SCHOOL

FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT

NAME: CHA YUN XIAN

STUDENT ID NO: 0322048

FILMS SELECTED: FINDING NEMO / SHARK TALE

WORD COUNT: 991

ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605)

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPARE – CONTRAST ESSAY

LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA

SUBMISSION DATE: 1ST OCTOBER 2015

Prewriting

Animated moviescartoonkidsnot only kids watch animated filmsFinding Nemo and Shark Talefeature fishsettings are differentreal underwater world with corals, sea anemones, etc, underwater human world with cities, money, etccharacters are differentNemo and MarlinOscarLenny, vegetarianphysical appearancefish in Finding Nemo look more similar to the real counterparts, similar, recognizablefish in Shark Tale are different from the original fish species, human proportioned, not realpersonality, intrinsic Finding Nemo - brave, adventurous, lovingShark Tale - timid, irresponsiblestoryline and plot are differentfish lifefather and son relationshipNemo get caught by diverMarlin’s adventure in the deep seahuman lifeOscar run into debt, borrow money from girlfriendmafia bossmurder case moral values are differentFinding Nemo - listen to parents, gives children more freedom, let them be independenceShark Tale - everyone is different, be yourself, accept the dissimilarity of others, honestyconclusiondifference of both movieFinding Nemo is more about fishmore realShark Tale is more about human life using portrayal of fishnon related to fish lifeless realopinion

Essay

Animated movies are films that were produced by photographing a series of gradually

changing drawings. When we think of animated films, what comes to our mind first is the

word “cartoon”, and this gives us the notion of animated films are directed just for kids. In

fact, animated films are also suitable for adults because most of the movies are also

considered as Children and Family-Oriented Films, for example the very popular Finding

Nemo produced by Pixar Animation Studios in 2003 and the less popular Shark Tale

produced by DreamWorks Animation Studios in 2004. Both of these films have demonstrated

a strong impression that they are the same because they both featured fish. However, despite

the portrayal of fish, they are very different in their settings, characters, storylines, and moral

values.

The production company of Finding Nemo, Pixar and the production company of Shark

Tale, DreamWorks has both created underwater world settings for the fish to fit in the movies.

Though both films are set underwater, the environment and theme of the settings are

completely different. Finding Nemo stays closer to a normal fish's world, which is colourful,

exquisite and breathtaking with clownfish making their homes in sea anemones, seagulls and

pelicans constantly attacking from the skies, and fish going underwater to catch their breath

like a real fish in the real world. In contrast, Shark Tale is presented with more of an

underwater human world, which is more unreal and illogical compare to Finding Nemo.

There are cities in water, with tall buildings, hoarding boards, employers, money, social

circles, and an Italian mafia represented by sharks.

The main characters of both films, Finding Nemo and Shark Tale are fish. However,

neither the extrinsic nor intrinsic characteristics of the fish are same. First of all, there are two

main characters in Finding Nemo, which are Nemo and Marlin. Both of them are bright

orange clown fish with distinctive white bars on the body, showing a sense of nature and

joviality. They have larger heads as well as more human, expressive faces compare to their

real counterparts but keep recognizable. Nemo is a very energetic and friendly young

clownfish. He is brave and adventurous and always frustrated due to his father, Marlin’s

overprotectiveness. Marlin is a neurotic and paranoid clownfish. He is very pessimistic and is

always worrying about Nemo’s safety. The movie also included several interesting supporting

characters like Chum, the mako shark, and Bruce, the great white shark . On the other hand,

Shark Tale’s fish are a very different style. The main character of this film is Oscar, a blue

streaked cleaner wrasse who is much more anthropomorphic in shape and behavior with faces

and bodies that are all very human-proportioned. Oscar is a timid fish who would prefer to

run away from danger rather than fight it. He had no qualms about lying in order to make

himself appear more heroic and powerful than he actually was. This shows the contrast of the

main characters of these two films.

For the storyline, the plots of both films have taken us on roller-coaster rides. Finding

Nemo is the tale of Marlin, who has tragically lost his wife and all but one of his children in a

barracuda attack. One day, Nemo is captured by a diver and taken to a fish tank in a Sydney

dentist's office. Though Marlin is very skittish and fearful, he is determined to rescue his only

son. Hence, this film has packed with suspense, anxious, and apparent defeat. On the other

hand, the film Shark Tale starts off with the tale of Oscar, a small fish who desperately wants

to live the high life. Oscar happens to be in a lot of debt to a puffer fish named Sykes. When

Sykes sends his jellyfish henchmen after Oscar, they find him next to the body of a recently

killed shark, and Oscar falsely claims to have done the deed. Oscar digs himself deeper and

deeper into his troubles with his terrible habit of telling falsehoods. Apparently, both of the

films are very different in the plots as one tend to be a father-son relationship film and one

tend to be about attitude toward life.

Last but not least, these two films also have a lot of good things to say. Finding Nemo

teaches us many lessons in both children and parents aspect. For example, it teaches the

children to listen to their parents because parents know what is best for their children, defying

parents’ advice might lead to trouble. For parents, the moral is to understand that children

need a certain amount of independence whilst growing up so that they can learn from their

mistakes. Moreover, Finding Nemo also teaches us lessons like overcoming fear with faith,

and determination against all odds. Whereas, Shark Tale shows us the wisdom of being who

we are, instead what others want us to be. In this film, Lenny, a weakling shark and the son of

the mafia boss, Don Lino, loathes the thought of eating fish. Don therefore tries everything he

can to get him to be like all the other sharks and Lenny decided to run away. With the help of

Oscar, he pretends to be a vegetarian porpoise. Eventually, Don Lino finds him, but instead of

punishing his son, he learns to love him just the way he is. This film also shows us the mess

telling lies will eventually leads to.

In conclusion, Finding Nemo is an adventure film that tends to show the life of a fish

while Shark Tale basically shows the imagination of fish living the up and down of a human

life. Comparing both movie, Finding Nemo is more real as the settings and storylines of the

films, and physical characteristics of the main characters are more similar to fish in real life.

Virtually, both of these films offer beautiful pictures and good morals, and can be happily

enjoy by all.

Reference

1. Kaltenbach, C. (2004, October 1). `Shark Tale' is no `Nemo' Retrieved October 1,

2015.

2. Finding Nemo vs. Shark Tale. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2015.

3. Belair, J. (n.d.). Finding Nemo. Retrieved October 1, 2015.