Finding Nemo (soundtrack)

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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) up to the point where he felt like the composer was an essential character in the film and his music helped him set the tone of the script. 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 watery sound, which was enough to imply water as opposed to restating it over and over again. [1]

Reception

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

Finding Nemo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
FindingNemo Soundtrack.webp
Film score by
ReleasedMay 20, 2003
Recorded2002–2003
Studio
Genre Film score
Length59:40
Label Walt Disney
Producer Thomas Newman
Pixar soundtrack chronology
Monsters, Inc.
(2001)
Finding Nemo
(2003)
The Incredibles
(2004)
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

Awards [11]
YearAssociationAward CategoryRecipient (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 NewmanNominated
Saturn Awards [20] [21] Best Music

Personnel

Credits adapted from CD liner notes. [22]

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