PIXAR @25: Finding Nemo The shark bait

Curiosity is a booby trap we kids will always fall into.

My royal dream of exploring the ocean even without a swimming lesson finally came true with Pixar's legendary film Finding Nemo (2003, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich). Feeling the ocean waves from its deepest harbors and witnessing the realistic and colorful water creatures in the movie once made me think, "Hey I don't even need an oxygen tank to behold ocean's beauty!"

The Great Barrier Reef

What came with the package tour was an equally memorable lesson for us juvenile kids: that a father's overprotection is never an exaggeration.

We're represented by Nemo (Alexander Gould), a clown fish we and all other naïve fishes have thought of as funny because he's a clown fish. He's part of our club who's hypnotized by peer pressure, trapped by curiosity and imprisoned by his young and vulnerable mind, all preventing him to understand his father Marlin (Albert Brooks).

While the movie gave the final verdict of finding us all guilty, its theme focused more on the father's venture to the ends of the Pacific Ocean just to find his son. We saw how Marlin was too afraid to even leave the Great Barrier Reef, but when he helplessly saw his son pocketed by a diver, he left all his doubt behind and faced the sharks, the dangerous currents, the jellyfish clan, the whales, and the carnivorous birds.

Just like Nemo we'd tried to stow away from home not analyzing enough what we're doing. And when we got into trouble, it would be the only time when we'd miss them terribly and wished we could hide under mom's dress. Even if we'd only locked up in our room we'd hear our parents crying in the other room as well, realizing how they must hurt more whenever we close the door on them.

Finding Nemo taught me well how to understand and love my parents more, even at times when I think they worrry too much. 

I would always remember the forgetful but optimistic Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), the character my mentor Ms. Josephine Bonsol always equates herself to, and the scenes when Marlin and Dory were asking for directions from an amazing school of fish.

Somehow, it must be an incurable disease for us kids to always think we're Superheroes who can do everything and anything, but we'll only fall into booby traps all day long if we don't accept the truth that we're not.

FINDING NEMO Fact Sheet

1. A "wave" of personal experiences from director Andrew Stanton patched up the movie story. It was from his childhood memories of visiting his dentist with an aquarium, the ocean as his front yard and his parenting challenges that made Finding Nemo alive.

2. Nemo's Lucky Fin, according to Stanton, represents our limitations as kids that always make our parents worry too much about our safety.

The legendary Pixar Pinoy Animator: Nelson Bohol

3. The legendary tankscape of the aquarium raised the Filipino pride with lay-out artist Nelson Bohol, Pixar's Pinoy Animator and Supervising Production Artist. He also contributed his exceptional talent in the making of Cars, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and WALL-E.

4. Finding Nemo became the highest grossing animated film of all time, collecting over $850M in worldwide box office receipts.

5. It garnered an Oscar for Best Animated Film and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Sound Editing.

Greenwich launches its American Idol Limited Edition Pizza

It was my very first time I actually had a real "high" over a blogging event (as I am still an amatuer blogger myself): The Greenwich's launching of its American Idol Limited Edition Pizza at the SM North Edsa Annex last April 17, 2010.

The new and exciting American Idol Pizza of Greenwich is totally worth trying for, as it shares everyone a blast of the true American Idol Experience. The pizza is overloaded with seven great tasting favorite American toppings: juicy beef burger, delicious sausage with crispy bacon strips, mushrooms, green bell peppers--all to be topped with shoestring potatoes and engulfed in 100% mozzarella cheese.

Along with Star World Asia, the event was sponsored by a lot of food, bank, telecommunication and medicine companies (like Hershey's, Western Union, Smart and Herbcare),  as they promoted their products as American Idol freebie items.

My ever-supporting Journalism teacher of LHS, Ms. Josephine Bonsol, along with her son (kuya) Cho-u Bonsol, invited me to this said event, and I must say a million thanks to her for the breathtaking experience. We (me and kuya Cho-u) enjoyed the activities and freebies and even joined a contest, where we earned really nice American Idol bags and t-shirts.

An American Idol contest was also held, where 12 screened singing contestants (along with a 13th wildcard) were to be involved in the many trivial challenges prepared by the sponsors. The contestants were carefully chosen after thousands joined by uploading their singing videos at the Greenwich website.

Greenwich endorser Lloyd Zaragosa a.k.a "Bruno" attended the event and showed off some singing performances himself with his brother.