Appreciation: The Screen Ocean

This quarter at university, I'm taking a class about ocean media (relevant to one of my stories) and later this week, Carl Gottlieb, one of the screenwriters of Jaws, will be attending a screening of said film at my university. To commemorate this incredibly marine-oriented week, I decided to look at some classic oceanic representations in film and animation. Check it out:

Jaws (1975)

Steven Spielberg's Jaws is, of course, one of the biggest ocean-based movies of all time. Aside from the problematic nature of demonizing sharks forever, there are some incredibly cool underwater shots. Here, Hooper is in the shark cage and we get to see some shadowy but interesting shots of the titular shark. It's beautiful until you remember it really likes to eat people.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

This film was the first to really get me into the possibilities of marine stories. Although The Little Mermaid is traditionally animated film, the beautiful blues of the water, the sheer amount of bubbles, and the diversity of animated ocean life is really technically amazing for a time in which we knew even less about the ocean than we know now.

Finding Nemo (2003)

I could literally choose any underwater scene in this film and it would be gorgeous. I really love Mr. Ray, Nemo's teacher, though, because we get a comprehensive view of the reef, showing us so many different forms of life and multitudes of colors. It's just amazing to watch and you almost forget this film is almost fifteen years old.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

I was just recently introduced to this film, through my Ocean Media class. Directed by Wes Anderson, as you might be able to guess, the film features several watery scenes with marine life that seems considerably animated. However, the sound and movement of the submarine, the animals, and the ocean itself are really quite breathtaking. This scene, especially, plays with the silence we humans tend to expect from deeper areas of the ocean.

Ponyo (2008)

It's hard to find a specific scene to display for this film. Studio Ghibli's Ponyo features absolutely amazing marine animation. We don't see much of marine life - there are only a few sequences with multiple fantastic creatures - but we see a lot of water animation, all of which is gorgeous. There is also a sequence, near the beginning as Ponyo leaves her home and travels to more human-populated areas, wherein we see a dramatic shift in beauty from the deeper ocean to a human harbor - trash, sticky mud, pollution-dumping boats, less tranquil silence, etc. Definitely watch for that sequence, if anything, because it's a very eye-opening look at changes to the ocean.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Kubo and the Two Strings, an upcoming Laika Studios film, has not been released yet, obviously. However, one of the first things that struck me within the released clips were the ocean sequences. They're not underwater, and so aren't as involved, but I had to give Kubo a shout-out for some of the most gorgeous wave animation I've ever seen.

The upcoming Finding Dory is another source of excitement for the ocean-drawn. Knowing that Pixar animators conducted extensive research make sit all the more exciting. As marine science and knowledge progresses in addition to animation technology, there are more and more opportunities to create breathtaking marine film. The ocean is a neverending source of inspiration and mystery, and I am really excited about it.