4) Marlin’s Wife And Kids Get Wiped Out In Finding Nemo
A trio of vegetarian sharks; a ditzy, forgetful sidekick; a cabal of mindless seagulls chanting the word “mine” on vaguely annoying repeat. These are the things that fans of Finding Nemo tend to remember. Less fondly remembered is that, the first time Albert Brooks’ neurotic clown fish Marlin actually ‘finds’ Nemo, he’s abandoned at the bottom of the ocean, with his mother and thousands of siblings all callously devoured by a rogue barracuda.
Before that, the film’s a picture of domestic bliss, as Marlin and wife Coral simultaneously lovingly recall how they met and marvel at the prime piece of ocean real estate Marlin has found for the pair and their many, many children to float around in. Then the barracuda comes to eat all the joy away, leaving Marlin with nothing but regrets and a single, damaged egg to care for.
3) Carl’s Wife Buys The Farm In Up
One of Pixar’s greatest moments is also its most unflinchingly, brutally emotional.
It comes at the beginning of Up, and tells a story compacted into all of two minutes that may be Pixar’s single greatest feat of storytelling. More a short film of its own than an integral component of what comes after, the tale of how octogenarian protagonist Carl came to tying balloons to his house and flying away on a South American adventure musters up more heartbreak in a few minutes than most live action features manage in two hours.
Carl and wife Ellie start Up as young and vital newlyweds, staring up dreamily at the sky and contemplating beginning a family, before the reality of mortality and disappointment sets in. The pair grow old and frail, with their dreams of adventure and children running around the house left unrealized, before Ellie kicks the bucket and leaves Carl all alone in the world.
The movie on the whole is lighthearted and fun; this gut-punch opening though, not so much.
