Fidning a Place in History

While screening through the prestigious list of the critics Top 100 movies of all time, it was easy to see the greatness in classics such as Citizen Kane and The Godfather, movies that have been proclaimed as modern day bibles of film making. But as I continued down the list I came across a movie absolutely nothing like the others, a movie so unique in its own class that it is the only movie in its entire genre to have ever made the critics Top 100 list. The movie: Pixar and Disnay's Finding Nemo (2003).
The film is about Nemo (Alexander Gould), a young clown fish with a big heart but a gimp fin, being taken from his home in the of coast coral reef and his protective father's, Marlin (Albert Brooks), journey to bring him back home safely. Marlin and Dori (Elen DeGeneres), a female fish with short term memory loss issues who joins him, travel all over the ocean in search of Nemo, encountering sharks, jellyfish, turtles, and even whales along the way. It is a heart filled film that viewers, both young and aged, may enjoy.
But even still, I couldn't help but ask myself, is this movie worth its prestige? I mean yes, it is evident that Finding Nemo is a great movie simply through its state-of-the-art animation and visual "eye-candy", but is it worth its historical spot on the critics Top 100 movies of all time list? I guess that answer must be left to the viewer, but I did find two main reasons why the movie surpasses not only other anime films, but most movies in the field today.
First is its under-toning humor that appeals to both kids and adults. Who can forget the shark scene, where the shark community has committed to stop eating fish because they're "friends not food". Kids laugh at this scene because a. sharks are talking and that is funny in and out of its self b. a classic play on opposites based off of the ideas that sharks are supposed to be mean and angry, and the viewer is witnessing sharks committed to making friends and being nice. And while these ideas are funny by themselves, adults tend to find the humor on a totally different tonality than is reachable by most children. For instance, in this same scene, adults may find humor in the reference to (fill in problem here) Anonymous meetings. The idea of Dori getting in front of the group and saying "Hi my name is Dori", to which the group replies, "Hello Dori." is humor only adults could pertain and find entertaining. Plus this type of humor is found throughout the film, really giving it a special touch.
The second reason, and this is the much larger of the two, is the powerful underlying message that Finding Nemo sends to its viewers. The story does much more than just win the hearts of its audience by supplying a warm ending, it also shows deep character building, which most anime's don't even try to incorporate. After dealing with the death of his wife, and the fear of losing the last of his family, Marlin has build social barriers around himself and Nemo to protect them from anything and everything. But once his worst fears come true, and Nemo is taken, Marlin is forced to grow and expand as a character within the story. He is pushed to not only tear down these social barriers and push through his fears, whether it be sharks, whales, or even the deep blue sea, but also he is pushed to relearn how to trust and put faith into the people you care about.
To me, its these powerful underlying messages and wide-humor, both of which most children may not be able to pick up on, that makes this movie up and beyond its competition. But is it good enough to earn a spot on the critics Top 100 list? Only the viewer can make that conclusion, because after all, its only a list.