Andrew Stanton
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Connections, in both directions
Star Wars (1977)
Directed by George Lucas
influenced John Carter (2012), Toy Story 5 (2026)
Themes Plot
I lost count of how many Star Wars parodies and jokes were used for a subplot involving multiple Buzz Lightyears…
Yes, the Star Wars references are still there, and they’re still funny.
Although the Burroughs stories have never quite made it to the screen in their proper form before, they have proven to be enormously influential to any number of classic films of the genre--in an ad campaign that decided to remove "of Mars" from the title, supposedly to avoid comparisons with last year's enormously expensive bomb "Mars Needs Moms," Disney has name-checked the likes of "Star Wars" and "Avatar" as works that might not have existed were it not for them.
George Lucas drew from Burroughs' stories for " Star Wars ."
There's the skeleton of a truly epic film on the same scale as Avatar or the Star Wars films, but there's just not enough oomph in the film or willingness to take the risks on such big ideas.
It’s part Star Wars, part Flash Gordon, part The Matrix, and part Lord of the Rings, with an ordinary character—in this case, a Civil War captain—transported to Mars to fight a battle waging between the planet’s inhabitants.
Stanton draws parallels to Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" that start off subtle and resonant but grow so blunt that at one point Stanton blasts the "2001" theme.
It is not a coincidence 2001: A Space Odyssey is paid considerable homage.
And the script and animation are sharp and witty, dotted with references to genre classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey, plus playful gags about technology and corporate culture (the monolithic company here is called Buy-N-Large).
Taking visual cues from some of the most memorable science fiction films of our time (2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Silent Running, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and Star Wars, to name a few), WALL*E is without question a visual feast worthy of awards and accolades.
The filmmakers overtly acknowledge the influence of 2001: A Space Odyssey (one robot in the film is specifically designed to resemble HAL 9000's evil eye—cue the "Blue Danube Waltz"), and internet wags have commented on Wall•E's resemblance to Number 5 from Short Circuit , but the most interesting resemblance is to the "B" Ark plot thread from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
It gives nothing away to say that they are circling the globe inside a gigantic spaceship called Axiom, which looks like something out of 1960s or 1970 sci-fi – no accident there, since Blade Runner , Alien, Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey are major influences on this film.
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
influenced by Finding Nemo (2003)
Plot Themes
Written by Peter Baynham (Arthur Christmas) and Robert Smigel (Saturday Night Live’s “TV Funhouse”) from a story by Todd Durham, Dan Hageman, and Kevin Hageman, Hotel Transylvania essentially marries the monster/human fear reversal of Monsters Inc. (1998) with the overprotective-father-needing-to-let-go themes of Finding Nemo (2003)—and if those references seem a tad dated, bear in mind that Hotel Transylvania was greenlit back in 2006 and has been through nearly half a dozen directors.
However, unlike those films, Hotel Transylvania is overstuffed with on-the-nose humor and an underwhelming storyline that each borrow heavily from other animated films, especially Finding Nemo , without offering anything new or compelling to the mix.
Similar in theme from the recent re-release of Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo , this story is centered around an overprotective dad who’s trying to shelter his child from the big bad world.
Turns out that with its theme of an overprotective dad who needs to learn about letting go, “Transylvania” could also be aiming for some of the current “Finding Nemo” crowd — and the work is entertaining enough that such ambitions wouldn’t be completely deluded.
So “Hotel Transylvania” takes the overprotective dad premise of “Finding Nemo” and wraps it in the central monsters-are-scared-of-humans joke of “Monsters, Inc.” with a “Ratatouille” reference to boot.
An overprotective father, a slightly rebellious child and the big, bad world that's out there lying in wait — in " Finding Nemo ," that provided the sturdy framework for a lovely, funny, artful story.
During the intervening centuries between humanity's departure, WALL•E develops a personality and spends his days discovering small treasures among the trash, including a well-worn copy of Hello, Dolly!
Over the course of a few days and star-gazing nights, watching clips from the 1969 Hollywood musical, Hello, Dolly!, WALLE and EVE beep and squeak at one another, loll around, communicating as best they can.
It opens with shots of the stars, the solar system, and eventually the Earth that glide across the screen to the lilt of "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello, Dolly!
For a bot, the little guy has a lot of personality: He scavenges knickknacks like a flea-market addict, and constant viewings of an old videotape of Hello, Dolly! help him get through the day.
Bambi (1942)
Directed by David Hand
influenced Finding Nemo (2003), Toy Story 5 (2026)
Music Themes Plot
…a side story that features one of the funniest uses of the Bambi soundtrack in years.
For not only do these Sean Penn-mimicking sea turtles slowly slip into a stronger story about paternal love and overcoming fear, but Finding Nemo also connects with these awfully dark themes that are strangely reminiscent of Walt's great classics like Bambi and Dumbo.
The death of Nemo's mother, which occurs early in the film (and is offscreen - no blood or overt violence to speak of) recalls a similar event from the classic Bambi.
The opener, in which clownfish Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) loses his wife and most of their eggs in a barracuda attack, ranks right up there with “Bambi.”
The movie's opening sequence depicts a traumatic loss that brings to mind old-school Disney pics such as Bambi; granted, it's handled in a way that probably won't sink your kids into the slough of despond, but the scene is pretty powerful.
Right off the bat Stanton pulls a "Bambi," when a fishy mom disappears after a scary barracuda attack.
Avatar (2009)
Directed by James Cameron
influenced John Carter (2012), Finding Dory (2016)
Plot Themes
The most recent reference point is Avatar , which, when you boil the plot down to its essentials — a man assimilates with an alien race to help save their planet, falling in love with a native in the process — is almost entirely lifted from Burroughs' story.
Since its story inspired every mainstream fantasy right up to Avatar, John Carter may seem a little old-fashioned, but it’s a solid piece of fantasy entertainment that’s equal parts corny and poignant.
One might have expected this theme to have lost its potency by the 21st century, but it continues to resonate, most recently and spectacularly in "Avatar," which borrowed heavily from Burroughs' John Carter series.
Among the filmmakers who've drawn inspiration from these stories are James Cameron (for "Avatar") and George Lucas (for various elements of "Star Wars"), leaving "John Carter" in the odd cultural position of finally committing to film a story that hugely successful blockbusters have plundered for decades.
James Cameron publicly declared that the John Carter canon was one of the primary inspirations for Avatar, and this new film arrives with all the multi-million-dollar CGI effects we've come to expect (or, in the case of younger audiences, demand) from our fantasy flick fodder.
Star Wars , Dune , Avatar —sift through filmmaker interviews and it's easy to find threads tying their inspiration back to Burroughs.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
influenced John Carter (2012), WALL·E (2008)
Visuals Themes
At its best, it recalls Star Wars and Raiders Of The Lost Ark in the way it joins of-the-moment technology with the sturdy rhythms and easy thrills of an old B-movie.
At its best, John Carter resembles the kind of movie Raiders of the Lost Ark was made to pay homage to, a rollicking, pleasantly predictable Saturday-afternoon serial.
(In the opening act, there is an obvious homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark’s famous prologue.
This is a particularly cruel paradox given that so many beloved films in those genres—from Star Wars (1977), to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), to Avatar (2009)—owe a great debt to the groundbreaking imaginative work in Burroughs’s pulpy Barsoom series, of which A Princess of Mars was the first entry.
Star Wars, E.T., and Raiders of the Lost Ark (not to mention voices for E.T. and Chewbacca) automatically endears him to science fiction fans worldwide.
Yet the individual achievements and mistakes made by Merida, to go along with the relationship with her mother will make for inspirational and entertaining viewing for girls whether child, teen or adult, with Brave doing for mother and daughters what Finding Nemo did for fathers and sons.
Or, more simply put, when compared with the rich attention to humor, subtext and story featured in Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Toy Story 3, Brave comes up short.
Adding a female director to its creative boys' club, the studio has fashioned a resonant tribute to mother-daughter relationships that packs a level of poignancy on par with such beloved male-bonding classics as "Finding Nemo."
“Brave” also signals a changing of the guard within Pixar; while veteran directors Pete Docter (“Up” and “Monsters, Inc.”) and Andrew Stanton ( “WALL-E” and “Finding Nemo” ) serve as executive producers, along with studio head John Lasseter, the directing team of Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman and Steve Purcell is all new.
In the past, Pixar's best female characters (Dory in Finding Nemo, Helen Parr and Edna Mode in The Incredibles) have been triumphs of vocal performance more than writing, and the same holds true here, with Macdonald's beautiful Lowland lilt breathing life into a character who might otherwise have joined a long line of semi-interchangeable Disney princesses.
Then there are the insider references (the main shark is named Bruce, possibly after Spielberg's nickname for the mechanical one in "Jaws") and other bits of humor that are like icing on the cake.
From the play of sunlight on the ocean waves, to the thousands of saw-like notches on the teeth of the Great White Shark Bruce (the name of whom is a little nod to Jaws’ mechanical monster), to the perky freckles that dot Dory’s nose, each frame of Finding Nemo is a visual delight.
One of the sharks is slyly called Bruce, the name of the mechanical shark used in Steven Spielberg's "Jaws."
Their leader, named Bruce after the mechanical shark in “Jaws,” is voiced by Barry Humphries, best known for his stage performances as Dame Edna Everage.
"Finding Nemo" has a laundry list of strong support, from Allison Janney's starfish and Brad Garrett's blowfish to Barry "Dame Edna" Humphries' great white shark Bruce (a nice in-joke for "Jaws" aficionados) and Geoffrey Rush's sympathetic pelican.
Luca (2021)
Directed by Enrico Casarosa
influenced by Finding Nemo (2003), Finding Dory (2016)
Themes Visuals Plot
When Luca's mom tells him, "The world is a very dangerous place," there's a good chance Pixar fans will hear an echo of "Finding Nemo," where the clownfish's fretful dad warns him about the shark-infested world outside their corner of the ocean.
In what seems a delightful nod from Casarosa to Finding Nemo , the opening shows Luca busy with his daily chores, herding a school of fish that bleat like sheep, and greeting other colorful members of the marine community.
Pixar excels at depicting underwater environs, as we’ve of course seen in Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016), and Luca is no exception, with the underwater farming community that “sea monster” Luca belongs to being stunningly rendered in every shade of green and blue.
The underwater scenes in the movie are the most visually stunning, but it’s not too surprising, considering that Pixar is also the studio behind 2003’s far superior, Oscar-winning “Finding Nemo,” which was set primarily underwater.
The early parts are set under the sea, and if you’re thinking “The Little Mermaid” meets “Finding Nemo,” you wouldn’t be too far off.
Missing that heart-wrenching pull (“Inside Out” or “Coco”), that poignant life lesson (“Wall-e,” “Ratatouille,” “Finding Nemo”), and those Pixar tears (yup, I watched twice and no “Inside Out” or “Up” equivalent eye watering for me), Luca ends up being just another adorable character without much grit.
And, yes, since I brought it up, "Superman" co-creator Jerry Siegel was inspired by Burroughs' work as well.
I've described perhaps the first third of the film, and up to this point there is no dialogue; merely chirps, whizzes and beeps that will have you cooing nostalgically with thoughts of R2-D2, with the robot's inviting visual appearance recalling Johnny 5 from guilty '80s pleasure "Short Circuit."
Despite public outcry, WALL-E is nothing like the robot Number 5 from 1986’s “Short Circuit”.
I have to admit, though, that the initial trailers completely turned me off because the film looked painfully cute and the robot brought back bad memories of Short Circuit.
The filmmakers overtly acknowledge the influence of 2001: A Space Odyssey (one robot in the film is specifically designed to resemble HAL 9000's evil eye—cue the "Blue Danube Waltz"), and internet wags have commented on Wall•E's resemblance to Number 5 from Short Circuit , but the most interesting resemblance is to the "B" Ark plot thread from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
He looks like an outtake from Short Circuit; you can only figure out what he's trying to say about half the time (though context helps) and he's rather single-minded of purpose.
Looking like a cross between R2-D2 and Johnny-5 from "Short Circuit", WALLâ?¢E most importantly has a lot of personality, which makes this "Hello Dolly!"-loving buzzing trashcan an instantly adorable creation.
Memento (2000)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
influenced Finding Dory (2016), Finding Nemo (2003)
Plot Characters
Pixar veteran and “Nemo” director Andrew Stanton (who co-wrote here with Victoria Strouse) decided to take these issues a bit more seriously, the result being something oddly reminiscent of a kiddie version of Christopher Nolan ’s “Memento.”
Putting a film on the back of a character with short-term memory loss can be enthralling – look no further than Chris Nolan’s “Memento” – but here it’s a big bummer.
“Finding Dory” is “Memento” under the sea, with a much more chipper lead forever at pains to remember why and where she’s going.
This is not a miscalculation of Cars 2 proportions: Voiced again, quite marvelously, by Ellen DeGeneres, Dory can’t hold onto a short-term memory for more than a few seconds, and that condition (in Memento parlance) remains a strong source of both pathos and punchlines.
It's an aquatic Memento, as the memory-challenged blue tang Dory (Ellen Degeneres does the addled fish's voice) retrieves forgotten images of her childhood.
Despondent, Marlin searches the sea for him, helped along by the ditsy Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), whose gimmick is that she has short-term memory loss, à la Guy Pearce in “Memento.”
But it lacked the depth and the brilliance that defined the other Pixar greats, especially “Finding Nemo,” “WALL*E,” “Up” and the three “Toy Story’s.”
"Cars 2" is a loud, obnoxious, carnival ride of a movie whose only redeeming value is that its merchandise sales - the chief reason for its existence - might help the studio fund three or four more worthy projects down the road that will be on the level of "Up" or "Finding Nemo" or your pick of the "Toy Story" movies.
The beauty of movies like Toy Story and A Bug’s Life (1998) and Finding Nemo (2003) is that they reimagine elements of our own world in a way that makes the familiar fantastical and funny and whimsical; after seeing those films, you can never look at a child’s doll or an anthill or a coral reef the same way again.
What’s missing then is that certain spark, that moment when a movie like The Incredibles or Finding Nemo turns from stellar entertainment into a certain cinematic statement.
Pixar retained its first-class marquee value with such treasures as “Finding Nemo” (2003), “The Incredibles” (2004), “Ratatouille” (2007) and “Wall.E” (2008).
That would be unreasonable, of course, even if Pixar hadn't established itself as the Yankees of CGI animation, whacking home runs with "Toy Story" (1995), "A Bug's Life" (1998), "Toy Story 2" (1999), "Monsters, Inc." (2001), "Finding Nemo" (2003), "The Incredibles" (2004), "Cars" (2006), "Ratatouille" (2007), "WALL-E" (2008), "Up" (2009), and "Toy Story 3" (2010).
There has been some surprising speculation about Christian themes in the storyline , but I believe it is just the typical finding-the-hero-within-after-disillusionment, down to the big reveal about returning home to discover tragedy that we see in everything from “The Searchers” to “Star Wars: A New Hope.”
…Plus fleeting hints of John Ford’s The Searchers — for this is also a Western.
As such, "WALLâ?¢E" recalls the physical humor and poetry of silent comedies, specifically those of Charlie Chaplin -- "City Lights" for the romance, "Modern Times" for the satire, maybe?
Director-screenwriter Andrew Stanton and his Pixar legions have referenced such films as "City Lights" and "Modern Times" and "The Navigator," not simply as a film school exercise but to increase the sentimental resonance of the story and situate it among the classics.
Fans of Smallville or Superman Returns will be reminded of young Clark Kent’s fantastic leaps before he learned to fly.
And, yes, since I brought it up, "Superman" co-creator Jerry Siegel was inspired by Burroughs' work as well.
As such, "WALLâ?¢E" recalls the physical humor and poetry of silent comedies, specifically those of Charlie Chaplin -- "City Lights" for the romance, "Modern Times" for the satire, maybe?
Director-screenwriter Andrew Stanton and his Pixar legions have referenced such films as "City Lights" and "Modern Times" and "The Navigator," not simply as a film school exercise but to increase the sentimental resonance of the story and situate it among the classics.
Think of “John Carter’’ as a landlocked “Waterworld’’ (that 1995 fiasco starring Kevin Costner) with its bare-chested hero wandering through the arid landscape of Mars (called Barsoom by the locals) as a captive of the four-armed, lizard-like Tharks (Willem Dafoe voices their leader) à la “Planet of the Apes.’’
Can you think about “Battlefield Earth” or “Ishtar” or “Waterworld” or “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” — with a net loss amounting to 94 percent of its production cost, pretty much the all-time dog — without laughing?
The film's otherworldly desert vistas, which were primarily shot in Utah, and barely pronounceable creature names have reminded some of 1984's big-budget disaster Dune.
The film could have been a triumph or, even more endearing, a wild folly on the order of David Lynch’s mad science-fiction epic Dune.
David Lynch’s “Dune’’ — one of many films that invites unfavorable comparisons — may be every bit as hard to follow as “John Carter,’’ but at least it didn’t look like dozens of other movies.