The complete lack of originality found in Hollywood is something I have personally been disappointed with for a countless number of years now.  Seemingly every heavily-marketed flick is based upon something else, whether it be a novel a comic book or various other art forms –nobody can come up with a single original idea.  Well, not nobody, but the amount of innovation hitting theaters is very slim indeed, as pointed out by /Film in their dissection of the top 50 grossing movies of the decade so far.

Among this list, only 2 of the top 30 money-makers are original concepts — Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo (slotted at #15) and DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda (rounding out the top 30).  In fact, taking into consideration the entire list, only 9 of the top grossing movies are new ideas, and 5 of those 9 were created by Pixar.

1 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King New Line Cinema $1,119,110,941 2003
2 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Disney $1,066,179,725 2006
3 The Dark Knight Warner Bros. $1,001,921,825 2008
4 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Warner Bros. $974,733,550 2001
5 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Disney $960,996,492 2007
6 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Warner Bros. $938,212,738 2007
7 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Warner Bros. $929,022,922 2009
8 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers New Line Cinema $925,282,504 2002
9 Shrek 2 DreamWorks SKG $919,838,758 2004
10 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Warner Bros. $895,921,036 2005
11 Spider-Man 3 Columbia $890,871,626 2007
12 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Warner Bros. $878,643,482 2002
13 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 20th Century Fox $878,615,229 2009
14 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring New Line Cinema $870,761,744 2001
15 Finding Nemo Disney / Pixar $864,625,978 2003
16 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 20th Century Fox $848,754,768 2005
17 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Paramount $833,229,011 2009
18 Spider-Man Columbia $821,708,551 2002
19 Shrek the Third DreamWorks SKG $798,958,162 2007
20 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Warner Bros. $795,634,069 2004
21 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Paramount $786,636,033 2008
22 Spider-Man 2 Columbia $783,766,341 2004
23 The Da Vinci Code Sony / Columbia $758,239,851 2006
24 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Disney $745,011,272 2005
25 The Matrix Reloaded Warner Bros. $742,128,461 2003
26 Transformers DreamWorks / Paramount $709,709,780 2007
27 Ice Age: The Meltdown 20th Century Fox $655,388,158 2006
28 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Disney $654,264,015 2003
29 Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 20th Century Fox $649,398,328 2002
30 Kung Fu Panda DreamWorks SKG $631,736,484 2008
31 The Incredibles Disney / Pixar $631,442,092 2004
32 Hancock Columbia $624,386,746 2008
33 Ratatouille Disney / Pixar $623,707,397 2007
34 The Passion of the Christ Newmarket $611,899,420 2004
35 Mamma Mia! Universal $609,841,637 2008
36 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa DreamWorks SKG $603,900,344 2008
37 Casino Royale MGM / Columbia $594,239,066 2006
38 War of the Worlds DreamWorks / Paramount $591,745,540 2005
39 Quantum of Solace MGM / Columbia $586,090,727 2008
40 I Am Legend Warner Bros. $585,349,010 2007
41 Iron Man Paramount $585,133,287 2008
42 Night at the Museum 20th Century Fox $574,480,450 2006
43 King Kong Universal $550,517,357 2005
44 Mission: Impossible II Paramount $546,388,105 2000
45 The Day After Tomorrow 20th Century Fox $544,272,402 2004
46 Madagascar DreamWorks SKG $532,680,671 2005
47 The Simpsons Movie 20th Century Fox $527,071,022 2007
48 Monsters, Inc. Disney / Pixar $525,366,597 2001
49 WALL-E Disney / Pixar $521,268,237 2008
50 Meet the Fockers Universal $516,642,939 2004

And this is exactly why I have so much respect for the animated movie genre, which always had a hard time establishing itself as a serious enough genre.  But time and time again, these studios churn out imaginative films in an otherwise stale; dried-up Hollywood.

Source(s):
Only Two of the Top 30 Grossing Films of This Decade Are Original [slashfilm]

Director: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich Starring: voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe Running Time: 1 hour, 32 minutes Theatrical Release: May 30, 2003 Shop for Finding Nemo Merchandise

Plot Summary

The film follows the epic journeys of two fish – the overly cautious Marlin and his curious son, Nemo – who have become separated in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is taken from their ocean home. Despite his fears of the open sea, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek to find Nemo. Buoyed by the companionship of a friendly-but-forgetful fish named Dory, Marlin finds himself the unlikely hero of a thrilling journey to rescue his son.

Film Review

If you’ve seen either Toy Story film, A Bug’s Life, or 2001′s smash hit Monster’s Inc., then you’re familiar with Pixar Animation Studios. Finding Nemo is the fifth theatrical offering from the studio and is a worthy addition to the growing list of spectacular Pixar productions.

Finding Nemo follows the story of a clown fish named Marlin who loses his only son to a deep sea diver in the ocean and sets on a quest to find him. In the process, Marlin, who is voiced by Albert Brooks, runs into the cute but forgetful Dory who is voiced by Ellen Degeneres. Now although I’m from being a fan of Degeneres or any of her previous work, she actually does an excellent job voicing Dory. Albert Brooks is also perfect as Nemo’s often neurotic father, and all the supporting vocal talents fit like a glove with their characters. It amazes me how Pixar continues to come up with unique and original storylines in clever environments with genuinely funny plot elements. But one of the aspects of Nemo that make this film so amazing to behold, is actually its animation. The underwater shots are so alive and so detailed, it’s downright incredible. There is so much to see and take in that repeated viewing would be ideal to really see everything.

Finding Nemo is amazing and unique in its own way, but probably still not the best work Pixar has done. While their best may yet be ahead of them, Toy Story 2 still stands out in my mind as the most entertaining project from this studio. That is hardly a knock against this film, because, in fact, Finding Nemo is easily their most visually exciting and breathtaking work.

Content-wise, the film’s virtually spotless. There is some violence related to the peril Marlin and Dory must endure, but otherwise Finding Nemo is guiltless entertainment.

So all in all, Finding Nemo is an incredible film that wowed me from start to finish. Go see it in the theaters and take the family. And this is certainly one to add to the DVD library.