feeldb

Big Fish

2003 · 125 min · Director: Tim Burton ★ IMDb 7.9 · 481,014 ratings

Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)

United Press International journalist Will Bloom and his French freelance photojournalist wife Josephine Bloom, who is pregnant with their first child, leave their Paris base to return to Will's hometown of Ashton, Alabama on the news that his father, Edward Bloom, stricken with cancer, will soon die, he being taken off chemotherapy treatment. Although connected indirectly through Will's mother/Edward's wife, Sandra Bloom, Will has been estranged from his father for three years since his and Josephine's wedding. Will's issue with his father is the fanciful tales Edward has told of his life all his life, not only to Will but the whole world. As a child when Edward was largely absent as a traveling salesman, Will believed those stories, but now realizes that he does not know his father, who, as he continues to tell these stories, he will never get to know unless Edward comes clean with the truth before he dies. On the brink of his own family life beginning, Will does not want to be the kind of father Edward has been to him. One of those stories from Edward's childhood - that he saw his own death in the glass eye of a witch - led to him embracing life since he would not have to fear death knowing when and how it would eventually come. The question is whether Will will be able to reconcile Edward's stories against his real life, either directly from Edward before he dies and/or from other sources, and thus allow Will to come to a new understanding of himself and his life, past, present and future.

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Emotional fingerprint

Big Fish (2003) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 30%, Sadness 25%, Awe 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure

20%Awe
  1. Awe20%
  2. Hope15%

AI estimate · no viewer votes yet

How we measure

AI estimate

Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.

Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.

Why it feels this way

The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Sadness, Awe. Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Adventure. AI estimate.

Is it worth watching?

Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Sadness and Awe. Its IMDb rating of 7.9/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 74/100.

How did it make you feel?

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Pick up to three · 0/3

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Emotional journey

AI · from subtitles
  • Love
  • Sadness
  • Curiosity

Not enough subtitle evidence

No dominant emotion

Dominant emotion: Curiosity

Dominant emotion: Sadness

Dominant emotion: Humor

Dominant emotion: Tension

Dominant emotion: Love

Love
Sadness
Curiosity
Emotional journey Emotional intensity over the film’s runtime, from quieter to stronger on a fixed 0–1 scale. Hatched intervals have insufficient subtitle evidence. The table provides the values.
Ending hidden

Dominant emotion

Intensity dips around 3 %, then dips around 13 %, then peaks around 93 %.Ending hidden

Emotional journey
%Approximate minuteDominant emotionOverall intensityLoveSadnessCuriosity
2.5 %≈ 3′Curiosity53 %10 %18 %52 %
7.5 %≈ 9′Curiosity54 %15 %25 %48 %
12.5 %≈ 16′Sadness51 %19 %26 %40 %
17.5 %≈ 22′Curiosity51 %14 %18 %43 %
22.5 %≈ 28′Curiosity53 %11 %10 %48 %
27.5 %≈ 34′Humor53 %13 %11 %44 %
32.5 %≈ 41′Tension53 %13 %16 %41 %
37.5 %≈ 47′Curiosity54 %21 %13 %45 %
42.5 %≈ 53′Love56 %40 %9 %45 %
47.5 %≈ 59′Love60 %53 %14 %38 %
52.5 %≈ 66′Love63 %49 %26 %29 %
57.5 %≈ 72′Sadness63 %33 %43 %28 %
62.5 %≈ 78′Sadness61 %21 %46 %31 %
67.5 %≈ 84′Humor59 %28 %41 %36 %
72.5 %≈ 91′Love56 %36 %40 %43 %
77.5 %≈ 97′Curiosity57 %41 %43 %40 %
82.5 %≈ 103′Love64 %51 %51 %35 %
87.5 %≈ 109′Sadness71 %60 %63 %33 %
92.5 %≈ 116′Sadness75 %65 %68 %24 %
97.5 %≈ 122′Love72 %65 %63 %17 %
Cinderella

Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.

Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.

Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.

Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.

Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.

Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.

AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗

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Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers

Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.

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Cast

Albert Finney

Ed Bloom (senior)

Jessica Lange

Sandra Bloom (senior)

Helena Bonham Carter

Jenny (young & senior) / The Witch

Alison Lohman

Sandra Bloom (young)

Robert Guillaume

Dr. Bennett (senior)

Marion Cotillard

Josephine

MM
Matthew McGrory

Karl the Giant

David Denman

Don Price (age 18-22)

Missi Pyle

Mildred

AT
Ada Tai

Ping

AT
Arlene Tai

Jing

Steve Buscemi

Norther Winslow

Danny DeVito

Amos Calloway

DR
Deep Roy

Mr. Soggybottom

PW
Perry Walston

Ed Bloom (age 10)

HA
Hailey Anne Nelson

Jenny (age 8)

GS
Grayson Stone

Will Bloom (age 6-8)

Details

Directed by
Tim Burton
Written by
John August, Daniel Wallace
Type
Movies
Released
2003
Runtime
125 min
Country
United States
Ratings
★ IMDb 7.9 · 481,014 ratings
Feels mostly
Empathy
Data updated

Where to watch

Data: JustWatch · Wikidata

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Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.