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Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo
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Finding Nemo
Various fish gather under the waters of Sydney Harbour (with the Sydney Skyline seen from above), with Marlin (a clownfish) and Dory (a regal blue tang) gathered close together with other sharks and a giant whale behind them.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAndrew Stanton
Screenplay by
Story byAndrew Stanton
Produced byGraham Walters
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byDavid Ian Salter
Music byThomas Newman
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution[a]
Release dates
  • May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18) (Los Angeles)
  • May 30, 2003 (2003-05-30) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$94 million[1]
Box office$940.3 million[1]

Finding Nemo is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure film[2] produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Lee Unkrich, and produced by Graham Walters, from a screenplay written by Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds, based on a story by Stanton. The film stars the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, and Geoffrey Rush. It tells the story of an overprotective clownfish[b] named Marlin (Brooks) who, along with a forgetful regal blue tang named Dory (DeGeneres), searches for his missing son Nemo (Gould). Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and comes to terms with Nemo taking care of himself.

Pre-production of the film began in 1997. The inspiration for Finding Nemo sprang from multiple experiences, going back to Stanton's childhood, when he loved going to the dentist to see the fish tank, assuming that the fish were from the ocean and wanted to go home. To ensure that the movements of the fish in the film were believable, the animators took a crash course in fish biology and oceanography. Thomas Newman composed the score for the film.

First premiering at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on May 18, Finding Nemo was released in theaters in the United States on May 30. Upon its release, it received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised the visual elements, screenplay, animation, Newman's score and characters that have been cited as funny to both young moviegoers and their parents.[4] It became the highest-grossing animated film at the time of its release, and the second-highest-grossing film of 2003, as well as the sixth-highest-grossing film overall at the time of its release, earning a total of $871 million worldwide by the end of its initial theatrical run.[5] The film received four nominations at the 76th Academy Awards, and won the award for Best Animated Feature, becoming the first Pixar and Disney film to do so. In 2008, the American Film Institute named it as the 10th greatest American animated film as part of their 10 Top 10 lists.[6] Since then, it has been widely regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time.[7][8][9]

Finding Nemo is the best-selling DVD title of all time, with over 40 million copies sold as of 2006,[10] and was the highest-grossing G-rated film of all time before Pixar's own Toy Story 3 overtook it. The film was re-released in 3D in 2012. A sequel, Finding Dory, was released in June 2016.

Plot

[edit]

Marlin and Coral, a clownfish couple who are waiting for their eggs to hatch, live on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. After a barracuda knocks Marlin unconscious, Marlin awakens to find Coral and all but one of the eggs gone. Marlin names the surviving child Nemo and vows to keep him safe.

Years later, Marlin and Nemo live in a secluded sea anemone. Nemo is eager to start school and explore the outside world. While dropping Nemo off at school, Marlin warns the teacher of Nemo's deformed pelvic fin. After discovering Nemo's class will be visiting the "drop-off", where the reef meets the open sea, Marlin panics and tries to withdraw Nemo from school. Nemo defiantly swims to a nearby speedboat and is captured by a pair of scuba divers.

Marlin races after the boat and meets Dory, a blue tang with short-term memory loss who offers to help him. The pair encounter Bruce, a Great White Shark who is part of a support group of sharks trying to abstain from eating fish. At the meeting, Marlin finds a diver's mask from the boat with an address written on it. When Marlin accidentally injures Dory, Bruce smells her blood and relapses into a rampage that sets off old naval mines. As they escape, Dory recalls that she can read the address.

Meanwhile, Nemo is placed in a fish tank in dentist Philip Sherman's office in Sydney. He meets the "Tank Gang", led by Gill, a scarred Moorish idol. They inform him that Sherman plans to gift Nemo to his niece, Darla, who has an infamous history of killing her pet fish. To prevent this, Gill hatches an escape plan: Nemo, the smallest of the gang, will clog the tank's filter, forcing Sherman to clean it and bag the fish. Then, they can roll their bags out the window and into the harbour. Nemo attempts the plan but is nearly killed by the filter's machinery in the process, causing Gill to feel deeply regretful.

Dory accidentally drops the mask into an abyss and encourages Marlin to help her search for it. They find the mask but are attacked by an anglerfish. Dory exploits the anglerfish's light to read the address while Marlin traps the anglerfish with the mask. Their victory boosts Marlin's confidence and helps Dory remember the address. Marlin tries to continue his search without Dory until she convinces a school of moonfish to give them directions to the East Australian Current. On their way, Marlin and Dory become trapped in a forest of jellyfish. While trying to escape, they are both stung by jellyfish and fall unconscious.

Marlin and Dory awaken in the East Australian Current with a large group of sea turtles, including Crush and his son, Squirt. Crush teaches Marlin to relax and be less worried about Nemo. News of Marlin's journey spreads across the ocean and reaches Nigel, a pelican who regularly converses with the Tank Gang. Nigel informs Nemo of Marlin's efforts; inspired, Nemo successfully clogs the filter and the tank quickly becomes covered in green algae.

After leaving the current, Marlin and Dory become lost and are consumed by a blue whale. Marlin fears the worst, but Dory urges him to trust the whale, which safely expels them through its blowhole into the Sydney Harbour. Nigel rescues Marlin and Dory from a flock of seagulls and delivers them to Sherman's office, where Nemo is playing dead to fake out Darla. Sherman forces Nigel out and Gill helps Nemo escape down the sink drain and into the harbour.

Believing Nemo is genuinely dead, Marlin says goodbye to Dory and leaves, but Dory soon finds Nemo and reunites them. A fishing trawler captures Dory and a school of groupers. Nemo persuades Marlin to let him swim into the net and lead the groupers down: the fish in turn break the trawler and frees Dory. Marlin praises Nemo's bravery and tells him about his own journey.

Weeks later, Marlin drops Nemo off at school, and Dory arrives shortly afterward. Nemo and Marlin share a warm hug before Marlin waves goodbye to Nemo and tells him to "go have an adventure".

Voice cast

[edit]

[11]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]
Andrew Stanton wrote and directed the film.

The inspiration for Finding Nemo sprang from multiple experiences, going back to director Andrew Stanton's childhood, when he loved going to the dentist to see the fish tank, assuming that the fish were from the ocean and wanted to go home.[12] In 1992, shortly after his son was born, he and his family took a trip to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (which was called Marine World at the time). There, after seeing the shark tube and various exhibits, he felt that the underwater world could be done beautifully in computer animation.[13] Later, in 1997, he took his son for a walk in the park but realized that he was overprotecting him and lost an opportunity to have a father-son experience that day.[12]

In an interview with National Geographic magazine, Stanton said that the idea for the characters of Marlin and Nemo came from a photograph of two clownfish peeking out of an anemone:

It was so arresting. I had no idea what kind of fish they were, but I couldn't take my eyes off them. And as an entertainer, the fact that they were called clownfish—it was perfect. There's almost nothing more appealing than these little fish that want to play peekaboo with you.[14]

In addition, clownfish are colorful, but do not tend to come out of an anemone often. For a character who has to go on a dangerous journey, Stanton felt a clownfish was the perfect type of fish for the character.[12] Pre-production of the film began in early 1997. Stanton began writing the screenplay during the post-production of A Bug's Life. As a result, Finding Nemo began production with a complete screenplay, something that co-director Lee Unkrich called "very unusual for an animated film".[12] The artists took scuba diving lessons to study the coral reef.[12]

Stanton originally planned to use flashbacks to reveal how Coral died but realized that by the end of the film there would be nothing to reveal, deciding to show how she died at the beginning of the movie.[12] The character of Gill also was different from the character seen in the final film. In a scene that was eventually deleted, Gill tells Nemo that he's from a place called Bad Luck Bay and that he has brothers and sisters in order to impress the young clownfish, only for the latter to find out that he was lying by listening to a patient reading a children's storybook that shares exactly the same details.[12]

Casting

[edit]

William H. Macy was the first actor cast as Marlin. Although Macy had recorded most of the dialogue, Stanton felt that the character needed a lighter touch.[15] Stanton then cast Albert Brooks in the role, and in his opinion, it "saved" the film.[12] Brooks liked the idea of Marlin being this clownfish who isn't funny and recorded outtakes of telling very bad jokes.

The idea for the initiation sequence came from a story conference between Stanton and Bob Peterson while they were driving to record the actors. Although he originally envisioned the character of Dory as male, Stanton was inspired to cast Ellen DeGeneres when he watched an episode of Ellen in which he saw her "change the subject five times before finishing one sentence".[12] The pelican character named Gerald (who in the final film ends up swallowing and choking on Marlin and Dory) was originally a friend of Nigel. They were going to play against each other with Nigel being neat and fastidious and Gerald being scruffy and sloppy. The filmmakers could not find an appropriate scene for them that did not slow the pace of the picture, so Gerald's character was minimized.[12]

Stanton himself provided the voice of Crush the sea turtle. He originally did the voice for the film's story reel and assumed they would find an actor later. When Stanton's performance became popular in test screenings, he decided to keep his performance in the film. He recorded all his dialogue while lying on a sofa in Unkrich's office.[12] Crush's son Squirt was voiced by Nicholas Bird, the young son of fellow Pixar director Brad Bird. According to Stanton, the elder Bird was playing a tape recording of his young son around the Pixar studios one day. Stanton felt the voice was "this generation's Thumper" and immediately cast Nicholas.[12]

Megan Mullally was originally going to provide a voice in the film. According to Mullally, the producers were stunned to learn that the voice of her character Karen Walker on the television show Will & Grace was not her natural speaking voice. The producers hired her anyway, and then strongly encouraged her to use her Karen Walker voice for the role. When Mullally refused, she was dismissed.[16]

Animation

[edit]

To ensure that the movements of the fish in the film were believable, the animators took a crash course in fish biology and oceanography. They visited aquariums, went diving in Hawaii, and received in-house lectures from an ichthyologist.[17] As a result, Pixar's animator for Dory, Gini Cruz Santos, integrated "the fish movement, human movement, and facial expressions to make them look and feel like real characters."[18] Production designer Ralph Eggleston created pastel drawings to give the lighting crew led by Sharon Calahan ideas of how every scene in the film should be lit.[19]

The Great white shark, Bruce, is in reference to the animatronic shark used in the Universal film Jaws. The shark they had used on set was nicknamed "Bruce" after Bruce Raiman, who was Steven Spielberg's divorce lawyer.[20] The line "Here's Brucey!" is a reference to the Jack Nicholson line from the 1980 horror film, The Shining.[21] Additionally, the music that plays for the dentist's niece Darla is the theme music from the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho.[22]

The film was dedicated to Glenn McQueen, a Pixar animator who died of melanoma in October 2002.[23] Finding Nemo shares many plot elements with Pierrot the Clownfish,[24] a children's book published in 2002, but allegedly conceived in 1995. The author, Franck Le Calvez, sued Disney for infringement of his intellectual rights and to bar Finding Nemo merchandise in France. The judge ruled against him, citing the color differences between Pierrot and Nemo.[25]

Localization

[edit]
Patrick Stump performed a Navajo version of the end-credits song Beyond the Sea.

In 2016, Disney Character Voices International's senior vice president Rick Dempsey, in collaboration with the Navajo Nation Museum, created a Navajo dubbing of the movie titled Nemo Há’déést’íí which was released in theaters March 18–24 of the same year.[26][27] The project was thought as a means to preserve Navajo language, teaching the language to kids through a Disney movie.[28] The studio held auditions on the reservation, but finding an age-appropriate native speaker to voice Nemo was hard, Dempsey said, as the majority of native Navajo speakers are over 40 years old.[27] The end credits version of the song "Beyond the Sea", covered in the English version by Robbie Williams, was also adapted into Navajo, with Fall Out Boy's lead singer Patrick Stump performing it.[29] In 2016, Finding Nemo was the second movie to receive a dub in Navajo, after Star Wars.[30]

Soundtrack

[edit]
Main article: Finding Nemo (soundtrack)

Finding Nemo was the first Pixar film not to be scored by Randy Newman. The original soundtrack album was instead scored by Thomas Newman, his cousin, and released on May 20, 2003.[31][32] The score was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Score, losing to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[33]

Release

[edit]

Marketing

[edit]

Disney released a teaser trailer of Finding Nemo in June 2002, being first attached to the theatrical release of Lilo & Stitch. The teaser was later attached to the theatrical screenings of Hey Arnold!: The Movie, The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Stuart Little 2 and Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie. The teaser was also attached to the Monsters, Inc. home video release and other Disney home video releases. The next trailer for the film was released in October 2002 and was attached to the theatrical screenings of Treasure Planet and The Wild Thornberrys Movie. The third trailer for the film was released in February 2003 and was attached to the theatrical screening of The Jungle Book 2. The fourth and final trailer for the film was released in March 2003 and was attached to the theatrical screening of Piglet's Big Movie.

McDonald's restaurants began to sell eight Happy Meal toys based on the film.[34] At the 100th North American International Toy Fair event in New York City, Hasbro unveiled a variety of Finding Nemo toys.[35] A cereal themed to the film was released by Kellogg's, consisting of naturally sweetened oats with fish-shaped marshmallows.[36] Finding Nemo was advertised as promotional partners on other companies, like Frito-Lay, Keebler, Pepsi, Ralphs, Dreyer's, Jel Sert, Airheads, Orville Redenbacher's, and THQ. Before May 26, 2003, stickers on over 50 million bags of potato chips alerted consumers to a sweepstakes dangling a trip for four to Sydney, Australia with a visit to the Great Barrier Reef. On May 17, 2003, Frito-Lay hosted an event at each of the Walmart stores, where kids could use 3D goggles to find hidden images of Nemo. Kellogg's packed eight different water toys depicting film characters inside Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Honey Smacks and Cocoa Rice Krispies cereal boxes. The Honey Smacks, Frosted Flakes, Cinnamon Crunch Crispix and Froot Loops boxes also carried a Nemo memory card game on back panels. Plus, a Nemo-themed Marshmallow Froot Loops cereal featured four of the film's characters. Consumers could mail in two UPCs from the three Kellogg's cereals to receive a large beach towel. Besides this, the company unveiled a new type of Pop-Tarts inspired by Finding Nemo. Known as the Great Berry Reef Pop-Tarts, they had a wild berry filling and fish sprinkles. A pool raft was available with two Pop-Tart UPCs and shipping, handled by Draft Worldwide of Chicago. Eggo waffles would offer holographic swimming goggles with the purchase of two of its products with shipping and handling. For their snacks division, Kellogg's offered consumers who purchased two packages of select products and two gallons of milk with a giant inflatable shark. The company advertised the film on Vanilla Wafers, Chips Deluxe, Mini Fudge Shoppe Fudge Stripes, Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, Rice Krispies Treats and limited edition Nemo-themed cookies.[37]

On May 20, 2003, Kellogg's recalled Frosted Flakes cereal boxes due to their extremely close resemblance of a Hasbro memory card game. A lawsuit was filed against the company, which included a full-page reproduction of the front of a Frosted Flakes box with the cereal's familiar Tony the Tiger mascot grinning next to Nemo, Dory and Crush from the film. Disney had licensed the characters to use on the game cards. Hasbro had filed the suit to protect its trademark against blatant infringement.[38]

Theatrical

[edit]

Finding Nemo was not only the fifth Pixar film, but was also the first one to be released during the summer instead of November, as its four predecessors were.[39] The film premiered in Los Angeles on May 18, 2003,[40] and opened in theaters with The Italian Job and Wrong Turn on May 30, 2003.[41]

Home media

[edit]

Finding Nemo was released on VHS and DVD on November 4, 2003, both being THX-certified and taken from the digital source.[42][43] The film's 2-disc Collector's Edition DVD release sold more than 8 million copies on its first day of release, breaking Spider-Man's record for having the highest single-day DVD sales.[44][45] It also surpassed Monsters, Inc. for having the highest single-day record for an animated movie.[44] Within two weeks, it went on to become the best-selling DVD of its time, selling over 15 million copies and beating The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.[46] With over 40 million copies sold, Finding Nemo currently holds the record for the best-selling DVD release of all time.[47] The first disc features a widescreen version, documentaries, galleries and an audio/visual commentary, and the second disc features a full-frame version, games, sneak peeks of other films (including The Incredibles and Home on the Range), bonus shorts (Knick Knack, which was shown alongside the film in theaters, and Exploring the Reef), and the advertising campaign.[48] Both discs also feature introductions from Stanton and Unkrich and "virtual aquariums" based on the film's various settings.[49][48]

The film was then released on both Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray on December 4, 2012, with both a 3-disc and a 5-disc set.[50] In 2019, Finding Nemo was released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.[51][52]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

Original theatrical run

[edit]

During its original theatrical run, Finding Nemo grossed $339.7 million in the United States and Canada and $531.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $871.0 million.[5] It was the second-highest-grossing film of 2003, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[53][54] Finding Nemo also defeated The Matrix Reloaded to become the highest-grossing film of the 2003 summer season.[55] The film sold an estimated 56.4 million tickets in the United States during its initial theatrical run.[1]

On its opening weekend, Finding Nemo earned $70.6 million in the United States and Canada.[56] Upon opening, it was ranked number one at the box office, dethroning Bruce Almighty and The Italian Job.[57] Additionally, it surpassed its predecessor Monsters, Inc. for having the highest domestic opening weekend for an animated film.[57] It would hold this record until Shrek 2 took it the following year.[58] Finding Nemo achieved the third-highest opening weekend for a 2003 film at the time of its release, behind The Matrix Reloaded and X2.[59] During its second weekend, the film dropped to second place behind 2 Fast 2 Furious.[60] It declined by 34% while making $45.8 million.[61] Nevertheless, the film returned to the number one spot the following week. At that point, it earned $29.2 million, bringing the total domestic gross to $192.3 million. Finding Nemo was the first film to reclaim the number one spot since Die Another Day and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002.[62] It would also outgross the weaker openings of Rugrats Go Wild, Hollywood Homicide and Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd.[63] By the film's 20th day of release, Finding Nemo had earned over $200 million.[64] During the film's fourth weekend, it was overtaken by Hulk.[65] Despite this, Finding Nemo continued to draw in large crowds and families throughout the summer season while outgrossing another animated film, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.[66]

By early July 2003, Finding Nemo had earned $274.9 million, replacing The Matrix Reloaded as the top-grossing movie of the year domestically.[67] The film even surpassed Shrek to become the second highest-grossing animated film.[68] Later that month, the film had earned over $300 million, becoming the highest-grossing animated film in the United States and Canada, surpassing The Lion King.[69] By the end of the summer season, Finding Nemo was one of five films to reach $200 million at the box office in a single summer season, with the others being X2, The Matrix Reloaded, Bruce Almighty and Disney's own Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[70] At the end of its theatrical run, Finding Nemo grossed $339.7 million in the United States and Canada and $531.3 million in international territories, totaling $871.0 million worldwide. In all three occasions, it had outgrossed The Lion King to become the highest-grossing animated film. It stayed in the Top 10 until August 14 (11 weeks total).[71] In North America, it was surpassed by both Shrek 2 in 2004 and Toy Story 3 in 2010.[72] Finding Nemo would hold the record for having the highest international gross for an animated film until 2009 when it was taken by Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.[73] Outside North America, it stands as the fifth highest-grossing animated film. Worldwide, it currently ranks as the ninth highest-grossing animated film. Moreover, it was the highest-grossing Disney film for three years before Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest surpassed it.[74] Finding Nemo was also the fourth animated film to make $500 million worldwide, joining Monsters, Inc., Aladdin and The Lion King.[75]

The film had impressive box office runs in many international markets. In Japan, its highest-grossing market after North America, it grossed ¥11.2 billion ($102.4 million), becoming the highest-grossing foreign animated film in local currency (yen).[76] It has only been surpassed by Frozen (¥25.5 billion).[77] Plus, Finding Nemo was the second film by Buena Vista Pictures to reach $100 million in the country, just after Armageddon in 1999.[78] For its Japanese opening weekend, the film earned $10 million, reaching the number one spot ahead of The Last Samurai.[79] In Mexico, it earned $4.7 million, making it the country's second-highest opening weekend, behind Spider-Man.[80] The film also grossed £37.2 million ($67.1 million) in the U.K., Ireland, and Malta.[81] It first generated a total opening weekend gross of £7.4 million ($12.3 million), making it the second-highest of the year, after The Matrix Reloaded.[82] At the Manchester UCI Cinemas, it made a total three-day opening gross of £17,150 ($28,583), becoming the theater's highest-grossing digital film at the time, surpassing Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and numerous other releases.[83] Making £28.7 million ($35.7 million), Finding Nemo was the highest-grossing film released in October 2003 in the region, beating Bad Boys II.[84] Following in biggest grosses are France and the Maghreb region ($64.8 million), Germany ($53.9 million), and Spain ($29.5 million).[81]

3D re-release

[edit]

After the success of the 3D re-release of The Lion King, Disney re-released Finding Nemo in 3D on September 14, 2012,[85] with a conversion cost estimated to be below $5 million.[86] For the opening weekend of its 3D re-release in North America, Finding Nemo grossed $16.7 million, debuting at the No. 2 spot behind Resident Evil: Retribution.[87] The film earned $41.1 million in North America and $28.2 million internationally, for a combined total of $69.3 million, and a cumulative worldwide total of $940.3 million.[1]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 99% of 266 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "Breathtakingly lovely and grounded by the stellar efforts of a well-chosen cast, Finding Nemo adds another beautifully crafted gem to Pixar's crown."[88] Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assigned the film a score of 90 out of 100 based on 38 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[89] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.[90] Finding Nemo was the third Pixar film to achieve this score, following Toy Story 2 in 1999 and Monsters, Inc. in 2001.[90][91]

Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, calling it "one of those rare movies where I wanted to sit in the front row and let the images wash out to the edges of my field of vision".[92] Ed Park of The Village Voice gave the film a positive review, saying "It's an ocean of eye candy that tastes fresh even in this ADD-addled era of SpongeBob SquarePants."[93] Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune gave the film four out of four stars, saying "You connect to these sea creatures as you rarely do with humans in big-screen adventures. The result: a true sunken treasure."[94] Hazel-Dawn Dumpert of LA Weekly gave the film a positive review, saying "As gorgeous a film as Disney's ever put out, with astonishing qualities of light, movement, surface and color at the service of the best professional imaginations money can buy."[95] Beth Jones of The Roanoke Times gave Finding Nemo a five out of five rating, explaining that "several scenes are scarier than Edward Norton's mustache in The Italian Job."[96] Jeff Strickler of the Star Tribune gave the film a positive review, saying it "proves that even when Pixar is not at the top of its game, it still produces better animation than some of its competitors on their best days."[95] Gene Seymour of Newsday gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "The underwater backdrops take your breath away. No, really. They're so lifelike, you almost feel like holding your breath while watching."[95] Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald gave the film four out of four stars, saying "Parental anxiety may not be the kind of stuff children's films are usually made of, but this perfectly enchanting movie knows how to cater to its kiddie audience without condescending to them."[97]

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times gave the film three-and-a-half out of five, saying "The best break of all is that Pixar's traditionally untethered imagination can't be kept under wraps forever, and "Nemo" erupts with sea creatures that showcase Stanton and company's gift for character and peerless eye for skewering contemporary culture."[98] Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald said, "This is not the first time Pixar's animators have been engaged with the natural world, but they've never been as deeply immersed as they are in this undersea Fantasia."[99] Stephen Holden of The New York Times gave the film four out of five stars, saying "Visual imagination and sophisticated wit raise Finding Nemo to a level just below the peaks of Pixar's Toy Story movies and Monsters, Inc.."[100] Terry Lawson of the Detroit Free Press gave the film three out of four, saying "As we now expect from Pixar, even the supporting fish in "Finding Nemo" are more developed as characters than any human in the Mission: Impossible movies."[101] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film three and half out of four, saying "Finding Nemo is an undersea treasure. The most gorgeous of all the Pixar films—which include Toy Story 1 and 2, A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc.—Nemo treats family audiences to a sweet, resonant story and breathtaking visuals. It may lack Monsters, Inc.'s clever humor, but kids will identify with the spunky sea fish Nemo, and adults will relate to Marlin, Nemo's devoted dad."[102] In a positive review, David Edelstein of Slate wrote, "Of all the great vocal characterizations...the showstopper is Brooks, who hasn't had a part this good since Lost in America. His Marlin is tender, cranky, hysterical, yet somehow lucid."[103] Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle gave the film an A−, saying "Finding Nemo lives up to Pixar's high standards for wildly creative visuals, clever comedy, solid characters and an involving story."[104] Jack Garner of Gannett News Service gave it a score of ten out of ten, stating that the film "strikes the perfect balance between the charm and childlike innocence of Disney animation and the cutting-edge humor and hipness of the old Warner Brothers cartoons."[105] Tom Long of The Detroit News gave the film an A−, saying "A simple test of humanity: If you don't laugh aloud while watching it, you've got a battery not a heart."[95]

Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times gave the film four out of four, saying "Enchanting; written with an effortless blend of sweetness and silliness, and animated with such rainbow-hued beauty, you may find yourself wanting to freeze-frame it."[95] Daphne Gordon of the Toronto Star gave the film four out of five, saying "One of the strongest releases from Disney in years, thanks to the work of Andrew Stanton, possibly one of the most successful directors you've never heard of."[95] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe gave the film three and a half out of four, saying "Finding Nemo isn't quite up there with the company's finest work—there's finally a sense of formula setting in—but it's hands down the best family film since Monsters, Inc."[95] C.W. Nevius of The San Francisco Chronicle gave the film four out of four, saying "The visuals pop, the fish emote and the ocean comes alive. That's in the first two minutes. After that, they do some really cool stuff."[106] Gregory M. Lamb of The Christian Science Monitor gave the film a rating of three out of four, calling it "the best animated underwater picture since The Little Mermaid."[107] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post gave the film a positive review, saying "Finding Nemo will engross kids with its absorbing story, brightly drawn characters and lively action, and grown-ups will be equally entertained by the film's subtle humor and the sophistication of its visuals."[95] David Ansen of Newsweek gave the film a positive review, saying "A visual marvel, every frame packed to the gills with clever details, Finding Nemo is the best big-studio release so far this year."[108]

Richard Corliss of Time gave the film a positive review, saying "Nemo, with its ravishing underwater fantasia, manages to trump the design glamour of earlier Pixar films."[109] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A, saying "In this seamless blending of technical brilliance and storytelling verve, the Pixar team has made something as marvelously soulful and innately, fluidly American as jazz."[110] Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three out of four, saying "As eye-popping as Nemo's peepers and as eccentric as this little fish with asymmetrical fins."[95] David Germain of the Associated Press gave the film a positive review, saying "Finding Nemo is laced with smart humor and clever gags, and buoyed by another cheery story of mismatched buddies: a pair of fish voiced by Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres."[111] Anthony Lane of The New Yorker gave the film a positive review, saying "The latest flood of wizardry from Pixar, whose productions, from Toy Story onward, have lent an indispensable vigor and wit to the sagging art of mainstream animation."[112] The 3D re-release prompted a retrospective on the film nine years after its initial release. Stephen Whitty of The Star-Ledger described it as "a genuinely funny and touching film that, in less than a decade, has established itself as a timeless classic."[113] On the 3D re-release, Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly wrote that its emotional power was deepened by "the dimensionality of the oceanic deep" where "the spatial mysteries of watery currents and floating worlds are exactly where 3D explorers were born to boldly go".[114] Pete Vonder Haar of Houston Press also gave the film a scoring of four out of five on the 3-D release, stating that "Gill is Platoon's Sgt. Elias if he'd survived Sgt. Barnes' treachery and returned to civilian life weary and hard-bitten from his experiences. And also a fish."[115]

Finding Nemo was included on a number of best-of lists. The film appeared on professional rankings from BBC and The Independent based on retrospective appraisal, as one of the greatest films of the twenty-first century.[116][117] Several publications have listed it as one of the best animated films, including: IGN (2010),[118] Insider, USA Today, Elle (all 2018),[119][120][121] Parade, Complex, and Time Out New York (all 2021).[122][9][8] In December 2021, the film's screenplay was listed number 60 on the Writers Guild of America's "101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (So Far)".[7] In June 2025, actress Rachel Zegler and filmmaker Rob Marshall cited the film as among their favorites of the 21st century.[123] In July 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of The New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century", finishing at number 152.[124]

Accolades

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Main article: List of Pixar awards and nominations: Finding Nemo

At the 76th Academy Awards, Finding Nemo became the first Pixar film to win the Best Animated Feature category, defeating Brother Bear and The Triplets of Belleville.[33][125] The film received two more Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound Editing, losing both to Lost in Translation and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World respectively.[33] It also won the award for Best Animated Film at the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards, the Saturn Awards the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards, the National Board of Review Awards, the Online Film Critics Society Awards, and the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards.[126] The film received many other awards, including: Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Movie and Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie (Ellen DeGeneres), and the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress (Ellen DeGeneres).[126]

The film was also nominated for two Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (Ellen DeGeneres), a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and two MTV Movie Awards, for Best Movie and Best Comedic Performance (Ellen DeGeneres).[126]

In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten", the best 10 films in 10 "classic" American film genres, after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Finding Nemo was acknowledged as the 10th best film in the animation genre.[6] It was the most recently released film among all 10 lists, and one of only three movies made after the year 2000 (the others being The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Shrek).[127]

American Film Institute recognition:

Environmental concerns and consequences

[edit]

The film's use of clownfish prompted mass purchase of the fish breed as pets in the United States, even though the story portrayed the use of fish as pets negatively and suggested that saltwater aquariums are notably tricky and expensive to maintain.[128] The demand for clownfish was supplied by large-scale harvesting of tropical fish in regions like Vanuatu.[129] The Australian Tourism Commission (ATC) launched several marketing campaigns in China and the United States to improve tourism in Australia, many of them utilizing Finding Nemo clips.[130][131] Queensland used Finding Nemo to draw tourists to promote itself to vacationers.[132] According to National Geographic, "Ironically, Finding Nemo, a movie about the anguish of a captured clownfish, caused home-aquarium demand for them to triple."[133]

Demand for tropical fish skyrocketed after the film's release, causing reef species decimation in Vanuatu and several other reef areas.[134] After seeing the film, some aquarium owners released their pet fish into the ocean, but failed to release them into the correct oceanic habitat, which introduced species that are harmful to the indigenous environment, a practice that is harming reefs worldwide.[135][136]

A 2017 study by researchers from James Cook University in Australia found little evidence for fan-based purchases of wild-caught fish immediately (within 1.5 years of release) following the film.[3]

Legacy

[edit]
Main article: Finding Nemo (franchise)

Sequel

[edit]
Main article: Finding Dory

A spin-off sequel[c] to this film was released in June 2016, titled Finding Dory.[143] It focuses on Dory having a journey to reunite with her parents (Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy).[138][144]

Video games

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Main article: Finding Nemo (video game)

A video game based on the film was released in 2003, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance. The goal of the game is to complete different levels under the roles of Nemo, Marlin or Dory. It includes cut scenes from the movie, and each clip is based on a level. It was also the last Pixar game developed by Traveller's Tales. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews.[145][146][147][148][149][150] A Game Boy Advance sequel, titled Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures, was released in 2004.[151]

Theme park attractions

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Finding Nemo has inspired numerous attractions and properties at Disney Parks around the world, including: Turtle Talk with Crush, which opened in 2004 at Epcot, 2005 in Disney California Adventure Park, 2008 in Hong Kong Disneyland, and 2009 in Tokyo DisneySea; Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, which opened in 2007 in Disneyland Park; The Seas with Nemo & Friends, which opened in 2007 at Epcot; Finding Nemo – The Musical, which opened in 2007 in Disney's Animal Kingdom; and Crush's Coaster, which opened in 2007 at Walt Disney Studios Park.[152][153][154]

Notes

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References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Finding Nemo

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Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated adventure comedy-drama film produced by Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton in his feature directorial debut, the film follows Marlin, an anxious and overprotective clownfish voiced by Albert Brooks, as he embarks on a perilous cross-ocean journey from the to Sydney, Australia, to rescue his young son Nemo—voiced by —after the boy is captured by scuba divers and placed in a dentist's aquarium. Joined by the forgetful but optimistic regal blue tang Dory, voiced by , Marlin confronts sharks, jellyfish, and other ocean dangers while learning to trust and let go. The screenplay was co-written by Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds, with supporting voices including Willem Dafoe as Gill, the leader of the tank gang, and Geoffrey Rush as the pelican Nigel. Released on , 2003, with a runtime of 100 minutes, Finding Nemo was Pixar's fifth and became a critical and commercial phenomenon, earning a 99% approval rating from critics on based on 266 reviews. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the , the first such win for both and , and received additional nominations for Best Original Score and Best Sound Editing. The film grossed $380.8 million in and $941.6 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated film at the time until it was surpassed by others like Frozen in 2014. Its themes of parental love, bravery, and environmental awareness, combined with innovative animation techniques depicting underwater environments, solidified its status as a landmark in animated cinema.

Story and characters

Plot

In the Great Barrier Reef, a named Marlin lives with his wife in a , where she has laid a clutch of eggs. A attacks their home, killing and all but one egg, from which Nemo hatches with a small, deformed that Marlin calls his "lucky fin." Traumatized by the loss, Marlin becomes extremely overprotective of Nemo, restricting his activities and warning him constantly about ocean dangers. On Nemo's first day of school, guided by their teacher Mr. Ray, the class approaches the "drop-off," a steep edge beyond which forbids Nemo from swimming. Defiant and eager to prove himself, Nemo ventures closer to a passing and touches it, only to be captured in a diver's net and transported away in a . races after the but loses it, then encounters Dory, a regal tang with severe loss, who briefly recalls seeing the diver's mask with an address: "P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, ." Determined to find Nemo, and Dory embark on a perilous cross-ocean journey. They first attend a meeting of the Fish-Friendly Sharks , where the sharks chant "Fish are friends, not food" and they meet , but a blood scent from Dory's injury triggers his primal instincts, leading to a chaotic chase through a sunken . Deeper in the ocean, they consult an for directions, but it turns aggressive, forcing them to fight for the glowing lure. Later, navigating a vast field, Dory leads the way using her bioluminescent distraction but becomes severely stung, leaving to drag her to safety. Recovering near a trench, they meet Crush, a laid-back sea turtle, and his family, who teach Marlin to embrace adventure and carry them swiftly through the East Australian Current toward Sydney. Ejected from the current, Marlin and Dory follow misleading advice from theatrical moonfish and accidentally alert pursuing sharks before being swallowed by a blue whale. Inside the whale, Dory reads migration instructions on the wall and convinces Marlin to trust her; Nemo, having been carried in the whale's mouth, signals from below to help them block the whale's spout, leading to their expulsion into Sydney Harbour. Meanwhile, in , Nemo arrives at a dentist's office and is placed in a fish tank inhabited by the "Tank Gang": , a with scarred fins; Bloat, a porcupine pufferfish; , a ; Gurgle, a ; Deb, a ; Bubbles, a ; and , a Pacific cleaner shrimp. Under 's leadership, the gang reveals their repeated failed escape attempts and enlists Nemo in a plan to jam the tank's filter with a pebble, disguised as part of a "fishy-fizz" trick. Nemo succeeds in blocking the filter, causing the tank to become filthy and forcing the dentist to clean it manually, but the dentist intervenes just as Nemo prepares to swim free. As the dentist prepares to transfer Nemo to a new tank for his niece Darla, propels Nemo out the window using the tank's debris, sending him into Harbour. Nemo hitches a ride with a named to the harbor, where and Dory, now aided by a flock of pelicans, learn of the tank but arrive too late, witnessing what appears to be Nemo's lifeless body floating away and believing him dead. Heartbroken, bids farewell to Dory and prepares to return , but Dory, swimming away, suddenly remembers Nemo due to his unique fin and spots the real Nemo hiding nearby. Reunited briefly, Nemo and Dory are caught in a fisherman's net alongside a . Nemo urges the fish to swim downward to break the net, a lesson echoing Crush's earlier advice, successfully freeing them all. arrives in time to join the escape, and the family, now including Dory, rides sea turtles back to the . There, drops Nemo off at school with newfound trust, allowing him greater independence, while the Tank Gang arrives via a , finally free, and Dory becomes a welcomed part of their lives.

Characters

Nemo is the young protagonist of the film, a six-year-old (Amphiprion ocellaris) characterized by his curiosity and eagerness to explore the world beyond his sheltered home in a on the . Born with a smaller right pectoral fin, referred to as his "lucky fin," Nemo's fuels his determination to prove himself, motivating his impulsive actions that drive the central conflict. His role highlights themes of and resilience as he adapts to and inspires others around him. Marlin serves as Nemo's overprotective father and co-protagonist, another (Amphiprion ocellaris) who lives in constant fear after a tragic loss, making him cautious and reluctant to venture far from home. His motivation stems from deep paternal love and anxiety, compelling him to embark on a perilous journey to rescue Nemo, during which he gradually learns to trust others and embrace adventure. Marlin's design draws from the symbiotic relationship of real clownfish with anemones, emphasizing his protective instincts rooted in survival behaviors observed in the species. Dory is Marlin's optimistic companion on the quest, a regal blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) plagued by loss that hinders her recall but endows her with relentless positivity and friendliness. Her role provides and emotional support, using her ability to speak and unwavering enthusiasm to aid the search, while her design reflects the vibrant blue hues and surgeonfish traits of her real-life counterpart, known for their bold swimming patterns in coral reefs. Coral, Marlin's wife and Nemo's mother, is a clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) who appears briefly in the film's opening, embodying maternal protectiveness as she prepares to lay eggs near the reef. Her tragic fate underscores Marlin's backstory of loss, shaping his personality and the narrative's emotional foundation. The Tank Gang consists of a diverse group of aquarium captives in a Sydney dentist's office who befriend Nemo and aid his escape attempts, each member's personality and design inspired by distinct marine species to reflect their quirky dynamics. Gill, the scarred Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus) with one damaged fin, leads as a determined and charismatic strategist, motivating the group with elaborate breakout plans drawn from his wild origins. Bloat, a porcupine pufferfish (Diodon holacanthus), is the sarcastic blowfish who inflates in frustration, providing comic tension while questioning the feasibility of freedom. Peach, a level-headed sea star attached to the tank wall, acts as the observant voice of reason, her sessile nature mirroring real echinoderms that rely on passive positioning. Gurgle, a hypochondriac royal gramma (Gramma loreto), fixates on cleanliness and germs, his vibrant purple-and-yellow stripes evoking the species' reef-dwelling habits. Bubbles, an attention-seeking yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), communicates only through bubbles from his filter, highlighting his playful yet needy role in group interactions. Deb, a paranoid damselfish (Pomacentridae family) who believes the tank is her ocean and her reflection is her sister, adds familial delusion to the ensemble, based on the territorial behaviors of real damselfish. Jacques, a meticulous cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis), serves as the group's groomer with his precise French accent, accurately depicting the symbiotic cleaning role of such shrimp in marine ecosystems. Crush is a laid-back (Chelonia mydas) who embodies a surfer-dude , guiding and Dory through ocean currents with relaxed wisdom and slang-filled advice. His role facilitates the journey's progression, introducing the as a narrative device, while his design captures the species' migratory prowess and patterns. The accompanying hatchlings, including Crush's son Squirt, represent youthful energy and learning, mirroring real life cycles from nesting to oceanic dispersal. Nigel, a gossipy (Pelecanus occidentalis), functions as the Tank Gang's external ally in Harbour, relaying news of Marlin's exploits to inspire Nemo's hope. His curious and sociable nature drives key plot connections, with his design inspired by the bird's real diving and pouch-feeding behaviors, adapted to an Australian setting despite the species' primary American range.

Voice cast

The voice cast of Finding Nemo features a ensemble of prominent actors delivering performances tailored to the film's underwater characters, with many recording sessions emphasizing to enhance emotional depth and humor. The principal roles were filled by experienced voice talents, including as the anxious Marlin, as the forgetful blue tang Dory, and child actor as the young Nemo. Supporting the protagonists are as the scarred Gill, as the laid-back pelican Nigel, and as Marlin's wife Coral. Additional key voices include as the blowfish Bloat, as the starfish Peach, as the hammerhead shark Anchor, as the Chum, and as the shark leader Bruce. Director provided the voice for the Crush, while voiced the fish Tad and additional roles.
ActorRole
Dory
Nemo
Gill
Nigel
Coral
Bloat
Peach
Anchor
Chum
Bruce
Crush
Tad / Additional turtles
Albert Brooks' portrayal of Marlin drew heavily on improvisation during recording sessions, infusing the character's anxiety with authentic, spontaneous delivery that captured the clownfish's overprotective nature. Brooks often ad-libbed lines to emphasize Marlin's neurotic humor, such as relating the role to clowning elements, which added layers to the performance beyond the script. Similarly, Ellen DeGeneres contributed ad-libbed lines to Dory's forgetful persona, particularly in comedic moments that highlighted her short-term memory loss, making the recordings lively and prompting laughter from the crew. These improvisational elements were integral to the recording process, allowing actors to refine their characters' voices in isolation before integration with the animation.

Production

Development

The development of Finding Nemo began in 1997, when Pixar writer and director pitched the concept of an underwater adventure centered on a father searching for his son, inspired by a photograph of two hiding in an . This idea stemmed from Stanton's interest in ocean settings and family dynamics, drawing on his childhood fascination with aquarium fish tanks at and a personal desire to explore a realistic portrayal of beyond romanticized depictions like those in . Stanton completed the first draft of the script in under a year, focusing initially on the emotional core of parental overprotectiveness and a son's independence. The project was officially greenlit by and in as their fifth collaborative feature, with a of $94 million and a targeted summer 2003 release. served as and director, refining the script over five years through 's iterative "" feedback process, which emphasized emotional authenticity in the father-son relationship. Influences from Stanton's own parenting experiences were pivotal; during a walk with his five-year-old son, he recognized how his anxiety mirrored the overprotective traits he assigned to , transforming the story into a personal exploration of letting go. To ensure visual and behavioral accuracy, the production team conducted multiple research trips to , , and the , including a significant expedition in 2002 to study marine environments and clownfish habitats firsthand. These visits informed the film's depiction of ocean currents, reef ecosystems, and fish interactions, grounding the narrative in real-world details while allowing creative liberties for storytelling. Stanton also consulted marine biology books and experts to authenticate elements like anemone symbiosis. By early 2002, story reels were screened for licensees, marking a key milestone in as the team finalized the script's structure around Marlin's transformative journey.

Casting

Director Andrew Stanton aimed to cast voice actors who could deliver relatable, emotionally resonant performances infused with humor to suit the film's adventurous tone. Initially, William H. Macy was selected for the role of Marlin, recording much of the dialogue, but Stanton found his interpretation too dramatic and lacking comedic energy, leading to the decision to recast the part. Albert Brooks was chosen after an audition that captured Marlin's inherent anxiety in a natural, humorous way, with Stanton later stating in the film's DVD commentary that Brooks' performance "saved the picture." For Dory, Stanton originally conceived the character as male but revised the concept after watching on her , where her tendency to veer off on tangents inspired the forgetful blue tang's loss trait. He immediately recognized her voice as perfect for the role, shifting Dory to female and casting DeGeneres to bring levity and warmth to the companionship with . Alexander Gould, aged 9 during production, voiced Nemo, requiring multiple recording sessions to accommodate his youth and ensure the character's youthful innocence and determination shone through. drew upon his experience portraying a convict in the 2000 film to inform Gill's gravelly, authoritative tone, evoking the scarred resilience of a leader in the tank's confined "prison" environment. Voice recording primarily occurred in individual sessions at to allow actors flexibility, though select group sessions facilitated chemistry among the Tank Gang members; the process spanned approximately 18 months, commencing in 2001 amid the film's ongoing production.

The animation of Finding Nemo relied on Pixar's proprietary RenderMan software for rendering the film's underwater environments, marking it as the studio's fifth feature fully produced using this tool to handle complex lighting, reflections, and refractions essential for simulating depths. Production began in January 2000 at Pixar's Emeryville studio with a crew that peaked at 180 artists and technicians, including supervising animator and directing animators Mark Walsh and Alan Barillaro, who led a team of 28 to 50 in crafting naturalistic movements inspired by classical principles from films like . To ensure biological accuracy, the team consulted ichthyologist Adam Summers, who delivered 12 lectures on behavior and locomotion, influencing the 3D models to reflect real marine while allowing for expressive . Key challenges centered on replicating the of the ocean, where water proved the most difficult element in due to the need for realistic light scattering, particulate murk, caustics, and surge effects. The animators developed new tools for bubbles, ripples, and rings, integrating them into nearly every shot to convey the immersive underwater world without overwhelming computational resources. Fish movements were particularly demanding, as the characters lacked limbs for traditional gesturing; solutions involved detailed facial articulation, body undulations, and environmental interactions, with early tests at the guiding the blend of procedural and hand-keyed animation for schools of fish and individual swimmers. Innovations included proprietary procedural techniques for organic elements, such as the home to and Nemo, where 95% of the motion was generated algorithmically using modified fur simulation software from Monsters, Inc.—adapted for rather than to mimic tentacle sway in currents. In the chase sequence along the , procedural animation handled the dynamic surfing of sea turtles, capturing their fluid, weightless propulsion through volumetric simulations of water flow and shell textures. The dentist's tank scenes demanded meticulous detailing of the enclosed environment, including decorations like a miniature castle and treasure chest, alongside growth simulations to depict the deteriorating water quality as the filter fails, emphasizing the characters' desperation through subtle visual decay. The pre-production phase generated 43,536 storyboards to map out the narrative's visual flow, allowing iterative refinements before full animation. These efforts, combined with research trips to aquariums that informed model designs, resulted in a pioneering depiction of marine life that balanced scientific fidelity with emotional storytelling.

Music and sound design

The score for Finding Nemo was composed by Thomas Newman, who crafted a whimsical and emotional soundtrack using orchestral elements, including piano and strings, to underscore the film's themes of family and adventure. Newman, a frequent Pixar collaborator, recorded the music with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at The Village studio in Los Angeles, integrating it closely with the animation to enhance key sequences like the ocean journey and emotional reunions. The score was produced by Newman and Bill Bernstein, and its innovative use of motifs for characters like Marlin and Dory contributed to the film's immersive quality. The sound design for Finding Nemo was led by seven-time Academy Award-winning sound designer , who served as supervising sound editor, sound designer, and re-recording mixer at . Rydstrom's team focused on crafting an immersive underwater audio environment by recording real-world ambiences, including water sloshing and crashing waves, in locations such as the open , jacuzzis, and coastal caves to capture authentic yet enhanced marine textures. These recordings were supplemented with non-traditional sources, such as water balloons, to generate vast sounds that conveyed the film's expansive aquatic world. Custom sound effects were developed to match the animation's playful and perilous underwater sequences, emphasizing tactile and organic qualities. For instance, the resonant "glug" of bouncing was achieved using a , while goofy bubble sounds were derived from microphones moved through pet store aquariums to mimic the film's bubbly, lighthearted moments. The interior of the was approximated with echoes from a coastal recording, adding a sense of vast, echoing enclosure during the characters' perilous journey. Foley work, also handled at , incorporated everyday inspirations like a real dentist drill captured during an assistant's dental visit to replicate the chaotic dental office scene. Mixing emphasized the muffled, diffused quality of underwater audio to heighten immersion, as real submerged recordings proved too dull and were thus creatively manufactured for dynamic contrast between confined fish tank scenes and the open ocean. Sounds were meticulously integrated with the , serving as a narrative partner to enhance emotional beats and visual action without overpowering the dialogue or score. This approach resulted in a layered that supported the film's themes of adventure and discovery, earning nominations for Best Sound Editing at the .

Soundtrack

Original score

The original score for Finding Nemo was composed by , marking his first project with Animation Studios and his debut in scoring an animated . Newman's approach blended traditional orchestral writing with innovative electronic elements, creating a whimsical yet emotionally resonant tailored to the film's underwater adventure and themes of family separation and reunion. The score consists of 40 cues, totaling approximately 60 minutes, and features Newman's signature use of pedal fifth harmonies and fluctuating major/minor melodies to underscore moments of wonder and tension. Stylistically, the score employs minimalist motifs that evoke the fluidity and mystery of the , using subtle textures to support the narrative's emotional arcs rather than overpowering them. Instruments such as , , woodwinds, strings, and synthesizers (including synth pads and electronic beds) create a sense of ethereal movement, while unique additions like the Tahitian , , and Waldorf wave add playful, exotic accents to discovery and exploration scenes. Key cues include "Wow," which opens the film with a gentle introduction over electronics to highlight the awe of Nemo's birth and the ocean's beauty, and "Jellyfish Forest," a vibrant track that builds energy through orchestral swells for tense, adventurous sequences. Other emotional peaks, such as in "Finding Nemo," utilize lyrical and strings to emphasize reunion and resolution. The score was recorded in with a large under Newman's direction, capturing its through live performances that integrated seamlessly with the film's . This process allowed for the score's intimate yet expansive quality, focusing on themes of loss through subdued, poignant passages and reunion via uplifting, harmonious resolutions.

Soundtrack album

The Finding Nemo soundtrack album, titled Finding Nemo (An Original Soundtrack), was released by on May 20, 2003. Composed primarily by , the album includes 40 tracks featuring instrumental selections from the film's score as well as the end-credits rendition of "Beyond the Sea" performed by . These bonus elements, such as the cover of the classic song, were selected to complement the score's oceanic themes and provide a commercial to the film's narrative closure. The production of the album involved overseeing the selection and sequencing of cues from his original score, recorded with the at the Sony Scoring Stage in . Tracks like "Wow," "," and "Nemo Egg (Main Title)" capture key emotional and adventurous moments, while shorter cues emphasize the film's whimsical underwater world. Commercially, the album entered the Soundtracks chart and reached a peak position of number 14 on June 21, 2003.

Release

Marketing and promotion

The marketing campaign for Finding Nemo was led by Disney, dedicated to building anticipation for the family-oriented animated film. Trailers were attached to screenings of Ice Age, helping to generate early buzz among audiences. The campaign's iconic tagline, "There are 3.7 trillion fish in the ocean... one of them is named Nemo," emphasized the film's adventurous quest narrative and was prominently featured in promotional materials. Key partnerships extended the promotion beyond traditional advertising, including a tie-in with Happy Meals that offered collectible toys based on the film's characters from May 30 to June 26, 2003, alongside complementary merchandise such as and apparel. Environmental initiatives were integrated to highlight conservation themes to align with the movie's underwater setting and educate young viewers. The world premiere took place on May 18, 2003, at the in Hollywood, attended by the voice cast and Pixar team. Press junkets focused on the film's family themes, with interviews underscoring the emotional father-son story to appeal to parents and children alike. The film opened in theaters on May 30, 2003.

Theatrical release

Finding Nemo premiered at the in on May 18, 2003, before its wide theatrical release in the United States and on May 30, 2003. The film was distributed domestically by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution and received a G rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, suitable for all audiences despite some intense sequences involving ocean predators and separation anxiety. It was presented in both standard 35mm and formats, with the large-format screenings commencing later in the summer to capitalize on the film's visuals. Trailers promoting the film's themes of and adventure had built anticipation leading into the release. The international rollout began shortly after the domestic debut, starting in early June 2003 in markets such as and on June 6. In , where the story is set along the and in Harbour, the film opened on August 28, 2003, with promotional events highlighting local landmarks to engage audiences. The release followed on September 5, 2003, in . This staggered global distribution allowed for localized marketing while ensuring broad accessibility through Disney's international network.

Home media

The home video release of Finding Nemo began with its debut on VHS and DVD on November 4, 2003, in a two-disc Collector's Edition format that included behind-the-scenes featurettes such as "The Art of Finding Nemo," deleted scenes, and virtual aquariums. This initial release set records, selling 8 million units on its first day in alone. Within two weeks, sales reached 15 million units, establishing it as the best-selling DVD launch at the time. Overall, the film has sold over 40 million DVD copies worldwide, making it the best-selling DVD title in history. Subsequent high-definition releases expanded accessibility. The film arrived on Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on December 4, 2012, as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, bundled with a and additional bonus materials like interactive commentaries and short films. A standalone 3D Blu-ray edition followed in select markets in 2013. In 2019, Finding Nemo was released in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as part of Disney's Signature Collection, featuring enhanced visuals, audio, and new featurettes exploring the film's production and environmental themes. Digital downloads became available through platforms like and starting in the early 2010s, allowing consumers to purchase and stream the film on multiple devices. These various home media formats have contributed substantially to the film's enduring commercial success beyond its theatrical run.

Reception

Box office performance

Finding Nemo premiered in North American theaters on May 30, 2003, opening to $70.3 million over the weekend, which set records for the biggest opening weekend for an animated film and the highest debut at the time. The film's strong initial performance was bolstered by extensive marketing efforts that built anticipation among families. Over its original theatrical run, Finding Nemo grossed $871 million worldwide against a of $94 million, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time until it was surpassed by in 2004. In the United States and , its initial run earned $340 million, while international markets contributed $531 million, outperforming contemporaries like the original ($484 million worldwide). On September 14, 2012, the film was re-released in 3D, generating an additional $69.3 million globally and elevating the cumulative worldwide total to $941.6 million. This re-release added $17 million in its North American opening weekend alone, ranking second behind Resident Evil: Retribution.

Critical response

Upon its theatrical release in 2003, Finding Nemo garnered widespread critical acclaim, achieving a 99% approval rating on from 266 reviews, with critics lauding its blend of humor, heartfelt storytelling, and technical innovation. The film also earned a Metascore of 90 out of 100 on , based on 38 critic reviews, reflecting universal praise for its engaging narrative and visual spectacle. awarded it four out of four stars, highlighting the emotional depth of its father-son journey and the comedic wackiness characteristic of Pixar's animation style. Reviewers frequently commended director Andrew Stanton's assured storytelling, which balanced adventure with poignant family dynamics, as noted in The Guardian's assessment of his "superb direction." Thomas Newman's score was similarly celebrated for its dynamic and evocative underwater ambiance, described by Filmtracks as one of his most diverse and accessible works. The voice acting, particularly Albert Brooks as the anxious clownfish Marlin and Ellen DeGeneres as the forgetful Dory, drew high praise for infusing the characters with charm and relatability, with The Hollywood Reporter calling the casting "perfectly cast" for the comic adventure. While the film's exploration of parental protectiveness and independence resonated deeply, some critics offered minor critiques regarding the plot's occasional predictability in its quest narrative. In retrospective analyses during the 2020s, Finding Nemo has maintained its high regard, with outlets like the affirming its status as an ultimate parenting movie for its timeless depiction of letting go and familial growth. The positive critical buzz surrounding the significantly contributed to its success.

Accolades

_Finding Nemo received widespread recognition from major awards bodies, earning a total of 49 wins and 63 nominations across various ceremonies. The film was particularly celebrated for its animation, storytelling, and technical achievements. At the in 2004, Finding Nemo won the Best Animated Feature award, marking the first win in the category for Animation Studios and [Walt Disney Pictures](/page/Walt Disney_Pictures). It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay (, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds), Best Original Score (), and Best Sound Editing (, Michael Silvers). The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 61st but did not win. Finding Nemo secured a win for Best Animated Film at the 30th , presented by the Academy of , Fantasy & Horror Films. At the 31st , organized by the International Animated Film Society, the film received 12 nominations and won nine awards, including Best Animated Feature, Directing in an Animated Feature Production (), and Writing in an Animated Feature Production (, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds).

Environmental impact

The production of Finding Nemo involved extensive consultations with marine biologists and ichthyologists to ensure accurate portrayals of ocean life, including the symbiotic relationship between and sea anemones, clownfish territorial behaviors, and the navigational abilities of species like turtles. These efforts drew from real-world observations, such as trips for animators, to depict authentic marine environments while highlighting threats like through scenes of waste and gear endangering sea creatures. The film's narrative also addressed the aquarium trade by centering on Nemo's capture and transport, raising viewer awareness of the stresses faced by wild-caught fish. Finding Nemo significantly boosted public interest in coral reefs and , inspiring educational initiatives and a surge in visits to public aquariums, where exhibits on ecosystems saw increased attendance and membership growth following the film's release. This heightened engagement contributed to the establishment of the Saving Nemo Conservation Fund in 2016, which promotes programs, awareness campaigns, and research to mitigate overcollection of ornamental fish like , while encouraging donations to support reef protection efforts. The movie's portrayal of vibrant reef habitats and fostered broader advocacy, including calls for sustainable fishing practices to preserve marine biodiversity. Despite these benefits, the film drew for anthropomorphizing marine animals, which some experts argued could desensitize audiences to real ecological challenges by prioritizing emotional storytelling over factual . A primary controversy was the so-called "Nemo Effect," referring to a perceived spike in demand for as aquarium pets post-release, which reportedly tripled imports in some regions and strained wild populations through unsustainable harvesting methods like . However, empirical studies have found limited evidence of long-term harm to fisheries, suggesting the film's overall impact leaned toward increased environmental awareness rather than net negative effects on trade.

Legacy

Cultural influence

_Finding Nemo has permeated through its memorable quotes, which have entered everyday language as symbols of resilience and optimism. Dory's line "Just keep swimming" has become a widely adopted for perseverance during challenging times, frequently referenced in motivational contexts and discussions. The film's themes of parental overprotectiveness, exemplified by Marlin's anxious hovering over Nemo, have influenced conversations on "helicopter parenting," highlighting the need for children to experience and risk to foster growth. The movie's success extended to extensive , with generating substantial revenue from toys, apparel, and books featuring characters like Nemo and Dory, contributing to the broader franchise's licensed product sales exceeding $50 billion annually in later years. Nemo has also served as a in conservation campaigns, appearing in educational programs and events to promote protection, particularly in regions like where reef preservation efforts leverage the character's familiarity. Beyond entertainment, Finding Nemo sparked increased public interest in by vividly portraying underwater ecosystems, encouraging aquarium hobbyists and aspiring scientists to explore life. In the 2020s, analyses of effects on marine species have revisited the film, noting how warming s cause to shrink in size to cope with heat stress, underscoring the film's relevance to contemporary environmental narratives in children's media. This enduring cultural footprint has amplified awareness of threats, complementing broader ecological advocacy efforts.

Sequels and spin-offs

The primary sequel to Finding Nemo is (2016), directed by , who also helmed the original film. The story centers on Dory's backstory, exploring her early life and family while reuniting her with and Nemo on a journey to a institute. Key returning voice actors include as Dory and as Marlin. The film grossed $1.028 billion worldwide, becoming one of Pixar's highest-earning releases. Other spin-offs include short films tied to the franchise's educational themes. A notable example is the 2003 animated/live-action short Exploring the Reef with , which features the oceanographer's documentary on the interrupted by appearances from Nemo, , and Dory to highlight . As of 2025, recent developments in the franchise remain speculative without official confirmation from . In May 2024, president indicated in a Bloomberg interview that the studio was considering a third Finding Nemo film, potentially titled Finding , amid a strategic shift toward sequels for established IPs like Finding Nemo and . Reports from June 2024 highlighted concerns over sequel fatigue, noting risks of narrative repetition despite the prior films' combined $2 billion-plus success. Earlier rumors from 2022 suggested a animated series in early development, but no updates or greenlights have been announced by late 2025.

Video games

The primary video game adaptation of Finding Nemo was released in 2003 by , developed by for consoles and Vicarious Visions for handheld platforms, closely following the film's plot through an action-adventure format where players control , Dory, or Nemo to navigate underwater levels involving swimming, puzzle-solving, and mini-games. The game launched on May 5, 2003, for , , , and Windows (with a distinct point-and-click version for PC aimed at younger audiences), as well as Macintosh, featuring 3D environments that recreate key scenes from the movie such as the drop-off and the Harbour. Gameplay emphasizes and light platforming, with controls allowing fish to swim freely in open areas, though critics noted mixed reception due to occasionally clunky controls, simplistic puzzles, and uneven difficulty that frustrated some players despite strong visuals and from the film's cast. The title contributed significantly to 's fiscal first-quarter revenue of $98.1 million in 2003, marking a 14% increase year-over-year and establishing it as one of the publisher's top-selling licensed games that year. A companion version for the Game Boy Advance, also titled Finding Nemo and developed by Vicarious Visions, was released on May 12, 2003, as a 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer that adapts the story into bite-sized levels focused on evasion, item collection, and boss encounters with creatures. This handheld iteration streamlined the console experience for portable play, incorporating touch-friendly mechanics like bubble-popping challenges and emphasizing quick reflexes over complex navigation, earning praise for its faithful adaptation but criticism for repetitive level design. Subsequent mobile titles expanded the franchise's interactive offerings. Nemo's Reef, a match-3 puzzle game with reef-building simulation elements, was released in December 2012 by for and Android to coincide with the film's 3D re-release, allowing players to construct underwater habitats, collect fish species, and learn about conservation through educational pop-ups and eco-themed quests. The app encouraged environmental awareness by highlighting real facts and was discontinued in June 2017 after attracting millions of downloads. In 2016, tie-in games for included Finding Dory: Just Keep Swimming, a mobile and bubble-popping adventure for and Android where players guide Dory through levels mirroring the sequel's journey, released on June 2, 2016, by . Additionally, a playset was integrated into for consoles and PC, featuring open-world exploration with customizable characters from the film in a post-movie setting. Across platforms, the Finding Nemo video games achieved commercial success, with the releases alone generating tens of millions in revenue and contributing to over 5 million units sold worldwide by the mid-2000s, underscoring the film's strong merchandising appeal.

Theme park attractions

is an located in the World Nature pavilion at in Resort, which opened on October 10, 2007. Guests board clam-shaped vehicles called "clamobiles" and embark on a gentle underwater journey recreating scenes from Disney·Pixar's Finding Nemo, featuring audio-animatronic characters like , Dory, and Nemo, along with projected environments depicting the . Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is a submarine-themed attraction in Tomorrowland at , which debuted on June 11, 2007, retheming the original . Riders descend into a 200,000-gallon underwater lagoon simulating an ocean reef, encountering life-size of film characters such as Crush and the Turtle School, enhanced by fiber-optic lighting and bubble effects for an immersive dive. The ride undergoes periodic seasonal closures for maintenance to ensure safety and operational integrity, including a major refurbishment from 2020 to 2022. Turtle Talk with Crush is an interactive live show featuring the character Crush from Finding Nemo, utilizing real-time animation technology to allow guests to converse directly with the and other inhabitants. The experience, which premiered at on November 16, 2004, and at on July 1, 2005, invites audience participation through microphones, with Crush responding improvisationally to questions in a 15-minute held in a theater setting. A version also operates at , where guests engage similarly in a dedicated venue. Additional Finding Nemo-inspired attractions include Nemo & Friends SeaRider, a motion-based simulator ride at that opened on May 12, 2017, placing guests in a submersible vehicle to explore the ocean alongside Nemo and Dory through dynamic 4D effects and high-definition projections. , a spinning roller coaster, operates at in since June 9, 2007, where turtle-shell cars twist through a dimly lit scene with projections of schooling fish and marine life. In 2025, introduced limited-time Finding Nemo-themed photo opportunities and themed treats, such as character-inspired snacks at Dino-Bite Snacks, available to annual passholders through September.

Stage adaptations

Finding Nemo: The Musical premiered on January 24, 2007, at the Theater in the Wild in , presenting a 40-minute Broadway-style production that adapted the film's story through large-scale puppets manipulated by performers, acrobatic sequences, and live vocals to evoke the ocean's vibrancy without digital effects. The show, the first major original musical created by Disney Live Entertainment, featured 14 original songs by composer and emphasized theatrical innovation, including stilt-walking fish and synchronized swimming-like choreography. It ran for over 13 years, offering multiple daily performances and attracting audiences with its blend of and live music until its final show on March 15, 2020, amid the closures at . In 2010, Music Theatre International (MTI) released Disney's Finding Nemo JR., a 60-minute script designed for educational and youth theater groups, incorporating new songs by the team behind Frozen and Coco alongside adapted elements from the film to facilitate accessible staging with costumes, simple sets, and live ensemble performances. This version prioritizes character-driven storytelling and group singing over complex technical effects, enabling productions in schools and community venues worldwide. Recent examples include performances at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in January 2024 and Ashland Productions in May 2024, with ongoing stagings in middle schools highlighting themes of family and perseverance through student-led casts. Into 2025, productions continue, such as the Center's run from November 14-23, featuring vibrant puppetry and catchy tunes for family audiences, and Camp Kroc's youth drama camp presentation on July 18. Beyond these, regional theaters have mounted full-scale adaptations emphasizing live orchestration and elaborate costumes to capture the film's essence on stage. For instance, The Rose Theater in Omaha presented a puppetry-filled version in 2023, focusing on spectacular songs and to engage young viewers. Internationally, tours and localized productions in have proliferated via the JR. script, including a staging at the Jerudong International School Arts Centre in in June 2024 and an upcoming performance in , , on April 1-2, 2025, where emphasis on cultural adaptation through live music fosters global accessibility.

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