Pre-production of the film began in 1997. The inspiration forFinding 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 theEl Capitan Theatre inLos 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 thehighest-grossing animated film at the time of its release, and thesecond-highest-grossing film of 2003, as well as thesixth-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 the76th Academy Awards, and won the award forBest Animated Feature, becoming the first Pixar and Disney film to do so. In 2008, theAmerican Film Institute named it as the 10th greatest American animated film as part of their10 Top 10 lists.[6] Since then, it has been widely regarded as one of thegreatest animated films of all time.[7][8][9]
Finding Nemo is the best-sellingDVD title of all time, with over 40 million copies sold as of 2006[update],[10] and was the highest-grossingG-rated film of all time before Pixar's ownToy Story 3 overtook it. The film was re-released in3D in 2012. A sequel,Finding Dory, was released in June 2016.
Plot
Marlin and Coral, a clownfish couple who are waiting for their eggs to hatch, live on the edge of theGreat Barrier Reef. After abarracuda 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 secludedsea 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, ablue tang withshort-term memory loss who offers to help him. The pair encounter Bruce, aGreat 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 oldnaval 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 inSydney. He meets the "Tank Gang", led by Gill, a scarredMoorish 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 ananglerfish. 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 ofmoonfish to give them directions to theEast 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 ofsea 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, apelican 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 ingreen algae.
After leaving the current, Marlin and Dory become lost and are consumed by ablue whale. Marlin fears the worst, but Dory urges him to trust the whale, which safely expels them through itsblowhole into theSydney Harbour. Nigel rescues Marlin and Dory from a flock ofseagulls 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. Afishing trawler captures Dory and a school ofgroupers. Nemo persuades Marlin to let him swim into thenet 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".
Barry Humphries as Bruce, agreat white shark, who, despite abstaining from eating fish, continues to fight his instinctive will to eat them; he is also friends with Anchor and Chum.
The inspiration forFinding Nemo sprang from multiple experiences, going back to directorAndrew 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 toSix 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 withNational Geographic magazine, Stanton said that the idea for the characters of Marlin and Nemo came from a photograph of two clownfish peeking out of ananemone:
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 ofA Bug's Life. As a result,Finding Nemo began production with a complete screenplay, something that co-directorLee Unkrich called "very unusual for an animated film".[12] The artists tookscuba 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
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 castAlbert 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 andBob Peterson while they were driving to record the actors. Although he originally envisioned the character of Dory as male, Stanton was inspired to castEllen DeGeneres when he watched an episode ofEllen 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 andfastidious 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'sstory 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 directorBrad 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'sThumper" 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 characterKaren Walker on the television showWill & 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
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 anichthyologist.[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 designerRalph Eggleston created pastel drawings to give the lighting crew led bySharon Calahan ideas of how every scene in the film should be lit.[19]
The film was dedicated toGlenn McQueen, a Pixar animator who died ofmelanoma in October 2002.[23]Finding Nemo shares many plot elements withPierrot 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 barFinding Nemo merchandise in France. The judge ruled against him, citing the color differences between Pierrot and Nemo.[25]
Localization
Patrick Stump performed a Navajo version of the end-credits songBeyond the Sea.
In 2016,Disney Character Voices International's senior vice president Rick Dempsey, in collaboration with theNavajo Nation Museum, created aNavajo dubbing of the movie titledNemo 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 byRobbie Williams, was also adapted into Navajo, withFall Out Boy's lead singerPatrick Stump performing it.[29] In 2016,Finding Nemo was the second movie to receive a dub in Navajo, afterStar Wars.[30]
Disney released a teaser trailer ofFinding Nemo in June 2002, being first attached to the theatrical release ofLilo & Stitch. The teaser was later attached to the theatrical screenings ofHey Arnold!: The Movie,The Powerpuff Girls Movie,Stuart Little 2 andJonah: A VeggieTales Movie. The teaser was also attached to theMonsters, 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 ofTreasure Planet andThe Wild Thornberrys Movie. The third trailer for the film was released in February 2003 and was attached to the theatrical screening ofThe Jungle Book 2. The fourth and final trailer for the film was released in March 2003 and was attached to the theatrical screening ofPiglet's Big Movie.
McDonald's restaurants began to sell eightHappy Meal toys based on the film.[34] At the 100thNorth American International Toy Fair event inNew York City,Hasbro unveiled a variety ofFinding Nemo toys.[35] Acereal themed to the film was released byKellogg's, consisting of naturally sweetened oats with fish-shaped marshmallows.[36]Finding Nemo was advertised as promotional partners on other companies, likeFrito-Lay,Keebler,Pepsi,Ralphs,Dreyer's,Jel Sert,Airheads,Orville Redenbacher's, andTHQ. Before May 26, 2003, stickers on over 50 million bags of potato chips alerted consumers to a sweepstakes dangling a trip for four toSydney, Australia with a visit to theGreat Barrier Reef. On May 17, 2003, Frito-Lay hosted an event at each of theWalmart stores, where kids could use 3D goggles to find hidden images of Nemo. Kellogg's packed eight different water toys depicting film characters insideFrosted Flakes,Rice Krispies,Honey Smacks and Cocoa Rice Krispies cereal boxes. The Honey Smacks, Frosted Flakes,Cinnamon Crunch Crispix andFroot 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 ofPop-Tarts inspired byFinding 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 byDraft Worldwide ofChicago.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 familiarTony 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
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 inLos Angeles on May 18, 2003,[40] and opened in theaters withThe Italian Job andWrong Turn on May 30, 2003.[41]
Home media
Finding Nemo was released onVHS andDVD on November 4, 2003, both beingTHX-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, breakingSpider-Man's record for having the highest single-day DVD sales.[44][45] It also surpassedMonsters, 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 beatingThe 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 (includingThe Incredibles andHome on the Range), bonus shorts (Knick Knack, which was shown alongside the film in theaters, andExploring 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]
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 thesecond-highest-grossing film of 2003, behindThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[53][54]Finding Nemo also defeatedThe 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, dethroningBruce Almighty andThe Italian Job.[57] Additionally, it surpassed its predecessorMonsters, Inc. for having the highest domestic opening weekend for an animated film.[57] It would hold this record untilShrek 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, behindThe Matrix Reloaded andX2.[59] During its second weekend, the film dropped to second place behind2 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 sinceDie Another Day andHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002.[62] It would also outgross the weaker openings ofRugrats Go Wild,Hollywood Homicide andDumb 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 byHulk.[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, replacingThe Matrix Reloaded as the top-grossing movie of the year domestically.[67] The film even surpassedShrek 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, surpassingThe 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 beingX2,The Matrix Reloaded,Bruce Almighty and Disney's ownPirates 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 outgrossedThe 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 bothShrek 2 in 2004 andToy 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 byIce 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 beforePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest surpassed it.[74]Finding Nemo was also the fourth animated film to make $500 million worldwide, joiningMonsters, Inc.,Aladdin andThe 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 byFrozen (¥25.5 billion).[77] Plus,Finding Nemo was the second film by Buena Vista Pictures to reach $100 million in the country, just afterArmageddon in 1999.[78] For its Japanese opening weekend, the film earned $10 million, reaching the number one spot ahead ofThe Last Samurai.[79] In Mexico, it earned $4.7 million, making it the country's second-highest opening weekend, behindSpider-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, afterThe Matrix Reloaded.[82] At theManchesterUCI 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, surpassingStar 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, beatingBad 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
After the success of the 3D re-release ofThe Lion King,Disney re-releasedFinding 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 behindResident 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
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten 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 byCinemaScore 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, followingToy Story 2 in 1999 andMonsters, 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 ofThe 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 ofSpongeBob SquarePants."[93] Mark Caro of theChicago 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 ofLA 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 ofThe Roanoke Times gaveFinding Nemo a five out of five rating, explaining that "several scenes are scarier thanEdward Norton's mustache inThe Italian Job."[96] Jeff Strickler of theStar 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 ofNewsday 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 theMiami 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 theLos 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 ofThe 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 underseaFantasia."[99]Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times gave the film four out of five stars, saying "Visual imagination and sophisticated wit raiseFinding Nemo to a level just below the peaks of Pixar'sToy Story movies andMonsters, Inc.."[100] Terry Lawson of theDetroit 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 theMission: Impossible movies."[101] Claudia Puig ofUSA 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 includeToy Story1 and2,A Bug's Life andMonsters, Inc.—Nemo treats family audiences to a sweet, resonant story and breathtaking visuals. It may lackMonsters, 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 ofSlate wrote, "Of all the great vocal characterizations...the showstopper is Brooks, who hasn't had a part this good sinceLost in America. His Marlin is tender, cranky, hysterical, yet somehow lucid."[103] Bruce Westbrook of theHouston 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 ofGannett 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 oldWarner Brothers cartoons."[105] Tom Long ofThe 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 ofThe 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 theToronto 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 ofThe 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 sinceMonsters, Inc."[95] C.W. Nevius ofThe 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 ofThe Christian Science Monitor gave the film a rating of three out of four, calling it "the best animated underwater picture sinceThe Little Mermaid."[107] Ann Hornaday ofThe 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 ofNewsweek 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 ofTime 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 ofEntertainment 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 ofThe 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 theAssociated 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 ofThe New Yorker gave the film a positive review, saying "The latest flood of wizardry from Pixar, whose productions, fromToy 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 ofThe 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 ofEntertainment 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 ofHouston Press also gave the film a scoring of four out of five on the 3-D release, stating that "Gill isPlatoon'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 fromBBC andThe 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, andTime Out New York (all 2021).[122][9][8] In December 2021, the film's screenplay was listed number 60 on theWriters Guild of America's "101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (So Far)".[7] In June 2025, actressRachel Zegler and filmmakerRob 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 ofThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century", finishing at number 152.[124]
In June 2008, theAmerican 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 beingThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring andShrek).[127]
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 likeVanuatu.[129] TheAustralian Tourism Commission (ATC) launched several marketing campaigns in China and the United States to improve tourism in Australia, many of them utilizingFinding Nemo clips.[130][131]Queensland usedFinding Nemo to draw tourists to promote itself to vacationers.[132] According toNational 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, whichintroduced species that are harmful to the indigenous environment, a practice that is harming reefs worldwide.[135][136]
A 2017 study by researchers fromJames 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]
A video game based on the film was released in 2003, forMicrosoft Windows,Xbox,PlayStation 2,GameCube, andGame 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 byTraveller's Tales. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews.[145][146][147][148][149][150] A Game Boy Advance sequel, titledFinding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures, was released in 2004.[151]
^abMilitz, Thane; Foale, Simon (January 17, 2017). "The "Nemo Effect": Perception and reality of Finding Nemo's impact on marine aquarium fisheries".Fish and Fisheries.18 (3):596–606.Bibcode:2017AqFF...18..596M.doi:10.1111/faf.12202.ISSN1467-2960.
^abKhal; Herrera, Andy; Barone, Matt; Serafino, Jason; Scarano, Ross; Aquino, Tara (February 19, 2021)."The Best Animated Movies of All Time".Complex.Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 20, 2022.
^Boone, Louis E. (2006).Contemporary Business 2006. Thomson South-Western. p. 4 –.ISBN0-324-32089-2.
^"Pixar Animation Studios". Pixar. Cast.Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. RetrievedJuly 13, 2021. The Pixar webpage for Finding Nemo displays the full cast list and serves as a reference for the entire section.
^abcdefghijklAndrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, and Bob Peterson (2004).Finding Nemo — Audio Commentary (DVD). Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
^Making Nemo (DVD). Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2004.
^Shaffer, Joshua C. (2017).Discovering the Magic Kingdom: An Unofficial Disneyland Vacation Guide – Second Edition. Synergy Book Publishing. p. 188.ISBN978-0-9991664-0-6.
^Lane, Anthony."Finding Nemo".The New Yorker.Archived from the original on October 27, 2013. RetrievedJanuary 10, 2014.
^Whitty, Stephen (September 14, 2012)."Finding Nemo 3D review".The Star-Ledger.Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. RetrievedOctober 2, 2012.
^Schwarzbaum, Lisa (September 15, 2012)."Finding Nemo 3D".Entertainment Weekly.Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2012.
^Pirrello, Phil; Goldman, Eric; Fowler, Matt; Collura, Scott; White, Cindy; Schedeen, Jesse (June 25, 2010)."Top 25 Animated Movies of All-Time".IGN.Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 20, 2022.
^Jackson, Elizabeth (November 29, 2002)."Acquiring Nemo". The Business Report. Archived fromthe original on December 4, 2003. RetrievedNovember 10, 2006.
^Corcoran, Mark (November 9, 2002)."Vanuatu – Saving Nemo". ABC Foreign Correspondent. Archived fromthe original on December 19, 2005. RetrievedOctober 23, 2006.
^Mitchell, Peter (November 3, 2002)."Nemo-led recovery hope".The Age. Melbourne, Australia.Archived from the original on January 26, 2007. RetrievedOctober 23, 2006.
^Dennis, Anthony (February 11, 2003)."Sydney ignores Nemo".The Sydney Morning Herald.Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. RetrievedOctober 23, 2006.
^"Clown Anemonefish".Nat Geo Wild : Animals. National Geographic Society. May 10, 2011. Archived fromthe original on December 19, 2011. RetrievedDecember 19, 2011.
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