Finding Nemo facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Finding Nemo
Original theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andrew Stanton
Produced by	Graham Walters
Screenplay by	Andrew Stanton Bob Peterson David Reynolds
Story by	Andrew Stanton
Starring	Albert Brooks Ellen DeGeneres Alexander Gould
Music by	Thomas Newman
Cinematography	Sharon Calahan Jeremy Lasky
Editing by	David Ian Salter
Studio	Pixar Walt Disney Pictures
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures
Release date(s)	May 30, 2003 (2003-05-30)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$94 million
Money made	$921,573,009

Finding Nemo is a popular computer-animated comedy film from 2003. It was made by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The movie tells the exciting story of a clownfish dad named Marlin who is very protective of his son, Nemo.

When Nemo gets captured, Marlin teams up with a friendly fish named Dory. She is a regal blue tang with short-term memory loss. Together, they go on a big adventure across the ocean to find Nemo. Along the way, Marlin learns to be brave and trust Nemo more.

Finding Nemo was a huge success! It won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It was also the second highest-grossing film of 2003, making over $921 million worldwide. For a long time, it was the best-selling DVD ever. A sequel, Finding Dory, was released in 2016.

The Story of Finding Nemo

Marlin's Big Fear

The movie begins with two clownfish, Marlin and Coral, in their new home on the Great Barrier Reef. They are excited about their eggs, which are about to hatch. Suddenly, a barracuda attacks their home. Marlin tries to protect his family but gets knocked out. When he wakes up, Coral and almost all the eggs are gone. Only one egg is left, and Marlin names him Nemo.

Nemo's First Day of School

Years later, it's Nemo's first day of school. Nemo has a small right fin, which makes it a bit hard for him to swim. Marlin is very worried about Nemo and embarrasses him during a school trip. To show his dad he's not scared, Nemo swims away from the reef towards a boat. Sadly, scuba divers capture him. As the boat leaves, one diver accidentally drops his diving mask into the water.

Marlin and Dory's Journey

Marlin sets off to find Nemo. He soon meets Dory, a kind and hopeful regal blue tang. Dory has short-term memory loss, meaning she forgets things quickly. They meet three sharks—Bruce, Anchor, and Chum—who are trying to eat only vegetables, not fish! Marlin finds the diver's mask and sees an address on it.

When Marlin accidentally gives Dory a nosebleed, the smell of blood makes Bruce lose control. Marlin and Dory escape, but the mask falls into a deep trench. There, they meet a scary anglerfish. Dory bravely reads the address on the mask: "P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney." She repeats it to remember it.

Across the Ocean

A large school of fish helps Marlin and Dory find directions to Sydney, Australia. They accidentally swim into a group of jellyfish and almost get stung badly. After a risky escape, Marlin is tired. He wakes up to find himself with Crush, a cool Green sea turtle who surfs the East Australian Current. Marlin shares his story with Crush's son, Squirt, and other young turtles. The story of his journey quickly spreads across the ocean.

Nemo's New Friends

Meanwhile, Nemo's captor, a dentist named P. Sherman, puts him in a fish tank in his office in Sydney Harbour. Nemo meets the "Tank Gang," led by a clever moorish idol named Gill. The gang includes Bloat the pufferfish, Peach the starfish, Gurgle the royal gramma, Jacques the Pacific cleaner shrimp, and Deb.

The Tank Gang learns that the dentist plans to give Nemo to his niece, Darla. Darla is known for shaking fish bags, which kills the fish. Gill creates an escape plan: Nemo must jam the tank's filter. This would force the dentist to clean the tank by hand, putting the fish in plastic bags. Then, they could roll out the window into the harbor.

A friendly pelican named Nigel visits and tells them about Marlin's adventure. Nemo successfully jams the filter. But the plan goes wrong when the dentist installs a new, high-tech filter.

Reunion and Escape

Marlin and Dory get caught by a blue whale. Inside the whale's mouth, Dory talks to it in "whale-speak." The whale then carries them to Sydney Harbour and releases them. Nigel finds them and saves them from hungry seagulls. He takes them to the dentist's office.

Darla has arrived, and the dentist is about to give Nemo to her. Nemo pretends to be dead to save himself. When Nigel arrives, Marlin sees Nemo and thinks he is really dead. After a struggle, Gill helps Nemo escape into a drain.

Sad, Marlin leaves Dory and starts swimming home. Dory loses her memory again, but then meets Nemo, who has reached the ocean through an underwater drainpipe. Dory remembers her journey when she sees the word "Sydney" on a pipe. She guides Nemo back to Marlin.

They have a joyful reunion! Then, Dory gets caught in a fishing net with other fish. Nemo bravely swims into the net and tells everyone to swim downwards together. This breaks the net, and all the fish escape. A few days later, Nemo goes to school again. Marlin, no longer overprotective, proudly watches his son swim away.

Back at the dentist's office, the high-tech filter breaks. The Tank Gang finally escapes into the harbor! But they realize they are still trapped in the plastic bags of water.

Main Characters in Finding Nemo

Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks): A very worried clownfish and Nemo's dad.
Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres): A friendly regal blue tang who forgets things easily.
Nemo (voiced by Alexander Gould): A brave young clownfish and Marlin's son.
Gill (voiced by Willem Dafoe): A wise moorish idol and leader of the Tank Gang.
Bloat (voiced by Brad Garrett): A pufferfish who puffs up when scared.
Peach (voiced by Allison Janney): A starfish who can read.
Gurgle (voiced by Austin Pendleton): A royal gramma who is a bit of a germaphobe.
Bubbles (voiced by Stephen Root): A yellow tang who loves bubbles.
Deb (voiced by Vicki Lewis): A four-striped damselfish who talks to her reflection, Flo.
Jacques (voiced by Joe Ranft): A Pacific cleaner shrimp who keeps the tank clean.
Nigel (voiced by Geoffrey Rush): A helpful Australian pelican.
Crush (voiced by Andrew Stanton): A cool, surf-loving Green sea turtle.
Squirt (voiced by Nicholas Bird): Crush's energetic young son.
Mr. Ray (voiced by Bob Peterson): A spotted eagle ray and Nemo's school teacher.
Bruce (voiced by Barry Humphries): A great white shark trying to be a vegetarian.
Anchor (voiced by Eric Bana): A hammerhead shark and Bruce's friend.
Chum (voiced by Bruce Spence): A mako shark and another of Bruce's friends.
Dr. Philip Sherman (voiced by Bill Hunter): The dentist who captures Nemo.
Coral (voiced by Elizabeth Perkins): Marlin's wife and Nemo's mother.

Behind the Scenes: How Finding Nemo Was Made

The Idea for the Movie

The director, Andrew Stanton, got the idea for Finding Nemo from several things. When he was a child, he loved visiting the dentist's office to see the fish tank. He imagined the fish wanted to go back to the ocean. Later, in 1997, he realized he was being too protective of his own son. This made him think about a story where a parent has to let go.

Stanton also saw a photo of two clownfish peeking out of a Sea anemone. He thought they looked perfect for a movie. Clownfish are colorful but don't often leave their anemone. This made a clownfish the perfect character for a dangerous journey.

Making the Underwater World

To make the fish and ocean look real, the animators studied fish biology and oceanography. They visited aquariums and even went scuba diving in Hawaii! Experts also gave them lessons about fish.

Voice Actors

Ellen DeGeneres was chosen to voice Dory because Andrew Stanton noticed how she would change topics quickly when talking. He thought this would be perfect for a character with short-term memory loss.

Andrew Stanton himself voiced Crush, the sea turtle. He recorded Crush's lines while lying on a sofa! Crush's son, Squirt, was voiced by Nicholas Bird, the young son of another Pixar director.

The film was dedicated to Glenn McQueen, an animator at Pixar who passed away in 2002.

Finding Nemo's Success

Box Office Earnings

Finding Nemo was a huge hit at the box office. It earned over $380 million in North America and more than $540 million in other countries. This brought its worldwide total to over $921 million! It was the second highest-grossing film of 2003. For a long time, it was the highest-earning Pixar film until Toy Story 3 came out.

3D Re-release

In 2012, Finding Nemo was re-released in 3D. This allowed new audiences to experience the movie in a whole new way. It was still very popular, earning $16.7 million on its opening weekend in 3D.

Awards and Recognition

Finding Nemo won many important awards:

It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
It also won the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film.
Ellen DeGeneres won the Kids Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie.

In 2008, the American Film Institute named Finding Nemo the 10th greatest animated film ever made. It was one of the newest films on their "Top 10" list.

Video Game

A video game based on Finding Nemo was released in 2003. You could play it on PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance.

Sequel: Finding Dory

A sequel to Finding Nemo, called Finding Dory, was released in 2016. Andrew Stanton directed it, and Ellen DeGeneres returned to voice Dory. The movie focuses on Dory's journey to find her own family.

Images for kids

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