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    Secrets From Finding Nemo You Won’t Want to Forget

    soreceryBy No Comments4 Mins Read

    Watch: “Finding Nemo” Turns 17: E! News Rewind

    Sometimes it can be hard to catch a film’s prevailing message.

    But anyone who dove deep into the premise of 2003’s Finding Nemo—Disney’s animated comedy-drama about a sweet titular clownfish (voiced by future Weeds star Alexander Gould) who gets separated from his overprotective father Marlin (Albert Brooks)—could easily snag the overarching theme. 

    As Marlin’s new pal—a delightfully plucky, yet, very forgetful blue tang named Dory, played by Ellen DeGeneres—put it, “When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming.”

    And swim they did, making their way from 42 Wallaby Way back to Nemo’s terrified father Marlin and directly into filmgoers’ hearts.

    Becoming the highest-grossing animated flick at the time, the Pixar production earned more than $940 million worldwide off of a reported $94 million budget and four Oscar nominations, swimming away with the trophy for Best Animated Feature. 

    And proving that fish are friends, not food, the whole school made another splash in 2016 with the sequel Finding Dory. 

    photos

    Magical Facts About Your Favorite Disney Films

    For DeGeneres, the franchise was a chance to finally stop swimming against the current. 

    “Well I had no job offers at the time,” she confessed while promoting Finding Dory at a London press conference. “I hadn’t worked in three years. I was thrilled that I had been offered anything. I was about to start working at the Olive Garden. I couldn’t believe I was being offered anything, much less a part in a Pixar film, so it was amazing.”

    Moviestore/Shutterstock

    The initial film’s release coinciding with the debut of her eponymous talk show, she continued, “It certainly saved my life in many ways.” 

    And while a few fish weren’t so lucky—environmental organizations had to inform kids that flushing their finned pets would not send them to the ocean—the rest of us learned to keep paddling along. 

    Join us as we dive into some behind-the-scenes secrets from Finding Nemo. 

    Disney/Pixar

    School of FishAt the beginning of 2003’s Finding Nemo, Mr. Ray’s class swims through some 12,996 corals, all of which were individually animated.

    Disney/Pixar

    Hell and High WaterNemo’s name is a nod to Captain Nemo from Jules Verne‘s novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

    Disney/Pixar

    Circling the DrainWilliam H. Macy originally voiced Marlin, Nemo’s overprotective dad, even though Albert Brooks was director Andrew Stanton‘s first choice. But, after an early screening, Brooks was brought in to replace Macy.

    Disney/Pixar

    Fish-Eating GrinBruce the shark has 202 teeth, each of which can be animated individually.

    Disney/Pixar

    Big Fish in a Small PondOriginally meant to swim with the fishes as an unnamed character, Will & Grace alum Megan Mullally claimed she was let go when she refused to speak in her high-pitched Karen Walker voice.”I said, ‘Now, wait a minute: You’re telling me you want this fish who lives in a fish tank in a dentist’s office to be a fictitious character from an NBC sitcom?'” she told a New York radio station. “I mean, it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

    Disney/Pixar

    A Fish Out of WaterLook closely and you’ll find Toy Story‘s Buzz Lightyear on the floor in the dentist’s office.

    Disney/Pixar

    Sink or SwimOut of the Tank Gang in P. Sherman’s dentist office, Bubbles has the least amount of dialogue.

    Disney/Pixar

    In the Swim of ThingsPixar’s in-house art team was required to take courses and audit lectures in ichthyology, marine biology and oceanography to make the film more lifelike. The artists were also required to enroll in scuba diving classes.

    Disney/Pixar

    Out to SeaFor the jellyfish scene, Pixar’s ocean unit created a new shading system they dubbed “transblurrency.”

    Disney/Pixar

    Drink Like a FishTwo of the turtles are named after citrus soda brands: Crush and Squirt.

    Disney/Pixar

    Bigger Fish to FryThis is the first Pixar film not composed by Randy Newman. Instead, his cousin, Thomas Newman, scored the soundtrack.

    Disney/Pixar

    Fishing for ComplimentsThis is the first Pixar film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. A Bug’s Life, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were released before the category was added to the ceremony, and Monsters, Inc. lost to Shrek.

    Disney/Pixar

    In Too DeepOne of the boats in Sydney Harbor is named “For the Birds,” a reference to the Pixar short of the same name.

    Disney/Pixar

    Going With the FlowA boy in the dentist’s office reads a Mr. Incredible comic book, foreshadowing The Incredibles.

    Disney/Pixar

    Plenty of Fish in the SeaFinding Nemo was the first Pixar movie to have a post-credits scene.

     ​ 

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