Ever since it’s 2003 release, Finding Nemo has captivated children and adults alike. From the likable characters to the heartwarming story line, audiences found something to love. Let’s take a look at 15 facts that will keep us swimming until Finding Dory is finally released!
1. Director Andrew Stanton originally wanted to reveal the death of Marlin’s wife through flashbacks.
After some test screenings, the animators decided audiences would prefer to understand Marlin’s overprotective nature from the start.
2. Stanton named Darla after Darla K. Anderson, the producer of Monster’s Inc., as revenge for the practical jokes Anderson played on him.
3. In addition to directing, Stanton played the voice of Crush.
4. When voicing Nigel, the pelican, Geoffrey Rush literally held his tongue during the scene when Marlin and Dory were in his character’s mouth.
5. Dory says Nemo’s name correctly seven times throughout the movie.
6. The animators modeled the seagulls after a penguin from the Wallace and Gromit cartoon, “The Wrong Trousers.”
7. In response to the film, sewage treatment facilities released a warning cautioning children not to “free” their fish down their drains.
All drains may lead to the ocean, but equipment would grind up fish before reaching it!
8. The scene where Dory’s nose bleeds is the first time blood ever appears in a Pixar film.
9. In addition to Marlin and Dory having opposite personalities, their colors are on opposite sides of the color wheel.
10. Megan Mullally claims she was fired from a role in the film because she refused to duplicate the voice of her character, Karen Walker, from Will & Grace.
11. Pixar is no stranger to making references to previous and future films.
Nemo appeared for the first time as a stuffed animal in Monster’s Inc. Additionally, we also see a boy reading a Mr. Incredible comic book in the dentist’s office to reference The Incredibles releasing a year later. At the end of the film, we even catch a brief glimpse of Luigi from Cars, three years before the film was released.
12. The diver’s camera reads “A-113” which is a reference to the room number the animation department used at California Arts University, where many Pixar employees attended.
This number appears in every Pixar film.
13. The Pizza Planet truck, another Pixar staple beginning with Toy Story, also makes an appearance in this film
14. The movie was the first Pixar film to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
As of 2016, seven of Pixar’s films have won an Academy Award.
15. At the time of its release, the film surpassed The Lion King as the highest grossing animated film of all time.
It was then dethroned by Toy Story 3 in 2010, which was dethroned by Frozen in early 2014.
