Finding Nemo



         


Finding Nemo is a computer-animated movie produced by Pixar for The Walt Disney Company and released in 2003.

Finding Nemo set a record as the highest grossing opening weekend for an animated feature, making $70 million (surpassed in 2004 by Shrek 2). It has now become the highest grossing animated film of all time, eclipsing the record set by The Lion King. By March 2004, it was one of the top ten highest-grossing films ever, having earned over US$850,000,000. The film received an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2004. The film also received a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award in 2004 for favorite movie.

The title character's name alludes to Captain Nemo, the submarine captain in two of Jules Verne's novels: 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and The Mysterious Island.

The movie was released on a two-disc DVD on November 4, 2003.


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Plot

The film tells the story of a widowed clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks). Because of the accident that killed his wife Coral, Marlin becomes overprotective and restrictive on his son Nemo. Because of this, Nemo ventures out into open water to prove to his father that it is safe to do so. Marlin, in this case, was correct as Nemo is scooped up and taken to an aquarium in a dentist's office. Thus it is up to Marlin and his new found guide named Dory (Voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), who suffers from short-term memory loss, to find Nemo back. Marlin is forced to venture into an unknown and dangerous world which he never dreamed of entering. It is Dory who helps Marlin realize he has been to restrictive on his son and must make amends. Nemo, meanwhile, gets involved in a plot with the other fish in the aquarium to escape from the dentist's office and back into the ocean.

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Voices

Other characters (all voices unknown):

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Wider effects of the film

The film's prominent use of clownfish prompted mass purchase of the animals for children's pets in the United States (even though the movie portrayed the use of fish as pets negatively). At the same time, the film had a central theme that "all drains lead back to the ocean." (A main character escapes from imprisonment by going down a sink drain and ending up in the sea.) This caused many children to flush their living fish down toilets in imitation of the picture. Major sewage companies teamed with Disney to release press statements that attempted to address the situation with humor. "Although all drains DO lead to water," they read, "said water always passes through a turbine before leading to the ocean. As such, in real life the film would more accurately be titled 'Grinding Nemo'" .

French children's book author Franck Le Calvez sued Disney, claiming that the story and the characters were stolen from his book Pierrot Le Poisson-Clown (Pierrot the Clownfish). The idea of Pierrot was protected in 1995 and the book was released in France in November 2002. Franck Le Calvez and his lawyer, Pascal Kamina, demanded from Disney a share of the profits from merchandising articles sold in France. Le Calvez and Kamina lost the lawsuit on March 12, 2004, but intend to file an appeal on October 5.

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Fish featured in the film

The following species feature prominently in the film:

In the tank:
The Class:
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Cultural referencs

As usual for Pixar movies, it is packed with subtle references and sight gags:

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