Today is the twentieth anniversary of the premiere of Finding Nemo. The film was the fifth from acclaimed studio Pixar Animation Studios. The story follows a widowed Clownfish named Marlin who must team up with a Regal Blue Tang named Dory with memory problems in order to cross the ocean to save his son, the titular Nemo, from being trapped in an aquarium.
The film first began development in 1997, based on an idea from director Andrew Stanton's childhood going to a dentist with an aquarium, and further influenced by a trip with his son to Marine World in California. Ironically unusual for an animated film, the production began with a completed script with relatively little changing in the final edit. The production staff took scuba diving lessons in order to study coral reefs and fish in their native habitats. They included a number of pop culture references and Easter eggs to Jaws, The Shining, and Psycho. The film was the first Pixar film to be released during the highly profitable summer blockbuster season rather than the respectable award-based fall season.
The film received an overwhelmingly positive response. It broke the record for highest grossing animated feature in its opening weekend. Though it dropped to second place in the following weekend, it would jump back up to first in its third weekend. It eventually became the second highest grossing film of the year and became the second highest grossing animated film. It received universal praise, praising the appeal for both children and adults. It ranks amongst the highest ranking movies on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and CinemaScore. It ranks high on numerous Best Of lists. It was nominated for numerous awards and won many, including the Academy Award, Annie Award, and Saturn Award for Best Animated Feature. The film did cause some environmental issues as demands for clownfish as pets increased, despite the film portraying the issue in a vastly negative light, and many countries had to warn the public against it. The film was accompanied by a video game adaptation. The success of the film prompted The Walt Disney Company to change several attractions at their theme parks to be based on the film. It was eventually followed thirteen years later by a sequel. It has long been considered one of the greatest films from Pixar and, along with the following year's The Incredibles, the pinnacle of the studios' quality.
The film features the talents of Brad Garrett as porcupinefish Bloat. Carlos Alazraqui, Susan Blu, and Jess Harnell provided additional voices. John Lasseter served as executive producer.