“Finding Nemo” turns 20
Why the animated film became a classic
In 2003, Dorie (left) and Marlin conquered the hearts of moviegoers.
© imago/United Archives
Exactly 20 years ago, “Finding Nemo” celebrated its cinema premiere. In 2023, the animated film will be considered a classic – but what makes the strip special?
Exactly twenty years ago (May 18, 2003) a little clown fish boy got lost in the big, wide ocean. He was kidnapped by a diver and ended up in an aquarium at a dentist’s office. But rescue was at hand: his father made his way through the oceans, made friends with other sea creatures and did everything in his power to bring his son home. This is the story of Finding Nemo, an Oscar-winning feature film from Pixar and Disney. Even today, the film inspires small children and lets adults wallow in memories. That’s what made Finding Nemo so special.
Great voice actors
In the original version, Marlin was spoken by US actor Albert Brooks (75), while Ellen DeGeneres (65) dubbed Dory. But the German voices were in no way inferior to this casting. None other than Christian Tramitz (67, Marlin) and Anke Engelke (57, Dorie) convinced the German cinema audience with their voices. The sharks were voiced by John Friedman, 51, and Florian Simbeck, 51, then known as Erkan and Stefan.
Beautiful marine diversity
Be it the clownfish in their anemone houses, the ray as a primary school teacher or the crazy trio of sharks – the variety of sea creatures presented in “Finding Nemo” has amazed many a child since 2003. Marlin and Surgeonfish Dory encounter all kinds of creatures on their way through the ocean. In the deepest depths they meet a creepy frogfish, they fight their way through a menacing jellyfish patch in the Pacific and meet Crush and his crew of turtles on the East Austral Current. All sea creatures have been faithfully and lovingly portrayed by Pixar.
Humor for young and old
The humor in “Finding Nemo” isn’t just aimed at young viewers. The clumsy Dory, the relaxed Crush and the discipline-struggling shark Bruce make even adults laugh. The pelicans and seagulls in Sydney Harbor also provided plenty of laughs. The latter always croaked “Mine, mine, mine” in unison whenever something edible got in their way.
The debate about species-appropriate husbandry
As early as 2003, Pixar pointed out in the story “Finding Nemo” that it is not species-appropriate to keep exotic fish in a small aquarium. In the film, Nemo ends up in an aquarium in a dentist’s office. Beside him there are some other fish that want nothing more than to get back into the ocean. Together with their newcomer, the residents even hatch an escape plan.
Nevertheless, there was also criticism for Disney and Pixar at the time. “Finding Nemo” triggered a veritable boom in the fish business – suddenly everyone wanted their own clownfish. At the time, all animal protection organizations complained that the film studio had not sent a clear message against private fish keeping.
The success endured
13 years after the theatrical release of “Finding Nemo”, Disney and Pixar actually realized a sequel. In 2016, “Finding Dory” became a successful successor. As the name suggests, this time they weren’t looking for Nemo – surgeonfish Dory was the one who got lost in the ocean looking for her parents. So it was clear that Nemo and his dad went looking for their girlfriend.
And indeed, after so many years, the hype has not diminished. “Finding Dory” broke several cinema records on its first weekend in the United States. The film grossed over $1.02 billion worldwide.