fbpx

KidsKonnect

Finding Nemo Facts & Worksheets

Finding Nemo is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure movie produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Film Studies /Finding Nemo Facts & Worksheets

Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Finding Nemo is a 2003 American animated comedy-drama adventure movie produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds wrote the script based on Stanton’s story and was directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich.

See the fact file below for more information about the Film, Finding Nemo or you can download our 26-page Finding Nemo worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

PLOT

  • Clownfish Marlin and his girlfriend, Coral, reside in an anemone on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The couple is patiently waiting for their several eggs to hatch. A hungry barracuda spots Coral and Marlin while the rest of their community hides. 
  • Coral is afraid of losing her offspring and rushes down to protect them, inciting the barracuda to consume Coral and most of their eggs while knocking Marlin unconscious in the process.
  • One egg remains unfinished, slightly cracked. Marlin swears to protect his only surviving child. Marlin begins to overprotect his youngster, Nemo. 
  • On Nemo’s first day of school, as Marlin talks to his instructor, he approaches a speedboat, where two scuba divers apprehend him. 
  • Marlin unsuccessfully follows the boat and finds Dory, a blue tang fish with severe short-term memory loss, who offers her assistance. 
  • The two meet Bruce, Anchor, and Chum, three sharks who have vowed not to consume fish. Marlin discovers a diver’s mask that has fallen from the boat, inadvertently striking Dory and causing a nosebleed. 
  • The smell of her blood causes Bruce to go into a feeding frenzy, but the sharks flee after unintentionally setting off old naval mines, knocking Marlin and Dory unconscious.
  • Nemo is kept in a fish tank at Sydney dentist Philip Sherman’s practice. He runs into the Tank Gang, led by Gill, a Moorish idol. The Tank Gang informs Nemo that he will be handed to Sherman’s niece, Darla, who destroyed her last fish. 
  • Gill decides to help Nemo by creating an escape strategy: Nemo can fit inside the filter tube of the aquarium and must block it with a stone, prompting Sherman to put the fish in plastic bags while he cleans the tank. They will be able to roll out the window and into the harbor as a result. Nemo tries to place the stone but fails and nearly drowns.
  • After being stung by a jellyfish forest, they are knocked unconscious and wake up in the East Australian Current with a group of sea turtles, including Crush and his youngster, Squirt. 
  • Marlin and Dory leave the East Australian Current and are swallowed by a blue whale, spilling them into Sydney Harbour through its blowhole. Nigel helps them avoid a mass of seagulls and takes them to the dentist’s office, where Sherman has thwarted the Tank Gang with a new high-tech filter.
  • Marlin bids Nigel and Dory farewell and begins his voyage home. Nemo meets Dory, but she doesn’t remember him until she reads the word Sydney on a drainpipe and her memory returns. Dory reunites Nemo with Marlin, but she gets captured in a net together with a school of groupers by a fishing trawler.
  • When Nemo enters the net, he and Marlin tell the fish to swim below. Their combined strength destroys the net. Marlin is more confident when he returns to the reef, while Dory has maintained friendships with Bruce, Anchor, and Chum. 
  • Marlin and Dory watch Nemo leave for school. Meanwhile, as the dentist’s filter fails, the Tank Gang flees into Sydney Harbor in sacks. They are still trapped in the bags and are unsure what to do next.

VOICE CAST

PRODUCTION

  • The inspiration for Finding Nemo came from various sources, including director Andrew Stanton’s childhood memories of going to the dentist to see the fish tank, presuming that the fish were from the ocean and wanted to return home. 
  • He and his family visited Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly known as Marine World) shortly after his son was born in 1992. After witnessing the shark tube and numerous exhibitions there, he felt that the undersea environment would be depicted beautifully in computer animation.
  • Later, in 1997, he took his son on a walk in the park but realized he was overprotecting him and missed out on a father-son encounter. 
  • William H. Macy first played Marlin. Even though Macy had recorded most of the speech, Stanton believed the character needed a lighter touch. The initiation sequence was inspired by a plot meeting between Stanton and Bob Peterson, an American animator, while they were driving to record the actors.
  • Crush the marine turtle was voiced by Stanton himself. He did the voice for the film’s story reel at first, assuming they would hire an actor later. Stanton chose to keep his role in the film after it became successful in test screenings. 
  • To ensure that the fish in the picture moved realistically, the animators received a crash course in fish biology and oceanography. They went to aquariums, went scuba diving in Hawaii, and were given in-house lectures by an ichthyologist.
  • Ralph Eggleston, the production designer, made pastel drawings to give the lighting crew, supervised by Sharon Calahan, ideas for how each scene in the film should be lighted. Glenn McQueen, a Pixar animator who died of melanoma in October 2002, was honored in the film. 
  • Many plot aspects in Finding Nemo are shared with Pierrot the Clownfish, a children’s book published in 2002 but supposedly conceived in 1995. Franck Le Calvez, the author, sued Disney for infringing his intellectual property rights and prohibiting the sale of Finding Nemo items in France. The judge used the color contrasts between Pierrot and Nemo to rule against him.
  • Finding Nemo was the first Pixar picture to be scored by someone other than Randy Newman. Thomas Newman, his cousin, composed the original soundtrack CD, published on May 20, 2003. The score was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, but The Lord of the Rings defeated it: The Return of the King.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

  • The inclusion of clownfish in the film inspired the mass purchasing of the fish breed as pets in the United States, even though the story presented the usage of fish as pets unfavorably and implied that saltwater tanks are notoriously difficult and expensive to maintain. 
  • Large-scale tropical fish harvesting in places like Vanuatu met the demand for clownfish. The Australian Tourism Commission (ATC) sponsored various marketing initiatives in China and the United States to promote tourism in Australia, several of which featured Finding Nemo videos.
  • The general public’s reaction to the video has resulted in environmental devastation for the clownfish, prompting an uproar from various environmental protection organizations, including the Marine Aquarium Council of Australia.

SOCIAL ISSUES PRESENT IN FINDING NEMO

  • Nemo has a malformed fin, a bodily trait that distinguishes him. Even though Nemo is visibly and socially distinct, his damaged fin does not prevent him from feeling inadequate. 
  • Nemo is tolerated and even appreciated by his peers for his self-assurance, showcasing his disability in a good light. This aspect facilitates the presentation of disability as a socially created term. Later in the film, Nemo is separated from his father, Marlin, by a scuba diver and imprisoned in a fish tank. 
  • Nemo meets a diverse mix of fish from various backgrounds while imprisoned in the fish tank. However, one fish in particular can connect with Nemo on a deeper level. Gill is a Moorish idol fish who suffers from the same physical condition as Nemo, a malformed fin.
  • On their quest to find Nemo, the Marlins meet Dory, a Pacific regal blue tang who becomes Marlin’s buddy on the journey. Dory suffers from persistent short-term memory loss. Dory can recall through adaptive problem-solving when necessary—allowing her anomaly to play a pivotal role in the plot of Finding Nemo.
  • This contributes to the progression of the plot. Throughout the film, Marlin sees Dory’s worth despite her hardship and claims that he would not have been able to complete the expedition and find Nemo without her assistance.
  • Marlin’s skepticism regarding Dory’s skills may be related to the belief that people with disabilities are undervalued. Dory demonstrates that limitations in one area do not imply limitations in all aspects of one’s life and that these constraints can be overcome in certain circumstances.
  • Allows viewers to see flaws and limitations in a favorable light. Dory realizes that, despite her limitations, she can still be a valuable asset and is ultimately responsible for finding Nemo.

‘Finding Nemo’ Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about “Finding Nemo” across 25 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about “Finding Nemo.” Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds wrote the script based on Stanton’s story and was directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Film Studies: Finding Nemo Facts
  2. Like or Dislike?
  3. Nemo Info
  4. Story Frame
  5. Who Owns That Voice?
  6. Who is That?
  7. Let it Glow!
  8. A Lesson of….
  9. Write your Story
  10. Nemo in a Flash!
  11. The Moral

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the main characters in Finding Nemo?

The main characters in Finding Nemo are Marlin, a clownfish and the overprotective father; Nemo, Marlin’s adventurous son; and Dory, a forgetful but friendly regal blue tang fish. Other notable characters include Crush, a laid-back sea turtle, and Bruce, a great white shark.

What is the central plot of Finding Nemo?

The central plot of Finding Nemo revolves around Marlin’s quest to find his son Nemo, who is captured by a scuba diver and placed in a fish tank in a dentist’s office. Marlin is joined by Dory, and together they embark on a journey across the ocean encountering various challenges and characters.

Where does most of the action in Finding Nemo take place?

Most of the action in Finding Nemo takes place in the ocean, as Marlin and Dory travel through the Great Barrier Reef, encounter a forest of jellyfish, visit a sunken submarine, and eventually reach the Sydney Harbor where Nemo is held captive in a fish tank.

What is the significance of the character Dory in Finding Nemo?

Dory is a regal blue tang fish with short-term memory loss. Her character adds comedic elements to the film, but she also plays a crucial role in helping Marlin find Nemo. Despite her forgetfulness, Dory’s optimism, kindness, and ability to speak whale contribute to the success of Marlin’s journey.

What is the message or theme of Finding Nemo?

Finding Nemo explores themes of family, courage, and the importance of overcoming one’s fears. The film emphasizes the idea of letting go and allowing children to explore the world, while also highlighting the resilience and determination of parents to protect and reunite with their loved ones.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Finding Nemo Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 10, 2024

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources