Movie: FINDING NEMO

PRE-PRODUCTION. Discuss the processes involved in the preparation of the film.

Funding – How does the animation get funded?

Finding Nemo was funded and produced by the company Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures on
May 30, 2003

Concepting – What's the big idea?

It tells the story of the over-protective clownfish named Marlin who, along with a regal tang named
Dory, searches for his son Nemo (Alexander Gould), who has been abducted in Sydney Harbour.

Storyboarding – Include a few storyboards used by the film. (include photos)

Casting – Who are the actors/voice actors casted?

Cast (in credits order) verified as complete

Albert Brooks Marlin (voice)
Ellen DeGeneres Dory (voice)
Alexander Gould Nemo (voice)
Willem Dafoe Gill (voice)
Brad Garrett Bloat (voice)
Allison Janney Peach (voice)
Austin Pendleton Gurgle (voice)
Stephen Root Bubbles (voice)
Vicki Lewis Deb / Flo (voice)
Joe Ranft Jacques (voice)
Geoffrey Rush Nigel (voice)
Andrew Stanton Crush (voice)
Elizabeth Perkins Coral (voice)

Production Design – Include the design of the sets (include photos), and other elements involved in the
film. Discuss the overall processes involved.

In Finding Nemo the supporting characters drew inspiration from classic movies: Gil was given Clint
Eastwood’s squint, Bloat was based on George Kennedy’s character in Cool Hand Luke, and the Tank
Gang borrowed the neuroses of the characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Intended to amuse children visiting the dentist’s office, the fish tank in Finding Nemo can also be viewed
as a glass prison for its unlucky inhabitants. Looking to illustrate the odd dichotomy, the filmmakers
found inspiration in the world of kitsch aquarium accessories and began filling the tank with garish
plastic objects. When we meet them, we find the tank gang has gone slightly mad, prisoners not only of
their narrow confines but also the dentist’s bad taste.
With Nemo’s home set in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Pixar team had one of the most colorful
environments on Earth to work with. The unlikely challenge was how much to change its otherworldly
beauty. For Finding Nemo, Production Designer Ralph Eggleston started with the vibrant palette of the
underwater reef, among the most naturally colorful environments on Earth, then shifted to an
increasingly minimalist and ominous palette as Marlin and Dory descend into the murky depths of the
ocean on an increasingly perilous journey.
PRODUCTION.

Animation - Discuss the processes involved in the animation - the animation techniques, animation
software, etc.

Finding Nemo recent characters are mostly modeled and rigged using Autodesk Maya. Disney also uses
Pixologic Zbrush for sculpting and Houdini for effects. Pixar’s Presto is the leading animation software,
and Disney’s Hyperion is used to render the final shot.

Other proprietary software developed during each project, like the Meander Animation Tool and the
Hyperion Renderer.

the film's director went in depth about the specific lighting techniques that characterized the "feel of
underwater." describes the lighting in scenes bouncing down on the ocean floor in caustic patterns,
mimicking how natural light would filter through the surface of the water in real life. While 2D animators
would portray underwater through bubbles, this film captured the way particulates are dispersed
through the ocean and how light beams would diffuse through them. Light softly bounces off the
character models and translucently glows through their skin to provide a sense of physicality and depth.