2003: Nemo is Found

After years of success from films such as Toy Story and A Bug’s Life, it’s no surprise that Finding Nemo received a 99 percent “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes when it opened in theaters on this day in 2003. Directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, the computer-animated film was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. When a young clown fish with a weak fin becomes lost at sea, his father will do anything to save him. The film featured the voices of Albert Brooks as the over-protective father Marlin, Ellen DeGeneres as the short-term memory-stricken Dory, Alexander Gould as Nemo and Stanton himself playing Crush the sea turtle. As with other films that features animals like 101 Dalmatians, Nemo prompted a huge interest in clown fish and home aquarium purchases tripled. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for Best Animated Feature, the first for Pixar. As of 2006, Finding Nemo has become the best-selling DVD of all time. The sequel, Finding Dory, was released on June 17, 2016 with similar success. Nemo can also be found in various Disney theme parks including the revival of Disneyland’s Submarine Voyage attraction in 2007.