Finding Nemo (G, 2003)

common sense media says

Sweet father-son tale has some very scary moments.


parents & educators say
  • 26% say violence is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that even though there are no traditional bad guys in this movie, there are still some very scary moments, including creatures with zillions of sharp teeth, an apparent death of a major character, and many tense scenes with characters in peril. At the beginning of the movie, Marlin's wife and all but one of their eggs are eaten by a predator. There is a little potty humor. The issue of Nemo's stunted fin is handled exceptionally well -- matter-of-factly but frankly.

Educational value: Though not intended as an educational movie, kids will pick up facts about sea creatures and perhaps an interest in learning more about the ocean.
Positive messages: Diverse characters get along well, disabled character is brave and capable. A father searches tirelessly for his son and learns a lesson in letting go and letting him grow up.
Positive role models: Nemo's dad is protective (sometimes overly), loving, and determined when it comes to finding his son. He makes mistakes, but learns from them. Nemo is brave (and sometimes defiant) and learns lessons about working together. He doesn't let his disability slow him down.
Violence & scariness: Scary creatures with lots of very sharp teeth, an apparent death of a major character, and many tense scenes with characters in peril.
Sexy stuff: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: This movie is part of the Disney-Pixar dynasty, with plenty of merchandise associated with the film.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: The sharks attend a 12-step-type of meeting to get them to stop eating fish, but only adults will get the reference.

More on Finding Nemo

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about how parents have to balance their wish to protect their children from being hurt (physically or emotionally) with the need to let them grow up and learn how to take care of themselves.

  • Talk about Nemo's disability and about how everyone has different abilities. How do you know what your abilities are, and what do you do to make the most of them?

What's the story?

What's the story?

Marlin (Albert Brooks) is a fond but nervous and overprotective clown fish. A predator ate his wife and all but one of their eggs. When it's time for Marlin's surviving son, Nemo (Alexander Gould), to start school, the little guy is excited but Marlin is terrified. Nemo has an underdeveloped fin. Marlin has done a good job of making Nemo feel confident and unselfconscious. But Marlin is overprotective, which makes Nemo anxious to prove he can take care of himself. On his first day of school, Nemo swims too far and is captured by a deep-sea-diving dentist who collects fish for his aquarium. On a journey that will introduce him to extraordinary characters and teach him a great deal about the world and even more about himself, Marlin must go literally to the end of the ocean to find his son and bring him home. On the way he meets Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a cheerful blue tang who has a problem with short-term memory loss. They search for Nemo together, in the face of stinging jellyfish, exploding mines, and creatures with many, many, teeth. Meanwhile, Nemo has made some very good friends in the dentist's aquarium, including a tough tiger fish (Willem Dafoe) who helps him plan an escape.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Pixar Studios may have the most advanced animation technology in the world, but they never forget that what matters in a movie is story, characters, imagination, and heart. FINDING NEMO has it all. This epic journey filled with adventure and discovery encompasses the grandest sweep of ocean vastness and the smallest longing of the heart. The movie is a visual feast. The play of light on the water is breathtaking. While preserving the characters' essential "fishy-ness," Pixar and the talented people providing the voices have also made them each wonderfully expressive, and it seems only fair to say that they create performances as full and varied as have ever been on screen.There are some scary moments in this movie, including the off-screen death of Marlin's wife and future children. It's handled very discreetly, but still might be upsetting to some viewers. There are terrifying-looking creatures, but one of the movie's best jokes is that even the sharks are so friendly that in an AA-style program, they keep reminding one another that "fish are friends, not food."

There really are no bad guys in this movie -- the danger comes from a child's thoughtlessness and from natural perils. There are no angry, jealous, greedy, or murderous villains as in most traditional Disney animated films. Another strength of the movie is the way it handles Nemo's disability. But best of all is the way it addresses questions that are at the heart of the parent-child relationship, giving everyone in the audience something to relate to and learn from.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios
Director: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 101 minutes
Theatrical release: May 30, 2003
DVD release: November 4, 2003
MPAA Rating: G

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

4
Based on 78 parent & educator reviews:
  • 26% say violence is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

BellaCullen1120
teen, 15 years old
 
The best movie u will ever c
i luv this movie i don't care that im 13 and i luv this becuz it's an awesome movie i can't get enough of it

Adept
teen, 16 years old
 
Fish are Friends, not Food!
There's something wonderful about animation. The story of a father seeking his lost son is touching, and wonderful. And there are a ton of great one liners. xD Although there are some scary moments, I think that most kids won't be bothered by it-- this is a very family friendly movie, and like all pixar films, will not disappoint.

laribrook
parent of 3 and 4 year old
 
Great, but need to skip scary parts
We love this movie for my preschool age kids, but we have to skip a good 4-5 large scenes. This makes it a little hard for them to follow the storyline. There are just too many scary parts in this movie for young kids to watch the whole movie. However, the animation is colorful and amazing in most spots. The main characters are cute and have good personalities. Nothing annoying, either!

mote
kid, 8 years old
 
Good movie - sort of like it.
So so movie. Ignore Merlin's (Merlin is Nemo's dad) language because it is not very good.

BFF GIRL THATS ...
teen, 14 years old
 
a good fishy tale for younger viewers.
the movie overall was fine and almost earned a PG rateing for some scenes with intense peril but overall pritty good. I recomend it to kids ages 3-10. (but at age 2-3 there is some iffy stuff like peril and scary situations)


kid, 12 years old
 
Enjoy watching it!
Every preschool children will enjoy watching this. I love it too!


teen, 14 years old
 
Enjoy watching it!
Every preschool children will enjoy watching this. I love it too!


kid, 11 years old
 
Enjoy watching it!
Every preschool children will enjoy watching this. I love it too!

hools
parent
 
Our four-year-old only made it through the first few minutes, and that is after we skipped the beginning where Nemo's mom and family (except Dad) meet a violent end. This, like most kids movies, is much too intense and scary for sensitive preschoolers.

ilovecookiez
teen, 14 years old
 
One of my fave movies as a kid!
I loved this movie as a kid! I would watch this like, 24/7! The part where the shark smells the blood and attacks scared me as a kid. Same with the part where a light ends up being this scary fish (I forget what it's called) and he attacks as well. But I still loved it. Warning: This movie may scare children under the age of 8 years.

OneEpicGal01
kid, 13 years old
 
Just Keep Swimming!
I remember watching this movie when I was little. I always liked it, and I still do. It's a great and fun movie with some positive role models: Marlin is a loving father who cares deeply for his son Nemo, and will not rest until he finds Nemo when he is taken away by divers. Dory is a good friend and helps when she can. However, there are many scary parts that younger kids may be frightened by: There's a barracuda at the beginning that ends up killing Nemo's mother and almost all of her eggs. There are sharks who, at first claim to be friendly with the fish, but end up attacking (no characters are hurt, though the chase scene is very intense). There's also a swarm of jellyfish that end up leaving a character fatally wounded. There's a Deep Sea Anglerfish ("Light Fish") who attacks (again, the characters get away unharmed). One part that is iffy is that a whale, at one part in the movie, mistakenly swallows up two characters; some kids may find this scary (I was always terrified, and still am, at this part, but I have cetaphobia). As you can see, there are many frighting scenes in the movie. Language is okay, though there is some name calling. Overall, this is a good movie, but note, for young and sensitive children, you may want to skip the scary parts. I rate this movie 3 stars. :)

Fangbite91
kid, 11 years old
 
I noticed product placement
I have seen Buzz Lightyear in one scene of the movie, Some sharks may be scary for young kids, almost as scary as monsters inc. but I was not scared of this movie and I loved it! Good movie! I used to watch it but some scenes scared me when I was little. Not much of a deal, Loved it!!!!!!

Dominicboo1
teen, 16 years old
 
Find Nemo For A Good Time!
A father and son comedy with some mild peril. Children may be upset by the death of Nemo's mother. It's a sad scene that may even make sensitive parents tear up. Some scenes with Bruce going on a fish eating rampage may scare preschoolers, but very much a safe movie for the whole family. Watch it with children, or even by yourself.

ninjai
parent of 5 year old
 
Perfect for all ages
We love it specially on the part where the shark says, " Fish are friends not food." This also sends a message to everyone that this animals also has feelings and they are also a person inside a tiny body.

24cool
kid, 8 years old
 
A fine movie
This movie is aimed at young kids but 0-2 year olds can't see it

 
My 4-year old was traumatized
Immediately beneath the "Adult Reviews" box for Finding Nemo is the quote "recommended for: Ages 2 and up." I either didn't see the "common sense notes" on Nemo or it hadn't yet been posted. In either case, based on the "ages 2 and up" recommendation, and the glowing reviews from parents on this site, I brought my little girl on Saturday to her first movie-theater feature. I wish I hadn't. The movie spends the first 15 minutes or so investing the audience in the two main characters, then spends the next hour putting these characters' lives in peril, in a series of near-violent deaths accentuated by all the soundtrack and sound-effect pyrotechnics you'd expect. There was a huge shark with hundreds of teeth gnashing at the protagonist for a few minutes straight, a freakish looking fish with spiked teeth gnashing at the protagonist for a few minutes, the other protagonist nearly getting shredded in a fish tank filter, the first protagonist and his friend nearly dying in an ever-tightening minefield of jellyfish -- the list goes on and on. I expected a joyful experience where I didn't have to actively parent for a couple of hours. I was dead wrong. Note: my child's media consumption is mostly limited to more feel-good types of shows like Pooh, Mr. Rogers, Clifford, etc., but she is not a shrinking violet.

Kejoli
parent
 
I've had this one for a while waiting until my 4.5yo was old enough to watch. Based on the review here being suitable for 4+ (and my opinion that the age ratings on this site are often conservative), she watched it today. This is one time I think the reviewers here got it wrong. It was frequently too scary for her and I'm not sure that she actually enjoyed the experience as a result. This from a child who usually wants to watch scary bits.

Miranda ...
kid, 11 years old
 
Good for any age
I love this movie! My favorite character is Dory, She is very funny!

aniO
parent of 3 year old
 
I love this movie. The scariest scene with mom & eggs being eaten is in chapter 1 on the dvd so I usually skip it and begin the movie with Nemo and Marlin leaving for the first day of school. That cuts down on the scary and the slightly awkward intro is soon forgotten.

mdpack
parent of 5 and 5 year old
 
Good entertainment for young kids
We love Finding Nemo for the silly lines and the fun action sequences. Dori is somewhat of a favorite in our house because she can read and the boys are learning to read.

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