Tonight with the Family: 21 years ago, this masterpiece performed better than any other animated film before it

In the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef, a clownfish named Marin moves into an anemone with his wife and hundreds of eggs. But after a tragic barracuda attack, Marin finds herself alone with a lonely cub, whom she decides to name Nemo and whom she swears to protect for the rest of her life.

Years pass and despite his atrophied fin, little Nemo only dreams of adventure. Not listening to his father’s insistent recommendations, he goes outside the coral reef, into the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and is captured by a diver. Since then, Marin will never stop finding him, even if he has to cross an entire ocean and face his many dangers.

• Tonight with the Family: Pixar first made us cry 23 years ago with this movie

A new challenge for Pixar

With each new feature film, the artists at Pixar Studios don’t shy away from taking on colossal new challenges. After animating Sally’s thousands of colorful hair in Monsters & Co., the teams behind the tiny desk lamp are determined to dive deep into the oceans to make the first underwater movie!

The main project is underwater, everything needs to be reviewed! The movements of the characters, the refraction of light on the settings, the appearance of the thousands of creatures that populate this new world… the challenge, once again, is important. Fortunately, Andrew Stanton (Co-Founder of Pixar) is at the helm.

The biggest success in animation

Inspired by family visits to the aquarium and his own relationship with his son to create the film’s script, Stanton spared no expense in bringing the studio’s fifth feature to life. Infused with the wonderful oceanic sounds of composer Thomas Newman, with a cast-iron plot and characters more compelling than ever, Finding Nemo is simply a masterpiece.

When it was released in cinemas in 2003, neither the public nor the profession were wrong, because with more than 800 million tickets collected worldwide, Nemo became the biggest success in animation at the time (it was later surpassed by several other films), and since February 2004 it has allowed Pixar Gives to receive the first Oscar for the best animated film.

What will you like…

• The irresistible and touching relationship that blossoms between Marin and Dory, a fun and very cute new friend who will do anything to help her find Nemo.

• An impressive and plentiful array of supporting characters, each one funnier than the other. For example, Bruce the shark, Admiral the pelican, or all the fish that live in the dentist’s aquarium.

• A spirit of adventure and exploration that emanates from every scene in the film.

What could be bothering them…

• Sharks, perhaps, especially when Bruce unleashes his primal instinct with a drop of blood.

• An eerie and terrifying creature from the abyss that Marin and Dory meet in the middle of the film.

(Re)discover all the hidden details of the movie…