What The Characters Look Like In Real Life
Finding Nemo features an all-star cast of talented actors, but given the animated nature of the film, it’s easy to miss exactly who plays who. Finding Nemo was the fifth movie released by Pixar Studios after their huge success with movies, Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. It followed father-and-son duo, Marlin and Nemo, who are separated after Nemo is kidnapped from the Great Barrier Reef; refusing to give up on his son, Marlin travels across the ocean and fights to bring him home. The final product was massively acclaimed, grossing over $870 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) and accrued an award the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2004.
The voice cast of Finding Nemo is among the many reasons that it’s such a beloved movie with children and adults alike. Each actor brings something unique and dynamic to their performance, which brings these characters to life in a way that few animated movies have been able to accomplish. There’s real emotion and weight to the roles, which is a huge accomplishment considering how bright and childish the story seems to be on the surface.
Albert Brooks as Marlin
Marlin is the protagonist of Finding Nemo, an isolated clownfish who embarks on a perilous quest to rescue his missing child with the help of several other sea creatures. He’s voiced by Albert Brooks, who previously rose to fame with roles such as Aaron Altman in Broadcast News and Daniel Miller in Defending Your Life.After joining the Finding Nemo cast, Brooks also featured in several more mature projects such as Drive and A Most Violent Year. He returned as Marlin for the movie’s sequel, Finding Dory.
Ellen DeGeneres as Dory
Dory is an amnesiac blue tang fish that joins Marlin on his quest to find Nemo, teaching him important lessons about friendship and compassion along the way. She’s voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, who is most well-known for her hugely popular talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. First airing in 2003, the show ran for almost 20 years and quickly became one of the most consistently popular American daytime shows. Finding Nemo and its sequel are DeGeneres’ most notorious acting roles.
Alexander Gould as Nemo
The father-son dynamic between Nemo and Marlin drives much of Finding Nemo‘s plot forward, despite the two barely sharing any time together on-screen. Nemo is an extremely innocent and naive child that’s been let into the wild, and his separation from his family is the driving force of the story. Nemo was voiced by Alexander Gould, the actor behind roles such as Cole Griffith in Supernatural and Shane Botwin in Weeds.
Willem Dafoe as Gill
Gill is Moorish Idol fish that plays a large role in Finding Nemo, helping Nemo find his way back home and discover important lessons about the world on his way. He’s the leader of the Tank Gang, another group of aquatic creatures that have been separated from their families. Joining the Finding Nemo cast to play him is Willem Dafoe, the four-time Oscar-nominated actor behind roles such as Green Goblin in Spider-Man and Bobby in The Florida Project. He’s also appeared in The Northman, The French Dispatch, and John Wick.
Brad Garrett as Bloat
Bloat is another member of the Tank Gang that Nemo encounters while he’s separated from his family. As a pufferfish, he’s extremely volatile and blows up into a huge ball when he loses his temper, which makes for several entertaining scenes. The character is voiced by Brad Garrett, the actor who played Robert Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond and Wes Manning in This Is Us. Garrett has also provided several other voice performances in animated movies such as Tangled and Ratatouille.
Allison Janney as Peach
Peach is a starfish that Nemo encounters during his stay at the dentist, and she immediately takes him under her wing like he’s family. She’s patient and careful, which are traits that allow the Tank Gang to perfectly plot their escape and send Nemo home. Joining the Finding Nemo cast to voice the starfish is Allison Janney, whose most popular roles include Charlotte Phelan in The Help and Prudy Pingleton in Hairspray. The actor also won an Oscar for her supporting role in I, Tonya, an amazing comedy based on a true story.
Stephen Root as Bubbles
Bubbles is a bright yellow tang that acquired his name thanks to his tendency to chase bubbles in the aquarium. Much like Nemo, he’s an extremely naive and optimistic character that teaches his new friend the importance of seeing the good in the world. Bubbles is voiced by Stephen Root, whose previous accomplishments include playing Milton in Office Space and Fuches in HBO’s Barry – even securing an Emmy nomination for his performance in the latter.
Austin Pendleton as Gurgle
Gurgle is a royal gamma fish that spends his time with the Tank Gang, though he’s often hesitant to take part in their dangerous escape attempts. He’s distant and cold at first, but his relationship with Nemo allows him to open up and take more risks. Gurgle joined the Finding Nemo cast to voice by Austin Pendleton, the actor behind Max in The Muppet Movie and John Gibbons in My Cousin Vinnie. He’s also been involved in several prestigious stage productions over the years.
Geoffrey Rush as Nigel
Nigel is an outgoing pelican whose friends with the Tank Gang and forms a close bond with Nemo following his capture and entrapment. The bird is voiced by Geoffrey Rush, who famously provided several great quotes as Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean. He’s also played roles such as Lionel Logue in The King’s Speech and David in Shine, even winning an Academy Award for the latter.
Finding Nemo Supporting Cast & Characters
Andrew Stanton as Crush – Crush is an easygoing sea turtle that lives alongside Nemo and Marlin, offering assistance to Marlin and Dory on their journey across the sea. He’s voiced by Andrew Stanton, who famously wrote several Pixar movies (including A Bug’s Life, WALL-E, and even Finding Nemo).
Joe Ranft as Jacques – Jacques is a French shrimp that “decontaminates” new arrivals to the dentist’s office. Joe Ranft joined the Finding Nemo cast to voice him, who’s known for writing Pixar’s hit movies Toy Story and Cars.
Elizabeth Perkins as Coral – Coral was Marlin’s wife, who was presumably killed alongside her unborn children at the beginning of the story. She’s played by Elizabeth Perkins, the acor behind Sharp Objects‘ Jackie O’Neill.
Bob Peterson as Mr. Ray – Mr. Ray is a spotted eagle ray who teaches the children in the Great Barrier Reef at the start of the film. He’s played by Bob Peterson, who also provided the voices of Roz in Monsters, Inc. and Dug in Up.
Barry Humphries as Bruce – Bruce is another vegetarian shark that Marlin and Dory encounter along their journey. He’s the head of the “Fish are friends, not food” group. Joining the Finding Nemo cast to voice Bruce is Barry Humphries, who is best known for playing the Great Goblin in The Hobbit franchise.
Eric Bana as Anchor: Anchor is one of three vegetarian sharks that Marlin and Dory encounter on their journey to find Nemo, teaching them that not all sharks are deadly predators. He’s a great source of comic relief in the movie, with Eric Bana’s performance really serving as a highlight. Bana had previously worked on movies such as Munich and Troy, also playing John Meehan on the hit anthology series Dirty John.
Vicki Lewis as Deb – Deb is another member of the Tank Gang, most famous for believing that her reflection is a twin sister named Flo. She’s voiced by Vicki Lewis, who played April Smuntz in Mousehunt.
John Ratzenberger as Fish School – John Ratzenberger has notoriously appeared in countless Pixar movies, mostly as cameos. In Finding Nemo, he has a minor role as a school of moonfish. The actor’s more noteworthy roles include Hamm in Toy Story and Cliff in Cheers.
Source: Box Office Mojo
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