Summary
- The best Finding Nemo quotes capture the clever humor and heart of the film’s storytelling, appealing to audiences of all ages.
- The movie’s quotes touch on important life lessons, reminding us of the film’s profound story and its ability to resonate with different generations.
- From humorous one-liners to poignant moments, Finding Nemo quotes showcase the unique blend of all-ages fun and deeper themes that make Pixar films so special.
The best Finding Nemo quotes highlight the humor, heart, and clever storytelling in the animated classic. The Pixar movie captured audiences with its deep sea adventure about a protective clownfish who teams with a forgettable fish to find his missing son. As with many of the best Pixar movies, Finding Nemo gets its magic from the ability to combine all-ages fun with a profound story that will touch audiences on a deeper level. The best Finding Nemo quotes speak to this brilliant mix.
Finding Nemo has emerged as perhaps Pixar’s most successful series after Toy Story, and it is justified as the film can be enjoyed by adults just as much as their kids love it. The movie won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, while also being nominated for its quotable original screenplay. There are several lessons in the movie for all kinds of generations, and we’re looking at some quotes that most appropriately remind us of these.
20 “Mine.”
Seagulls
The Pixar formula of “what if x had feelings” has made for some great animated movies as well as clever humor. There is so much world-building in exploring what fish lives are like under the sea, but there are also some great gags that feature surface-level creatures as well. Finding Nemo doesn’t have a high opinion of seagulls but they are hilariously accurate to anyone who has been annoyed by the bords at the beach. Whenever they see possible food, the mindless birds simply blurt out “Mine!” attempting to claim the next meal.
19 “He Touched The Butt.”
Tad
Pixar movies are generally seen as smarter family-friendly movies than the average offering. However, they can still lean into the occasional simplistic humor that will certainly get a laugh out of audiences of all ages. When Nemo and his young friends venture out to the dropoff, they spot a boat, which one of the young fish claims is called a “butt.” From there, the movie gets a lot of mileage out of the simple mistake, with Nemo defying his father and venturing closer to the boat to touch it as the fish look on in amazement, proclaiming “He touched the butt!”
18 “He Really Doesn’t Mean It, You Know! He Never Even Knew His Father!”
Anchor
Despite Bruce’s best intentions, his shark instincts do take over when he gets the smell of blood. It is a surprisingly chilling moment when the once-friendly shark suddenly becomes a relentless predator whom even his fellow sharks can’t reason with. It makes for a thrilling chase scene as Marlin and Dory try to escape. But there is the added humor of Bruce’s shark friends apologizing for his behavior while also trying to make excuses for him. It is a hilarious extension of the movie’s idea of sharks as sensitive creatures who are trying to better themselves.
17 “Nemo?! That’s A Nice Name”
Dory
Dory is the hero of Finding Nemo in many ways, even if her inability to remember things becomes an inconvenience at times. One of the most notable moments comes during the climax of the film as Marlin and Dory go their separate ways only for Dory to run into Nemo. When the little clownfish says his name, Dory repeats it in amazement only to compliment him on it. It is a hilariously frustrating moment for the audience as Dory fails to realize she has found the fish they’ve been looking for.
16 “On My Honor, Or May I Be Chopped Up and Made Into Soup.”
Bruce
The scene with the sharks is probably the most darkly-humorous sequence of the entire film. Using the clever art of misdirection, the Pixar team set audiences up for a horror scene but delivered one of the most surprisingly funny moments in any Pixar feature. Along with their memorable oath, Bruce delivers this promise that makes quite a quirky jab at shark fin soup. The simple concept of a shark support ground to help them kick their habit of eating fish is hilarious. It also helped to change the public perception of sharks as impacted by Steven Spielberg’s Jaws that they are not constant dangers lurking in the water.
15 “Fish Aren’t Made To Be In a Box, Kid…”
Gill
Though his gruff persona and intimidating look make for an intense introduction, Gill is actually one of the most likable characters in Finding Nemo. He is the tough yet optimistic leader of the trapped fish in the dentist’s office, always holding onto the hope that they will escape back to the ocean. This quote from the battle-scarred angelfish doesn’t just apply to the residents of the dentist’s tank, but human beings as well. Whether that means physically or emotionally, no one deserves to be put behind glass forever.
14 “We Are Swimming in Our Own–“
Gurgle
Part of the plan for the fish to escape the fish tank requires them to make the tank especially dirty and thus necessitate a cleaning. However, it comes with some unpleasant sacrifices to the fish themselves as Gurgles begins to complain about the uncleanliness but is shushed before he can get too graphic. For a colorful Pixar production with a G rating, this one line got it close to PG territory. It’s one of the funniest lines that might have gone unnoticed by younger audiences but the parents and adults could have caught it.
13 “I’d Say It’s Half-Full.”
Dory
Dory is one of the best Pixar characters of all time thanks to her bubbly personality, and despite her own challenges, her endless optimism. While Marlin is having one of his many freakouts, Dory keeps finding new ways to smile. Even when literally being swallowed alive, she still manages to see things as not being so bad. Marlin panics as he sees the whale’s mouth filling, with Dory taking the time to display her glass-half-full mentality. Though it is frustrating for Marlin in such a situation, it only makes Dory all the more endearing.
12 “It’s Because I Like You I Don’t Want To Be With You. It’s A Complicated Emotion.”
Marlin
The buddy relationship between Dory and Marlin makes the journey all the more enjoyable. Dory may be a likable character for the audience, but her endless cheerfulness in the face of danger makes Marlin nervous and more than a little annoyed. Given her kindness, he wants to end their time together as gently as possible but has a hard time making it make sense without sounding like a total rejection. It is a wonderful delivery from Albert Brooks which really feels like the comedy legend’s voice coming through with this character.
11 “Just Keep Swimming.”
Dory
Easily the most iconic quote to come out of the film, the reason for its popularity is due to its potential to be applied to any scenario. Whether it’s about soldering through problems in life, or if it’s about a fish in the sea, it makes sense to “keep swimming.” Dory certainly found great happiness by applying this to herself, as she gained friends in Marlin and Nemo while she was literally just swimming. Marlin too was able to bring back his son after realizing that giving it his best was the way he could find happiness, not by sulking about his problems.
10 “…For A Clownfish, He Really Isn’t That Funny.”
Bill
Even before losing Nemo and setting out on his desperate journey to find him, Marlin was a particularly anxious fish. This also extended toward him having social anxiety, and we saw him mess up upon a first impression. When the other dads at the school figured Marlin would have a good joke due to being a clownfish, Marlin didn’t capitalize on the opportunity. Instead, he came across as a bumbling weirdo, leading to the character of Bill appropriately calling him out to be such a bore. It’s a fun dynamic within the movie’s undersea world that these creatures have certain expectations for each other based on their species and that Marlin doesn’t live up to his.
9 “Thank You-Hooo!”
Marlin
Marlin’s character development really came into being after his and Dory’s encounter with the whale, as Marlin was turned into a believer once he saw that Dory really could speak the whale language. While he had been dismissive of Dory before, he is willing to admit to himself that he was wrong about her and is willing to join her in acting foolish if it gets results. It was a light-hearted way of showing how people should never write off anyone’s skills at first glance, one of the many life lessons Finding Nemo delivers to its audience.
8 “Fish Are Friends. Not Food.”
Bruce
Although this scene was played for laughs for the most part, it was actually a very good message of how someone in a position of power eschewed negative stereotypes. For this reason, Bruce’s attempts at living a vegetarian diet should be applauded. It was a wonderful change from the norm where we would expect a character that looked as menacing as Bruce did to be a villain, but he turned out to be more of a sweetheart who still believed in his mantra despite giving into his shark tendencies.
7 “I Shall Call Him Squishy And He Shall Be Mine And He Shall Be My Squishy.”
Dory
Ellen DeGeneres is another standout member of the Finding Nemo cast as she perfectly plays Dory’s childlike wonder of the world. Given her short-term memory, she encounters everything with a sense of awe and interest, even if she would be better off using caution at times. Marlin came to adore Dory’s innocence, something the audience shares. In this scene, Dory comes across a small jellyfish and proceeds to talk to it like a mother would to her newborn child. Dory’s immediate love for this little speck is hilarious and shows the big heart she has for all things in the ocean.
6 “Sharkbait! Hoo Ha Ha!”
The Tank Gang
The Tank Gang attempts to come across as cool and calculating, but they also know how to have fun and build a strong community in their confined existence. One of the bizarre things they had in practice was dressing up for an initiation. When welcoming Nemo to the tank, they bestow upon him the nickname of Sharkbait and perform the strange and elaborate ceremony. It is funny how seriously the gang takes it but is also a kind way to help make the scared little fish feel more welcome in this strange place.
5 “P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney.”
Dory
Credit to Pixar for turning an address into a line that all kids who saw the film at the time of its release will always remember. Dory continues to show her surprising talents as she is about to read the address written on the pair of goggles left behind by Nemo’s abductor. Given Dory’s penchant for forgetting things, she repeats it many times to remember, however, in a surprisingly touching moment, she finds that it is one thing she doesn’t forget and is excited by her seemingly newfound ability to retain information.
4 “You So Totally Rock, Squirt! So Gimme Some Fin.”
Crush
Not only was Crush’s portion of the film a delightful change into a breezy sequence, but it also was a learning moment for Marlin as a father. It was here that he saw just how deep he’d gone into being protective of Nemo. Crush, being both affectionate and carefree with his son highlighted how casual parenting was hardly the worst thing. Father and son were as close as friends, and their familial relationship was only bettered because of it. Eventually, Marlin also injected a fair amount of the flavor of this style of parenting he’d learned from Crush.
3 “I Promise, I Will Never Let Anything Happen To You…Nemo.”
Marlin
It’s always nice to see protagonists attempt to be brave, but Pixar went for the realistic approach and had Marlin’s children and wife be devoured by a predator. While it sets up a dark theory for Finding Nemo that some fans buy into, it also shows why Marlin loves Nemo so much and why he insists on being so protective. When someone has had their family ripped apart within just a few seconds, there’s really nothing stopping them from promising their whole life to protect the one thing they still have left. It was then that Marlin made Nemo’s well-being his only mission for the rest of his days.
2 “Bye, Son…”
Marlin
In only two words, Pixar completed Marlin’s relatable and sweet character arc in the most wonderful way. When the audience first sees Marlin, he is extremely reluctant to let Nemo go, but by saying this at the end of Finding Nemo, it shows the growth Marlin has had and that he is able to give his son some of that freedom that all kids need. Marlin has the peace of mind that Nemo is mature on his own and will grow up better by making his own decisions. It was also a message to parents watching that giving their children space and allowing themselves a chance to have their own lives was the best way for personal development.
1 “Now What?”
Bloat
While Finding Nemo ends with a nice resolution to Marlin and Nemo’s story, it then has to go back and resolve another storyline. Gill and the others in the tank were last seen still trapped after their escape plan didn’t work and they were only able to get Nemo out. However, the credit scene shows them making it out of the dentist’s office inside their plastic bags. After bobbing on the water for a moment, Bloat asks “Now what?” before the movie cuts to black. With such a carefully planned and executed plan, it is funny to see that the fish didn’t really think about what comes next.