10 Films That Actually Got Biology Right
9. Characteristic Fish - Finding Nemo
In its underwater world, it's impressive how much marine biology was integrated into the world of Finding Nemo, beyond the framework of an animated film. Pixar Studios has a knack for going the extra mile in bringing the worlds they imagine to life, and this was no exception.
To fully capture the ocean habitat, the studio started pre-production by sending the entire art team to marine training. They had plenty of courses and lectures in marine biology, oceanography and ichthyology (fish studies), with a few scuba diving trips thrown in for good measure.
All that groundwork was plain to see in the final result. Apart from the remarkable fidelity to the aquatic setting (yes, the East Australian Current is real), the ingenuity shines brightest by how much the characters were influenced by known traits of their species.
Take Jacques, who's based on cleaner shrimp that routinely perform similar roles in many real-life aquaria. Or Gill, a beautiful fish who's desperate to escape the captivity that is the dentist's office. His species, Moorish Idols, are also known for being difficult to maintain in tanks.
No wonder so many budding marine biologists were so inspired by Finding Nemo.