A talented team of top actors helped the filmmakers find the character of Nemo and the other members of the colorful cast. Acclaimed actor/ director/comedian Albert Brooks lends his vocal talents and comic timing to Marlin, the fretful and slightly neurotic clown fish father. Emmy-winning comedian Ellen DeGeneres gives a memorable and engaging performance as the vacillating voice of the eternally optimistic blue tang, Dory. Nine-year-old Alexander Gould (who has been acting since the age of two and whose credits include “Ally McBeal,” “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Boomtown”) is heard as the adventurous young clown fish, Nemo.
Adding bite to the voices of sharks Bruce, Anchor and Chum, respectively, are Barry Humphries (“Dame Edna”), Australian actor/comedian Eric Bana (“The Hulk”), and New Zealander Bruce Spence (“Mad Max”). Director/screenwriter Andrew Stanton goes with the flow and gives a laid-back vocal performance for the unflappable sea turtle, Crush. presents Academy Award®-winning actor Geoffrey Rush (“Shine”) wings it with a top-flight performance as the gossipy pelican Nigel. Willem Dafoe (an Oscar® nominee for “Platoon” and “Shadow of the Vampire”) is heard as Gill, the brooding moorish idol leader of the tank gang who takes newcomer Nemo under his fin. Allison Janney (a three-time Emmy Award winner for “West Wing”) does a “star” turn as the astute starfish, Peach. Brad Garrett (Raymond’s Emmy Award winning policeman brother on “Everybody Loves Raymond”) voices Bloat, a blowfish with a tendency for emotional as well as literal blow-ups. Stephen Root (“King of the Hill”) is heard as Bubbles, the bubble obsessed yellow tang. Vicki Lewis (“News Radio”) lends voice to Deb (and Flo), a reflective black & white humbug damsel fish with an identity crisis. Bringing the right blend of panic and desperation to Gurgle, a royal gramma whose fear of germs makes him a royal pain, is film and stage veteran Austin Pendleton. Top Pixar storyman Joe Ranft (who has previously voiced Wheezy the lonely squeak toy penguin in “Toy Story 2” and Heimlich the jolly German caterpillar in “A Bug’s Life”) adds to his vocal repertoire with his role as Jacques, a fastidious cleaner shrimp who loves to muck about.
From a visual standpoint, “Finding Nemo” is a stunning achievement that is both aesthetically appealing and groundbreaking. Production designer Ralph Eggleston (an Oscar®-winner for his direction of the Pixar animated short “For the Birds” and production designer on the original “Toy Story”) set the look and style for the film. The film’s dual directors of photography, Sharon Calahan and Jeremy Lasky, added to the look and excitement of “Nemo’s” underwater setting with their innovative approach to lighting and layout. Calahan’s lighting helped to give the film a modern 3-strip Technicolor quality and enhanced the underwater effect with soft backgrounds, vibrant colors and beautiful glows. Lasky’s expert handling of the layout (camera movements, staging) added to the sense of being underwater and took full advantage of the film’s dramatic possibilities.
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