Pixar's Animators Went to Fish School for Finding Nemo

Most animation studios might throw a few reference videos at their artists and call it a day. Pixar? They sent their entire art team back to school. Before a single frame of Finding Nemo was animated, the studio's creators enrolled in marine biology, oceanography, and ichthyology courses—basically creating their own underwater curriculum.

But the classroom was just the beginning. Director John Lasseter bought a massive saltwater fish tank and stocked it with tropical species so animators could observe real fish movement daily. The team took field trips to local aquariums, scribbling notes about how fish turn, hover, and dart through water. Then came the ultimate homework assignment: a scuba diving trip to Hawaii.

When Pixar Students Outperformed Grad Students

Pixar University—the studio's in-house training program—brought in actual marine biologists to lecture the animation team. One of them was Adam Summers, a fish biomechanics expert and postdoctoral fellow at Berkeley. He later admitted the Pixar crew seemed more engaged and asked better questions than any graduate class he'd ever taught. These weren't students grinding for a degree; they were artists obsessed with getting fish to move exactly right.

The studio also hired an ichthyologist (a zoologist who specializes in fish) to give regular lectures and review animation sequences. If a clownfish's fin looked off or a school of fish moved unrealistically, the expert would flag it.

Why Go This Hard for a Kids' Movie?

Pixar's philosophy has always been that audiences can sense when something feels wrong, even if they can't articulate why. A fish that moves like a human in a fish suit breaks the magic. But a fish that swims, turns, and reacts like an actual marine creature? That's what pulls you into the story.

This obsessive research paid off spectacularly. Finding Nemo became one of Pixar's most visually stunning films, with underwater sequences so convincing that marine biologists praised its accuracy. The film grossed over $940 million worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

The training wasn't just about realism—it was about respect. By understanding how clownfish use their pectoral fins differently than tangs, or how light refracts underwater, the animators could make creative choices that enhanced rather than violated the natural world.

A Legacy Beyond Nemo

This level of research became standard practice at Pixar. For Ratatouille, animators trained in French kitchens. For Brave, they studied Scottish history and archery. For Finding Dory, they brought back marine biologists—including Adam Summers again—to ensure the sequel maintained the same scientific integrity.

So yes, Pixar animators really did go to fish school. And they probably learned more about marine biology than most people remember from their actual college courses. All so that when Marlin and Dory swam across the screen, they moved like the ocean's real inhabitants—not cartoons pretending to be fish.