Fifteen years ago yesterday, Finding Nemo swam into theaters.
The Pixar project, written and directed by Andrew Stanton, went on to become an instant phenomenon, earning $940.3 million worldwide on a reported $94 million budget. To date, Finding Nemo remains the best-selling DVD title of all time, and it inspired attractions at Disney theme parks around the world. It didn't hurt that the movie featured an all-star voice cast: Eric Bana as Anchor, Nicholas Bird as Squirt, Albert Brooks as Marlin, Willem Dafoe as Gill, Ellen DeGeneres as Dory, LuLu Ebeling as Darla, Brad Garrett as Bloat, Alexander Gould as Nemo, Barry Humphries as Bruce, Allison Janney as Peach, Vicki Lewis as Deb/Flo, Austin Pendleton as Gurgle, Elizabeth Perkins as Coral, Bob Peterson as Mr. Ray, Joe Ranft as Jacques, Stephen Root as Bubbles, Geoffrey Rush as Nigel, Bruce Spence as Chum and Stanton as Crush.
Fans clamored for a sequel—and in 2016, Finding Dory was released.
In celebration of the first film's 15th anniversary, E! News rounded up 15 fun facts:
School of Fish
At the beginning of 2003's Finding Nemo, Mr. Ray's class swims through some 12,996 corals, all of which were individually animated.
Hell and High Water
Nemo's name is a nod to Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Circling the Drain
William H. Macy originally voiced Marlin, Nemo's overprotective dad, even though Albert Brooks was director Andrew Stanton's first choice. But, after an early screening, Brooks was brought in to replace Macy.
Fish-Eating Grin
Bruce the shark has 202 teeth, each of which can be animated individually.
Big Fish in a Small Pond
Originally meant to swim with the fishes in an unnamed character, Will & Grace alum Megan Mullally claimed she was let go when she refused to speak in her high-pitched Karen Walker voice.
"I said, 'Now, wait a minute: You're telling me you want this fish who lives in a fish tank in a dentist's office to be a fictitious character from an NBC sitcom?'" she told a New York radio station. "I mean, it just doesn't make any sense to me."
A Fish Out of Water
Look closely and you'll find Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear on the floor in the dentist's office.
Sink or Swim
Out of the Tank Gang in P. Sherman's denistry office, Bubbles has the least amount of dialogue.
In the Swim of Things
Pixar's in-house art team was required to take courses and audit lectures in ichthyology, marine biology and oceanography to make the film more lifelike. The artists were also required to enroll in scuba diving classes.
Out to Sea
For the jellyfish scene, Pixar's Ocean Unit created a new shading system they dubbed "transblurrency."
Drink Like a Fish
Two of the turtles are named after citrus soda brands: Crush and Squirt.
Bigger Fish to Fry
This is the first Pixar film not composed by Randy Newman. Instead, his cousin, Thomas Newman, scored the soundtrack.
Fishing for Compliments
This is the first Pixar film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. A Bug's Life, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were released before the category was added to the ceremony, and Monsters, Inc. lost to Shrek.
In Too Deep
One of the boats in Sydney Harbor is named "For the Birds," a reference to the Pixar short of the same name.
Going With the Flow
A boy in the dentist's office reads a Mr. Incredible comic book, foreshadowing The Incredibles.
Plenty of Fish in the Sea
Finding Nemo was the first Pixar movie to have a post-credits scene.