Story: A “down under” undersea cartoon adventure. After tragedy makes Marlin (a clownfish) an overprotective father, his only surviving son (Nemo) rebels, and is captured off Australia’s Barrier Reef by a Sydney dentist. While Nemo and new fish-friends in the dentist’s aquarium plan Nemo’s escape, Marlin and his unlikely helper, Dori (a bluegill), face sharks, jellyfish, currents, seagulls and more in Marlin’s incredible journey to find his son. You’ll be moved by this parent’s love and the lessons both father and child learn along the way. (2003, Oscar for Best Cartoon; Family comedy, Adventure; 100 min)

Setting: Ocean around Australia

People and proper nouns:

• Marlin: the “dad” in this story (his wife and other kids were eaten by a barracuda or some similar large fish); his species is called “clownfish” and there are jokes about this (“clowns” are supposed to be funny)
• Nemo: Marlin’s only surviving son
• Dory: a blue fish with “short term memory loss”—she can’t remember things except for a few seconds
• Bruce: leader of the shark club (the other two are named Anchor and Chum)
• Crush: an adult sea turtle (150 years old)
• Squirt: a baby sea turtle
• Gill: the “leader” of the dentist’s aquarium fish
• Peach: an aquarium starfish
• Deb: an aquarium fish who thinks the reflection is her “twin” named Flow (the other aquarium creatures are named Bloat, Gurgle, Bubbles, & Jacques)
• Nigel: a pelican who is friends with the fish in the dentist’s aquarium

Vocabulary: 

• *aquarium: a box with glass sides so that people can see the fish inside (esp. for pet fish)
• *buddy: (positive) friend. “My buddy is a mechanic; he can help you.” (negative) sometimes used to address an unfamiliar male who is bothering you. “All right buddy, what’s your problem?! Stop following me!”
• *conscience: the part of your mind that helps you decide what is right and wrong
• *dialect: a regional language, with major differences from the language spoken in nearby areas (地方话)
• dodgy: (BrE) involving danger, or not working properly. “This job is a bit dodgy (dangerous).” “The lifts in this old building are a bit dodgy (often broken).”
• *duck: [v] a command to lower your head quickly to avoid danger (低头吧!); [n] a common water bird (鸭子)
• to favor (sth): to prefer sth (or sb) when you have choices. “He’s been favoring his German drill over the others lately.”
• fella: slang for “fellow” or person. “Can you fellas move that table for me? Thanks.”
• *filter: a machine or screen that makes air or water cleaner by removing unwanted things (like pollution, dust or chemicals)
• *fin: part of a fish that helps it move in the water (like a bird’s wing). “Nigel call’s Nemo’s handicapped fin a ‘gimpy fin on one side’.”
• gasp: a quick breath that shows surprise or pain
• *gears: metal pieces of a machine that transmit motion from the motor to wherever it is needed (in this case, to a fan)
• to hatch: used to describe what happens to an egg when it breaks so that the “baby” inside can come out; also can mean “to form (a plan) in secret”
• impressions: (usually plural) to copy the speech/behavior of a famous person in order to get people to laugh. “His impressions are very funny, especially of rock stars.”
• *inflate/deflate: to fill/release air, such as when you blow up a balloon or let the air out
• jellyfish/jellies: a sea animal that can sting you with poisonous parts of its body (海蜇)
• mate: (BrE) friend, pal, chum, buddy; (AmE) marriage partner, unless attached to a noun like workmate, roommate, etc. “To mate” often refers to the reproduction process in animals.
• mister/Mr.: “mister” is the full spelling of “Mr.”; sometimes used to address a man if you don’t know his name (“Sir” is normally a better choice); parents also sometimes call their male child “mister” when they are upset with the child’s behavior. “You had better stop that, mister!”
• *to offend: to make someone emotionally upset by being rude or unkind. “You offended him.”
• *pledge: a serious promise or agreement; some meetings start with members reciting a memorized, public “pledge”
• practical joke: a trick you play on someone, like on April Fools’ Day, intended to be funny but not harmful
• *red flag: (AmE) something that alerts you about a problem or danger (a red flag is also an international symbol of communism, but Americans often use it idiomatically to mean a warning sign)
• sheila: Australian term meaning “young woman”
• *skeleton: a person’s or animal’s bones without flesh on them, but still in the right order
• *wanna: oral English, meaning “want to” (you should never write the word “wanna” because it is not really a word)

Phrases/sayings:

• “Crikey”: (BrE) expression to show that you are surprised and displeased
• “Did your man deliver?”: Did your husband do what he promised?
• “Dude!”: slang way to refer to a person, often thought of as “cool”–this is primarily used (at least with the kind of accent you hear in the film) with beach lovers and surfers, and in particular such people in California (most people don’t talk like this)
• “from my/your neck of the woods”: from my/your neighborhood/city/region/etc
• *”get sth off my chest”: to admit something that is difficult to admit to others (e.g., that you are addicted, that you lied, etc.)
• “I don’t get it.”: I don’t understand what you just said.
• “in harm’s way”: in danger, esp. the danger of war
• *”(the) odds are”: it is likely. “Odds are, one will like you.” = One will probably like you.
• *”On your mark, get set, go!”: a phrase used to start a race; runners begin when they hear “go”
• *to say sth “under your breath”: in a quiet voice so that only people very close to you can hear
• *”You’re nuts.”: you (he/she) are crazy; I think that is a stupid idea

More information:

Note 1: You will hear Australian accents and a few Australian phrases that people in other parts of the English-speaking world don’t use. I don’t know if the American film-makers got such things right, but it is a good reminder that there is no ONE way to speak English!

Note 2: As of January 2005 (about a year and a half after release), IMDB.com said this film was the bestselling DVD of all time in the world with 22 million copies sold. If you are with a group, talk about why it was so popular.

Note 3: A film’s subtitles sometimes show “oral English” terms that are not really words (so English-learners should not write things like this): wanna = want to; gotta = have got to; gonna = is going to. Likewise, an apostrophe is sometimes used to replace a “g” when reporting oral English: for example: ridin’ = riding, takin’ on = taking on

Discussion: 

1. Tell your partner which character you liked best and why? For example: the “dad” turtle, one of the sharks, the pelican, Nemo, Marlin (his dad), Dory, Gill or someone else in the film.
2. Were you ever separated unexpectedly from your parents? Tell your partner or small group about the experience.
3. Several times, Dory was unafraid to talk to strangers (ask for directions, ask if she can help Marlin…). How did it work out each time? How do we know when it is OK to interact with strangers, and when it isn’t?
4. Many of the main characters had a “special problem” or “handicap,” such as Pearl’s short tentacle, Nemo’s “lucky fin,” Gill’s scars, Dory’s memory problems, or even the sharks’ unwanted reputation and “addiction.” What is your “special problem”? What does this film teach us about people with “handicaps”?
5. Look at Dialog 16, then “search” for images online of “Just keep swimming”. There are a lot! Pick your favorite and share it with your group, and then discuss why this is popular. Talk about a situation where this “philosophy” could help you.
6. Read dialog 25. I’ve heard that some children tried to set their parents’ pet fish free (by flushing them down the toilet) after seeing this movie. Do fish “belong in a box”? What about other pets—is having a pet a good or bad thing? Explain your answer.
7. The description of this film says: “You’ll be moved by this parent’s love and the lessons both father and child learn along the way.” What lessons did both Marlin and Nemo learn “along the way”?

Sentences/dialogs from the movie:

Say these dialogs out loud with your friends; it will help you prepare to watch the movie. The underlined words are defined in the vocabulary section above. You could assign a “narrator” to read everything in [brackets] or (parentheses).

Note: some of these have been shortened or simplified a little for my students; others stick to the subtitles even if they aren’t exactly like the dialog.

• 1.  Marlin: So, Coral, when you said you wanted an ocean view, you didn’t think you were going to get the whole ocean, did you? Huh? [deep breath] Oh, yeah. A fish can breathe out here. Did your man deliver, or did he deliver?
•      Coral: My man delivered.
•      Marlin: And it wasn’t so easy.
•      Coral: Because a lot of other clownfish had their eyes on this place.
• 2.  (the parents are looking at their 400 unhatched children)
•      Coral: We still have to name them…
•      Marlin: [Do] You want to name all of them, right now? All right. We’ll name this half Marlin Jr., and then this half Coral Jr. Okay, we’re done.
•      Coral: I like “Nemo.”
•      Marlin: Nemo? Well, we’ll name one Nemo, but I’d like most of them to be Marlin Jr.
•      Marlin: What if they don’t like me?
•      Coral: Marlin! There’s over 400 eggs. Odds are, one of them is bound to like you.
• 3.  Marlin: Now, what’s the one thing we have to remember about the ocean?
•      Nemo: It’s not safe.
•      Marlin: That’s my boy.
• 4.  Nemo: Hey dad! Maybe when I’m at school, I’ll see a shark.
•      Marlin: I highly doubt it.
•      Nemo: Have how ever met a shark?
•      Marlin: No, and I don’t plan to.
•      Nemo: How old are sea turtles?
•      Marlin: Sea turtles? I don’t know.
•      Nemo: Sandy Plankton from next door, he says they live to be about a hundred years old.
•      Marlin: Well, if I ever meet a sea turtle I’ll ask him, right after I’m done talking to the shark.
• 5.  (1st day of school; the kids are bragging about their special problems or weaknesses, like Nemo’s “lucky fin,” which never grew to full size)
•      Pearl: See this tentacle? It’s actually shorter than all my other tentacles, but you can’t really tell, especially when I twirl them like this. [twirls her tentacles]
•      Sheldon (seahorse): I’m H2O intolerant. [sneezes]
•      Tad: I’m obnoxious. [i.e., adults think I’m rude and unpleasant to be around]
• 6.  (Nemo lives in a sea anemone)
•      Mr. Ray: All new explorers must answer a science question. You live in what kind of home?
•      Nemo: An anemonemone. Amnemonemomne.
•      Mr. Ray: OK, don’t hurt yourself.
• 7.  Bob: Hey, you’re doing pretty well for a first-timer.
•      Marlin: Well, you can’t hold on to them forever, can you?
•      Bill: You know I had a tough time with my oldest out at the drop off.
•      Marlin: They’ve just got to grow up some… – The drop off?! They’re going to the drop off? What are you, insane? Why don’t we fry them up now and serve them with chips?
•      Bob: Hey Marty, calm down.
•      Marlin: Don’t tell me to be calm, pony boy.
•      Bob: Pony boy?
•      Bill: You know for a clownfish, he really isn’t that funny.
•      Ted: [That’s a] Pity.
• 8.  Pearl: Hey! You guys made me ink. [an octopus can create a cloud of “ink” to help it escape danger]
•      Nemo: What’s that?
•      Tad: I know what that is. Sandy Plankton saw one. He said it was called a “butt”. [he means “boat”]
•      Pearl: That’s a pretty big butt.
•      Sheldon (swims out a little): Oh, look at me. I’m going to touch the butt….
•      Marlin (finds Nemo thinking about going out to “touch the butt” like his friends): Nemo! No! … You know what? OK, I was right. You’ll start school in a year or two.
•      Nemo: No, Dad! Just because you’re scared of the ocean [doesn’t mean I’m scared]…
•      Marlin: Clearly, you’re not ready, and you’re not coming back until you are. You think you can do these things, but you just can’t, Nemo!
•      Nemo: I hate you.
• 9.  (Nemo has gone to the boat)
•      Marlin: Nemo! You’ll get stuck out there and I’ll have to go get you before another fish does. Get back here! I said get back here now! Stop! You make one more move, mister… [Nemo lifts his fin] Don’t you dare! If you put one fin on that boat…! Don’t touch the boat! [Nemo touches the boat] Nemo!
•      Tad (whispering): He touched the butt.
• 10. Dory: I’ve seen a boat.
•      Marlin: You have?
•      Dory: It passed by not too long ago. Follow me. [few seconds later] Will you quit it? What, the ocean isn’t big enough for you? You got a problem, buddy? Huh? Do you, do you, do you? You want a piece of me? Yeah, yeah! Ooh, I’m scared now! Stop following me, OK?
•      Marlin: What are you talking about? You’re showing me where the boat went.
•      Dory: Hey, I’ve seen a boat. It passed by not too long ago. It went this way.
•      Marlin: Wait a minute, you already told me which way the boat was going.
•      Dory: I did? Oh, no.
•      Marlin: If this is some kind of practical joke, it’s not funny, and I know funny. I’m a clownfish.
•      Dory: I’m sorry. I suffer from short term memory loss. I forget things almost immediately. It runs in my family. At least, I think it does…. Where are they?
•      Marlin: Something’s wrong with you, really.
• 11. Bruce (a large shark): Hello.
•      (Marlin gasps, Dory swims up)
•      Dory: Well, hi!
•      Bruce: [The] Name’s Bruce. [offers fin, Marlin backs up] It’s all right. I understand. [turns away] Why trust a shark, right? [he quickly returns and snaps at Marlin and Dory, then laughs]
•      Bruce: So, what’s a couple of bites like you doing out so late?
•      Marlin: Nothing, we’re not doing anything, we’re not even out.
•      Bruce: Great! Then how would you little morsels like to come to a little – a little get-together I’m having?
•      Dory: You mean like a party?
•      Bruce: Yeah, that’s it, a party! What do you say?
•      Dory: Oh, I love parties! That sounds like fun.
•      Marlin: Parties are fun, and it’s tempting, but we really have to…
•      Bruce (takes Dory and Marlin by the fin): Aw, come on. I insist.
•      Marlin (nervous): Okay, that’s all that matters.
•      Dory (looking at mines—undersea bombs): Hey, look, balloons. It is a party.
•      Bruce: Mind your distance, though. Those balloons can be a bit dodgy. You wouldn’t want one of them to pop.
• 12. Bruce: Anchor! Chum! We’ve got company.
•      Anchor: Well, it’s about time, mate!
•      Chum: We’ve already gone through the snacks, and I’m still starving!
•      Anchor: We almost had us a feeding frenzy.
•      Chum: Come on, let’s get this over with.
•      Sharks (after the meeting “comes to order”—i.e., begins): Let us all say the pledge: “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.”
•      Chum: Except dolphins! They think they’re so cute. [mocking] “Look at me, I’m a flippin’ little dolphin, let me flip for you. Ain’t I something?”
•      Bruce: Today’s meeting is Step 5: Bring a fish friend. Do you all have your friends?
•      Anchor: Got mine. [a small fish hyperventilating (shaking) with fear]
•      Dory: Hey, there!
•      Bruce: How about you, Chum?
•      Chum: Oh, I… seem to have misplaced my friend. [a fish skeleton peeks from Chum’s teeth; Chum quickly sucks it back in]
•      Bruce: That’s all right, Chum. I had a feeling this would be a difficult step. You can help yourself to one of my friends.
•      Chum (taking Marlin): Thanks mate. A little chum for Chum, eh?
•      Bruce: I’ll start the testimonies. Hello. My name is Bruce. It has been three weeks since my last fish. Onmy honor, or may I be chopped up and made into soup.
•      Chum: You’re an inspiration to all of us!
•      Anchor: Amen!
•      Bruce: Who’s next?
•      Dory: Pick me, pick me!
•      Bruce: Yes. The little Sheila down [in] the front. Come on up here.
•      Dory: Hi. I’m Dory. And, well… I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a fish.
•      (the sharks applaud)
•      Chum: Wow, that’s incredible!
•      Bruce: Good on you, mate!
•      Dory: Whew. I’m glad I got that off my chest.
•      Bruce: All right, anyone else? How about you, mate? What’s your problem?
•      Marlin: Me? I don’t have a problem.
•      Bruce: Oh, OK.
•      All sharks together: Denial.
•      Marlin: OK. My name is Marlin. I’m a clownfish.
•      Chum: A clownfish? Really? Tell us a joke.
•      Marlin: Well, I actually do know one that’s pretty good. There was this mollusk, and he walks up to a sea cucumber. Normally, they don’t talk, sea cucumbers, but in a joke everyone talks. So the sea mollusk says to the cucumber… [sees the mask] Nemo!
•      Chum (laughing, but uncertain): Nemo! Ha ha! Nemo… I don’t get it.
•      Bruce: For a clown fish, he’s not that funny.
•      Marlin: No. Nemo’s my son, he was taken by these divers.
•      Dory: Oh my, you poor fish.
•      Chum (with disgust): Humans. [They] Think they own everything.
•      Anchor (with disgust): Probably American…
•      Bruce: Now there is a father– Looking for his little boy. [starts crying] I never knew my father!
• 13. (They are looking at an address on the diver’s mask.)
•      Marlin: What do these markings mean? I can’t read human.
•      Dory: Then we’ve got to find a fish that can read this. Hey, look! Sharks!
•      (Marlin and Dory are each pulling on the mask; it snaps and hits Dory in the face)
•      Marlin: Oh, I’m really sorry. Are you okay?
•      Dory: You really clocked me there. Am I bleeding? [a wisp of blood floats from Dory’s nose]
•      Bruce: Dory, are you okay… [Sniffs the blood] Ooooooooo, that’s good…
•      Chum, Anchor: Intervention!
•      Bruce: Just a bite!
•      Anchor: Now you hold it together, mate!
•      Chum: Remember, Bruce! “Fish are friends, not food!”
•      Bruce: Food! I’m having fish tonight.
•      Dory (as Bruce bangs against the door of the sunken submarine): Who is it?
•      Marlin: Dory, help me find a way out!
•      Dory (to Bruce): Sorry. Come back later. We’re trying to escape. [then reading a door] Look, here’s something. “Es-cap-e…” I wonder what that means? That’s funny. It’s spelled just like the word “escape.”
•      Marlin (to Dory): Wait a minute! You can read?
•      Dory: I can read? That’s right, I can read!
•      Anchor (as Bruce hungrily chases Marlin and Dory): He really doesn’t mean it, you know! He never even knew his father!
• 14. (in the dentist office in Sydney)
•      Nemo: I wanna go home. Does anyone know where my dad is?
•      Peach: Honey, your father’s probably back at the pet store.
•      Nemo: Pet store?
•      Bloat: Yeah. Like, I’m from Bob’s Fish Mart.
•      Gurgle: Pet Palace.
•      Bubbles: Fish-O-Rama.
•      Deb: Mail Order.
•      Peach: eBay.
•      Gurgle: So, which one is it?
•      Nemo: I’m from the ocean.
•      Gurgle: Oh, the ocean. THE OCEAN? AAAH! He hasn’t been decontaminated yet! Jacques! Clean up!
•      Jacques: Oui. Oo, la mer! Bon! [Spins Nemo around as he cleans him] Voilà. He is clean.
•      Bubbles: So, the Big Blue. What’s it like?
•      Nemo: Umm… big and blue?
•      Bubbles: I knew it.
•      Deb: Kid, if there’s anything you need, just ask your Auntie Deb. That’s me. Or if I’m not around, you can talk to my sister, Flo. [swims up and talks to her own reflection] Hi, how are ya? [then to Nemo] Don’t listen to anything my sister says, she’s nuts!
•      (Peach tells the aquarium fish to look at the dentist and his patient; then they describe the “action” sort of like describing a sports match on the radio)
•      Deb: What have we got?
•      Peach: Root canal–and by the looks of those X-rays, it’s not going to be pretty. [Dentist drills and patient screams]
•      Bloat: Dam and clamper installed?
•      Peach: Yep.
•      Bubbles: What did he use to open?
•      Peach: Gator-Glidden drill. He’s been favoring that one lately…. Now he’s doing the Schilder technique.
•      Bloat: He’s using a Hedstrom file.
•      Gurgle: That’s not a Hedstrom file, that’s a K-Flex.
•      Bloat: It has a teardrop cross section, clearly it’s a HEDSTROM.
•      Gurgle: No, K-FLEX.
•      Bloat (they get more and more angry): HEDSTROM.
•      Gurgle: K-FLEX.
•      Bloat: HEDSTROM. [he inflates] Oomp. There I go. I need a little help over here.
•      Deb (sighs): I’ll go deflate him.
•      Gurgle (after dental patient spits): Oh, the human mouth is a disgusting place.
•      Nigel (a pelican; flies in and meets Nemo): Hello. From my neck of the woods, eh? Sorry if I ever took a snap at you. Fish gotta swim, birds gotta eat.
• 15. (the dentist says that Nemo is going to be Darla’s birthday present)
•       Bloat: Uh oh. Darla.
•      Nemo: What’s wrong with her?
•      Gurgle: She wouldn’t stop shaking the bag.
•      (We see a close-up of the dead fish in the photo.)
•      Bubbles: Poor Chuckles.
•      Deb: He was her present last year.
•      Bloat: Hitched a ride on the porcelain express [i.e., the toilet].
•      Peach: She’s a fish killer!
•      (Nemo flees, very frightened, and gets stuck in the filter intake and cries for help.)
•      Gill: Nobody touch him!
•      Nemo: Can you help me?
•      Gill: No. You got yourself in there, you can get yourself out.
•      Deb: Ah, Gill…
•      Gill: I just want to see him do it, Okay? [to Nemo] Calm down. Alternate wiggling your fins and your tail.
•      Nemo: I can’t. I have a bad fin.
•      Gill: [It] Never stopped me. [he turns to show Nemo his wounded fin] Just think about what you need to do. [Nemo gets out] Perfect.
• 16. Dory: Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down, know what you’ve got to do?
•      Marlin: I don’t want to know.
•      Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.
•      Marlin: Dory, no singing. Now I’m going to get stuck with that song… Now it’s in my head.
•      Dory: Sorry.
• 17. (Dory and Marlin are in pitch darkness looking for the mask.)
•      Marlin: Dory, do you see anything?
•      Dory: Ahh! Something’s got me!
•      Marlin: That’s just me. I’m sorry.
•      Dory: Who’s that?
•      Marlin (exasperated): Who’s that? Who else would it be? It’s me!
•      Dory: Are… are you my conscience?
•      Marlin (sighs): Yes, I’m your conscience. We haven’t spoken for a while. How are you?
•      Dory: Eh, can’t complain.
•      Marlin: Good. Now, Dory, do you see anything?
•      Dory (as a deep-sea fish’s light approaches): Yes, I see… a light. Hey, conscience, am I dead?
•      Marlin: No, I see it too. [they swim up to the light]
•      Dory: It’s so pretty.
•      Marlin (mesmerized): I’m feeling… happy, which is a big deal for me.
•      Dory: I want to touch it… [she does; the light bobs quickly away] Oh!
•      Marlin (singing): I’m gonna be your best friend… [a big scary fish comes into view] Good feelings gone.
• 18. Marlin: What did it say? What did the mask say?
•      Dory: P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. [gasps] I remembered what it said! I usually forget things, but I remembered it that time!
•      Marlin: Wait! Where is that?
•      Dory: I don’t know. But who cares! Ha ha! I remembered! P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. I remembered it again!
• 19. (during a “welcome ceremony,” the first night in the dentist’s aquarium)
•      Bloat: Nemo, newcomer of orange and white, you have been called forth to the summit of Mount Wannahockaloogie to join with us in the fraternal bonds of tankhood.
•      Nemo: Huh?
•      Peach: We want you in our club, kid.
•      Nemo: Really?
•      Bloat (dramatically): If you are able to swim through… the Ring of Fire! [Nothing happens; then he says under his breath] Turn on the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire!
•      Jacques: Oops! [turns on the “bubble” volcano]
•      (After some chanting, Nemo swims through the bubbles.)
•      Gill: From this moment on, you will now be known as Sharkbait.
•      Bloat, Gurgle, Bubbles: Sharkbait! Hoo ha ha!
• 20. [Gill explains his plan to get Nemo out of the aquarium]
•      Gill: You see that filter?
•      Nemo: Yeah.
•      Gill: You’re the only one who can get in and out of that thing. We need you to take a pebble inside there and jam the gears. You do that, and this tank’s gonna [going to] get filthier and filthier by the minute. Pretty soon, the dentist will have to clean the tank himself, and when he does, he’ll take us out of the tank, put us in individual baggies [plastic bags], then we roll ourselves down the counter, out the window, off the awning, into the bushes, across the street, and into the harbor. It’s foolproof! Who’s with me?
•      Bloat, Deb & Bubbles: I!
•      Gurgle: I think you’re nuts.
• 21. Marlin: I think it’s best if I carry on from here by myself…. I just can’t afford any more delays and you’re one of those fish that cause delays. Sometimes it’s a good thing. There’s a whole group of fish. They’re delay fish.
•      Dory (whimpering): You mean… You mean you don’t like me?
•      Marlin: No, of course I like you. It’s because I like you I don’t want to be with you. It’s a complicated emotion. Don’t cry.
• 22. School of Fish: Hey, hey! You like impressions? [i.e., do you want to see us imitate things/places]
•      Dory: Mmm-hmm.
•      School of Fish: Okay, just like in rehearsal, gentlemen. [the fish regroup to form a swordfish] So, what are we? Take a guess.
•      Dory: Oh, oh, I’ve seen one of those.
•      School of Fish: I’m a fish with a nose like a sword.
•      Dory: Wait, wait, umm…
•      Marlin: It’s a swordfish!
•      School of Fish: Hey, clown boy! Let the lady guess. [Takes on the form of a lobster] Where’s the butter?
•      Dory: Ooh! It’s on the tip of my tongue…
•      Marlin (speaking under his breath): Lobster.
•      School of Fish: [We] Saw that. [The school takes on the form of an octopus.] Lots of legs, swims in the ocean.
•      Dory: Clam!
•      School of Fish: Close enough. [Takes form of pirate ship, starts singing] “Oh, it’s a whale of a tale, I’ll tell you, lad…”
•      Dory: Oh, they’re good.
•      Marlin (exasperated): Would somebody please just give me directions?
•      School of Fish (mockingly): Would somebody please just give me directions? [Marlin leaves]
•      Dory: Hey, what’s wrong?
•      Marlin: What’s wrong? While they’re busy doing their little impressions, I’m miles from home with a fish that can’t even remember her name.
•      Dory (empathetically): Boy, I bet that’s frustrating.
•      Marlin: Meanwhile, my son is out there.
•      Dory: Your son Chico?
•      Marlin: Nemo. But it doesn’t matter, because no one in this entire ocean is going to help me.
•      Dory: Well, I’m helping you.
• 23. (Marlin leaves; the fish give Dory directions to Sydney through the EAC–East Australia Current.)
•      School of Fish: Oh and one more thing: when you come to this trench, swim through it, not over it.
•      Dory: Trench. Through it, not over it. I’ll remember. [swimming to catch up with Marlin] Hey wait up. I gotta tell you something. [She sees the trench, but already forgot the advice] Whoa. Nice trench.
•      Dory: Come on, let’s go.
•      Marlin: No, no! Bad trench, bad trench! Come on, we’ll swim over this thing.
•      Dory: Whoa, partner. Little red flag going up. Something’s telling me we should swim through it, not over it.
•      Marlin: Are you even looking at this thing? It’s got death written all over it!
•      Dory: I’m sorry, but I really, really, really think we should swim through.
•      Marlin: And I’m really, really done talking about this. Over we go.
•      Dory: Come on, trust me on this one.
•      Marlin: Trust you?
•      Dory: Yes, trust. It’s what friends do.
• 24. (Dory starts playing with a baby jellyfish, unaware that they will soon be surrounded by poisonous jellies.)
•      Dory: Hey little guy. I shall call him “Squishy” and he shall be mine. Come on, little Squishy [baby talk; the jellyfish stings her] Ow! Bad Squishy!
•      (Soon they are surrounded by jellyfish.)
•      Marlin: This is bad, Dory. Very bad.
•      Dory (having forgotten that they are dangerous, she is bouncing on top of a jellyfish): Hey, watch this. Boing! Boing!…
•      Marlin: Dory!
•      Dory: You can’t catch me!
•      Marlin: Dory, don’t bounce on the tops! They will… not sting you. The tops don’t sting you! That’s it!
•      Dory: Two in a row. Beat that.
•      Marlin: Dory, listen to me. We’re going to play a game.
•      Dory: A game? I love games! Pick me!
•      Marlin: Here’s the game. Whoever can hop the fastest out of the jellyfish wins.
•      Dory: Out, got it!
•      Marlin: [Here are the] Rules, rules! You can’t touch the tentacles, only the tops…
•      Dory: Something about tentacles, got it.
•      Marlin: No, it’s not something about them, it’s all about them.
•      Dory: On your mark, get set, go!
•      Marlin: Wait, Dory!
•      Marlin and Dory are racing through the jellyfish forest. Marlin starts talking to himself.)
•      Marlin: So, we’re cheating death now, that’s what we’re doing, and we’re having fun at the same time, I can do this, just be careful…
•      Dory: Yeah, be careful I don’t make you cry when I win!
•      Marlin: Oh, I don’t think so!
•      Dory: Give it up old man, you can’t fight evolution, I was built for speed!
•      Marlin: The question is Dory, are you hungry?
•      Dory: Hungry? Why?
•      Marlin: ‘Cause you’re about to eat my bubbles! Duck to the left! Right…
• 25. Gill (noticing that Nemo is staring at his broken fin): [That’s from] My first escape. [I] Landed on dentist tools. I was aiming for the toilet.
•      Nemo: The toilet?
•      Gill: All drains lead to the ocean, kid.
•      Nemo: Wow. How may times have you tried to get out?
•      Gill: Ah, I lost count. Fish aren’t meant to be in a box, kid. It does things to you.
• 26. (Crush is a big turtle/tortoise, and his personality is like people who spend a lot of time on the beach, using “beach” and surfer slang; I don’t recommend that English-learners imitate these turtles’ English, except “for fun.”)
•      Crush: Dude? Focus dude… [Marlin wakes up] Oh, he lives.
•      Marlin: Oh… What happened?
•      Crush: [I] Saw the whole thing, dude. First you were all like “whoa”, and we were like “whoa”, and you were like “whoa…”
•      Marlin: What are you talking about?
•      Crush: You, Mini-Man, takin’ on the jellies. You’ve got serious thrill issues. Awesome.
•      Marlin: Oh, my stomach. Ohh.
•      Crush: Oh, man. Hey, no hurling [i.e., vomiting] on the shell, dude, ok? Just waxed it.
•      Marlin: So, Mr. Turtle?
•      Crush: Whoa, Dude. Mr. Turtle is my father. The name’s Crush.
•      Marlin: “Crush?” Really? OK, Crush. I need to get to the East Australian Current. EAC?
•      Crush (laughing): You’re ridin’ it, dude! Check it out!
• 27. (A baby turtle falls off the back of another turtle and out of the current.)
•      Marlin (freaking out): Oh, my goodness!
•      Crush: Whoa. Kill the motor, dude. Let us see what Squirt does flying solo. [i.e. “Take it easy; let’s see what my son does by himself”]
•      Squirt (after he gets back into the current by himself): Whoa! That was so cool! Hey dad! Did you see that? Did you see me? Did you see what I did?
•      Crush: You so totally rock, Squirt! So give me some fin. [They slap fins.] Noggin. [They bump heads, then Crush introduces Marlin to his son.] Oh. Intro- Jellyman, [meet my] offspring. Offspring, Jellyman.
•      Squirt: Jellies? Sweeeeet.
•      Crush: Totally…. Oh, it’s awesome, Jellyman. The little dudes are just eggs. We leave ’em on a beach to hatch, and then, coo-coo-cachoo, they find their way back to the big ol’ blue.
•      Marlin: All by themselves? But, how do you know when they’re ready?
•      Crush: Well, you never really know. But when they know, you’ll know–you know?
• 28. Nemo: Gill. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop the…
•      Gill: No, I’m the one who should be sorry. I was so ready to get out, so ready to taste that ocean, I was willing to put you in harm’s way to get there. Nothing should be worth that. I’m sorry I couldn’t get you back to your father, kid.
•      (The dentist is getting ready to pull a patient’s tooth when Nigel flies into the window. The dentist spins around, ripping the patient’s tooth out]
•      Patient: Aaah!
•      Dentist: Oh… well, that’s ONE way to pull a tooth. [he chuckles] Good thing I pulled the right one, eh Prime Minister?
• 29. Gill: All right, gang, we have less than 48 hours before Darla gets here. This tank will get plenty dirty in that time, but we have to help it along any way we can. Jacques–no cleaning!
•      Jacques: I shall resist.
•      Gill: Everybody else, be as gross as possible. Think dirty thoughts. We’re gonna make this tank so filthy the dentist will HAVE to clean it. [Bloat belches] Good work.
• 30. Crush: Alright, we’re here dudes! Get ready! Your exit’s coming up, man!
•      Marlin: Where? You mean the swirling vortex of terror?
•      Crush: That’s it!
•      Marlin (sarcastically): Of course it is.
•      Crush: OK, first, find your exit buddy. [Marlin and Dory grab each other quickly]
•      Crush: Okay. Squirt here will now give you a rundown of proper exiting technique.
•      Squirt: Good afternoon. We’ll have a great jump today! Okay, crank a hard cutback as you hit the wall. There’s a screaming bottom turn, so watch out. Remember: rip it, roll it, and punch it.
•      Marlin: It’s like he’s trying to speak to me, I know it. [to Squirt] You know, you’re really cute, but I don’t know what you’re saying. Say the first thing again.
•      Crush: OK, Jellyman! Go, go, go!
•      Marlin: Crush, wait. How old are you?
•      Crush: Hundred and fifty, dude, and still young. Rock on.
• 31. Dory: Well, let’s just ask someone for directions.
•      Marlin: Who do you want to ask, the speck? There’s no one here!
•      Dory: This is the Ocean silly. We’re not the only two in here…. There’s somebody. Hey!
•      Marlin: Dory! Now it’s my turn. I’m thinking of something dark and mysterious. It’s a fish we don’t know. If we ask it directions, it could ingest [eat] us and spit out our bones.
•      Dory: What is it with men and asking for directions?
•      Marlin: I don’t want to play the gender card right now. You want to play a card, let’s play the “let’s not die” card.
•      Dory: Trust me on this. [She talks to a shadow in the distance] Excuse me? Whoo-hoo! Little fella? Hello! His son Bingo…
•      Marlin: Nemo.
•      Dory: …Nemo was taken to, um…
•      Marlin: Sydney
•      Dory: …Sydney. And it’s really, really important that we get there as fast as we can, so can you help us out? Come on, little fella. Come on.
•      Marlin: Dory? I’m a little fella. I don’t think that’s a little fella.
• 32. (Eventually, they realize they are talking to a large whale, not a small fish.)
•      Dory: Oh! Big fella. Maybe he only speaks whale. [Dory talks slowly and deeply, imitating the whale] Mooo… Weeee neeeed… tooo fiiind his son.
•      Marlin: Dory? What are you doing? Are you sure you speak whale?
•      Dory: Can youuu give us diiirectionsss?
•      Marlin: Dory! Heaven knows what you’re saying! See, he’s swimming away.
•      Dory: Come baaaaack.
•      Marlin: He’s not coming back. You offended him.
•      Dory: Maybe a different dialect. Moooohhhmmooo…
•      Marlin: Dory! This is not whale. You’re speaking like, upset stomach.
•      Dory: Maybe I should try humpback [whale dialect].
•      Marlin: No, don’t try humpback.
•      Dory: Woooooo! Woooooo!
•      Marlin: Okay, you actually sound sick.
•      Dory: Maybe louder. Rah! Rah!
•      Marlin: Don’t do that!
•      Dory: Too much orca. Did it sound a little orca-ish?
•      Marlin: It doesn’t sound orca. It sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard! It’s just as well. He might be hungry.
•      Dory: Oh don’t worry. Whales don’t eat clownfish. They eat krill.
•      Krill: Swim away! Swim away!
•      Dory: Oh look. Krill.
• 33. Gill: Look at that. Would you look at that? Filthy. Absolutely filthy. And it’s all thanks to you, kid. You made it possible. Jacques! I said “no cleaning”!
•      Jacques: I am ashamed.
•      Peach (waving her arms like children in the snow making “snow angels”): Look: a scum angel.
•      Gurgle (sees Bloat eating dirt): Bloat, that is disgusting!
•      Bloat: [It] Tastes pretty good to me.
•      Gurgle: Doesn’t anyone realize? We’re swimming in our own…?
•      Peach: Shhh! Here he comes.
•      Dentist: Crikey. What a state. Barbara, what’s my earliest appointment tomorrow?
•      Receptionist: 10:00, Luv.
•      Dentist: Leave it open, would you? I’ve gotta clean the fish tank before Darla gets here.
• 34. Marlin (feeling depressed, inside the whale): I promised Nemo I’d never let anything happen to him.
•      Dory: Huh. That’s a funny thing to promise.
•      Marlin: What?
•      Dory: Well, you can’t never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo.
•      Marlin: What’s going on?
•      Dory: Don’t know. I’ll ask him. Whaaaa… I think he’s said we’ve stopped.
•      Marlin: Of course we’ve stopped. Stop trying to speak whale. You’ll make things worse. What is that noise? The water’s going down. It’s-it’s-it’s going down! Look! Already it’s half-empty.
•      Dory: Hmm… I’d say it’s half-full.
•      Marlin: Stop that! It’s half-empty!
•      Dory (after a whale groan): That was a little tougher. He either said we should move to the back of the throat, or he wants a root beer float.Marlin: Of course he wants us to go there. That’s eating us. [wagging his tail on the whale’s taste bud] How do I taste, Moby? Do I taste good? What is going on?
•      Dory: Whaaaaat…
•      Marlin: No, no more whale! You can’t speak whale!
•      Dory: Yes I can!
•      Marlin: No, you can’t! You think you can do these things, but you can’t, Nemo!
•      Dory: He says it’s time to let go. Everything is going to be alright.
•      Marlin: How do you know something bad isn’t going to happen?
•      Dory: I don’t.
• 35. Dory: DUCK!
•      Marlin (looks up, and sees a pelican): That’s not a duck, it’s a… pelican! [The pelican eats them.] NO! I didn’t come this far to be breakfast!
•      (Marlin makes himself get stuck in the bird’s throat. Other pelicans watch Gerald gagging on his breakfast.)
•      Bird: Hey, Nigel. Would you look at that? [The] Sun’s barely up and Gerald’s had more than he can handle.
•      Nigel: [I] Reckon somebody ought to help the poor guy. [no one moves, so Nigel adds (sarcastically)] Well, don’t everybody fly off at once. [He flies over to Gerald.] All right, Gerald. Fish got your tongue?
• 36. Nigel (seeing that the gulls want to eat Marlin, he speaks quietly): Okay, don’t make any sudden moves. Hop inside my mouth… if you want to live.
•      Marlin: Hop in your mouth, huh? And how does that make me live?
•      Seagulls: Mine?
•      Nigel: Because I can take you to your son.
•      Marlin: Yeah, right.
•      Nigel: No, I know your son. He’s orange and has a gimpy fin on one side.
•      Marlin: That’s Nemo!
• 37. (Nigel rescues Marlin & Dory from the gulls and takes them to the dentist’s office.)
•      Marlin: Where’s my son? Where’s Nemo?
•      Bloat (pointing frantically): Dentist! Dentist!
•      Marlin: What’s a dentist? What is that? Nigel, get in there!
•      Nigel: I can’t go in there!
•      Marlin: Oh, yes you can!
• 38. Marlin: It’s over. We were too late. Nemo’s gone and I’m going home now.
•      Dory: No. No, you can’t… STOP. Please don’t go away. Please? No one’s ever stuck with me for so long before. And if you leave… I just, I remember things better with you. I do, look. P. Sherman, forty-two… forty-two… I remember it, I do. It’s there, I know it is, because when I look at you, I can feel it. And I look at you, and I… and I’m home. Please… I don’t want that to go away. I don’t want to forget.
•      Marlin: I’m sorry, Dory. But I do.
• 39. Nemo (talking to Dory for the first time): Excuse me. Are you all right?
•      Dory (exasperated): I don’t know where I am… I don’t know what’s going on. I think I lost somebody but I can’t remember…
•      Nemo: It’s OK. I’m looking for someone, too. Hey, we can look together.
•      Dory (sniffling): I’m Dory.
•      Nemo: I’m Nemo.
•      Dory: Nemo?… That’s a nice name.
•      Nemo: Where are we, anyway?
•      Dory (reading the pipe): sy… shi… Sydney. “P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney”
•      (Dory has a flashback—she remembers the things that happened on this trip.)
•      Dory: Aah! Nemo! You’re Nemo!
•      Dory (talking to some uncooperative crabs): Have you seen an orange fish swim by? It looks just like him. [she points at Nemo]
•      Nemo: But bigger.
•      Crab: Yeah, I saw him, Bluey, but I’m not telling you where he went, and there’s no way you’re gonna make me.
•      (The next thing you see is Dory, holding this crab out of water, for the hungry seagulls to see.)
•      Seagulls: Mine. Mine. Mine.
•      Crab: Ahh! All right! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! He went to the fishing grounds!
• 40. Marlin (after being reunited with Nemo): Hey. Guess what?
•      Nemo: What?
•      Marlin: Sea turtles? I met one, and he was 150 years old.
•      Nemo: 150?
•      Marlin: Yep.
•      Nemo: Sandy Plankton said they only live to be 100.
•      Marlin: Sandy Plankton? You think I would cross the entire ocean and not know as much as Sandy Plankton? He was 150, not 100.
• 41. Marlin: …and the sea cucumber looks over to the mollusk and says, “With fronds [leaves] like these, who needs anemones?” [supposed to sound like the cliché: “with friends like these, who needs enemies”]
•      (Everyone laughs.)
•      Mr. Ray: Well, hello Nemo. Who’s this?
•      Nemo: Exchange student. [i.e., a student visiting for a few months from another country/place]
•      Squirt: I’m from the EAC, dude.
•      Mr. Ray: Sweet!
•      Nemo, Squirt: Totally!
•      Mr. Ray: Next stop: knowledge!
•      Nemo (swimming up quickly to Marlin, and giving him a hug): Love you, Dad.
•      Marlin: I love you too, son.
•      Nemo: Dad? You can let go now.

Resources posted at EFLsuccess.com do not imply any consent from or relationship with any web-hosts, universities, on-line services, publishers, producers, etc.

EFLsuccess.com; ©Michael Krigline, all rights reserved. Our resources were created for our students under my understanding of “fair use” for educational resources. As far as I am concerned, website visitors are allowed to print/copy these materials for personal or classroom use. For details, see our Website Standards and Use Policy.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  advertisement  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~