2003 Animated Film Ranks No. 3 Among the Greatest Movies of the Century
There's nothing fishy about this: Pixar's Finding Nemo outranks nearly every modern blockbuster on Rotten Tomatoes' "100 Greatest Movies of the 21st Century" list.
The ranking of the critically acclaimed film cements it firmly in elite company among 21st-century cinema. Coming in at No. 3, the instant classic has only Parasite andTop Gun: Maverick bobbing above it (in that order). And, honestly, it's pretty easy to see why.
Boasting a 99% from critics and 86% from audiences, the film is a definitive crowd-pleaser. Part of what keeps Finding Nemo so highly regarded is its emotional storytelling and visual innovation. A lovable fantasy, the animated gem takes audiences under the sea and across the entire spectrum of emotion.
According to Mental Floss, the story was inspired by the director's overprotective nature. "Finding Nemo co-writer/director Andrew Stanton's story came from a very personal place," the outlet shares. "As a relatively new father during the film's development, Stanton found himself at odds with his proclivity to veer into overprotective territory, much in the way viewers see Marlin combating his neuroses in raising his son Nemo."
Pixar's animated film centers on Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks), a clownfish who teams up with a forgetful regal blue tang fish named Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) to find his missing eponymous son, the film meanders through the currents of the South Pacific, encountering every sea creature and coral reef hidden in the depths of the Great Barrier Reef along the way. More than two decades later, the film's reputation has only grown.
Released in 2003 and co-directed by Lee Unkrich, the animated gem is one of the studio's earlier projects. As its slate of films tend to do, Finding Nemo appeals to audiences of all ages. On its surface, the animated classic is a colorful story about a fish, but beneath, it's a deeply phylosophical and thoughtful film everyone can connect with.
Finding Nemo's cultural impact extends far beyond the original story. Riding its wave of popularity, Finding Dory hatched in 2016. The animated sequel is not represented on the same Rotten Tomatoes list, however several other Pixar productions are - and surprisingly, near the top. Toy Story 3and 4, Up, Inside Out, and Coco are all ranked in the top 20 greatest films of the century.
Finding Nemo is streaming on Disney+.
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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 1:48 PM.