Claim: Andrew Stanton directed an American film.

Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures . Written and directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich , the film stars the voices of Albert Brooks , Ellen DeGeneres , Alexander Gould , and Willem Dafoe . It tells the story of the overprotective Ocellaris clownfish named Marlin who , along with a regal blue tang named Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo all the way to Sydney Harbour . Along the way , Marlin learns to take risks and comes to terms with Nemo taking care of himself .   Finding Nemo was released on May 30 , 2003 , and has received universal critical acclaim since . The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature , and was nominated in three more categories , including Best Original Screenplay . Finding Nemo became the highest-grossing animated film at the time and was the second highest-grossing film of 2003 , earning a total of $ 871 million worldwide by the end of its initial theatrical run .   The film is the best-selling DVD title of all time , with over 40 million copies sold , and was the highest-grossing G-rated film of all time before Pixar 's own Toy Story 3 overtook it . The film was re-released in 3D in 2012 . In 2008 , the American Film Institute named it the 10th greatest animated film ever made as part of their 10 Top 10 lists . A sequel , Finding Dory , was released on June 17 , 2016 in the United States .