Finding Nemo's Dentist Office Is A Pixar Easter Egg Gold Mine
Pixar films notoriously take a long time to make — at least four to seven years. The dedicated animators craft settings and characters with meticulous detail. Sometimes, they like to have a little fun and cleverly sneak in some Easter eggs that aren't always easy to find. Occasionally, the Pixar animators reference other films such as "The Shining" carpet in Sid's house from "Toy Story" or the "Vertigo"-style poster at the Dream Productions studio in "Inside Out." There are usually lots of references made to other Pixar films, like Rex from "Toy Story" hidden in WALL-E's truck or the grape soda bottle cap (a brand featured in "Toy Story" during the Buzz Lightyear commercial) that Carl wears in "Up." One Easter egg that is in every Pixar film is the code A113, a nod to the CalArts animation department where the studio's founders took classes.
When "Finding Nemo" splashed on the screen in 2003, it was a massive hit. The tropical marvel tells the story of a nervous clownfish named Marlin searching for his young son, who was captured in the Great Barrier Reef. Nemo is taken to a fish tank inside Phillip Sherman's dentist office with a host of other colorful (and slightly stir-crazy) fish. Since this was one of the few locations set on land instead of the middle of the ocean, the animators packed in as many Easter eggs as they could. Let's take a look at what hidden treasures you can find in this small "Finding Nemo" setting.
References to past and present Pixar films
This "Finding Nemo" locale is a Pixar Easter egg gold mine.
The fish tank is placed in an alcove that allows the fish to look at both the lobby and exam room. Inside the lobby, Buzz Lightyear lays on the floor next to a bookshelf and a treasure chest of toys. A little boy waiting for his appointment reads a "Mr. Incredible" comic book, a nod to "The Incredibles" which was still in production at the time of "Finding Nemo's" release. There's another Easter egg in the lobby that is non-Pixar related: the diplomas on the wall have quirky accolades such as the "Toothless Grin Award" and "Gums Most Likely to Recede Award," Bustle observes.
There are even more Easter eggs in the exam room. A mobile hangs from the ceiling that mirrors the one from Boo's bedroom in "Monster's Inc." Algae covers a statue from an early Pixar short called "Knick Knack," and a blonde mermaid with sunglasses sits on a rock that reads "Sunny Atlantis." Through the window of the dentist's office, a yellow car that is similar to Luigi from "Cars" (a film that would not be released until three years later) passes by. Like A113, the Pizza Planet truck from "Toy Story" appears in every Pixar film, and "Finding Nemo" is no exception. The iconic vehicle can be seen whizzing down the Sydney streets from the fishes' point of view after they escape the tank in plastic bags.