Exploring the Reef with Jean-Michel Cousteau
A short film where animated fish interrupt a coral reef documentary.
Exploring the Reef with Jean-Michel Cousteau (often shortened to Exploring the Reef) is a short documentary that blends live-action footage with animation. It appears on the fullscreen side of disc 2 of the *Finding Nemo* 2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD, which came out on November 4, 2003. The film follows Jean-Michel Cousteau as he attempts to narrate a documentary about coral reefs, only to be repeatedly interrupted by the animated characters Marlin, Dory, and Nemo.
In the plot, Cousteau begins speaking about coral reefs, but Dory, a regal blue tang fish, swims into the frame and distracts him. Next, Nemo and his father Marlin emerge from an anemone, causing Cousteau to sigh in frustration. Dory then tries to communicate with real cuttlefish, and when Cousteau tells her to stop, a live Spanish dancer appears. Marlin starts dancing to music, and soon all three fish join in, infuriating Cousteau. He shouts "STOP!" and delivers a quick rant about the water cycle, concluding that "Everyone, everywhere, affects the ocean!" Dory seems impressed, but Cousteau realizes she was only listening to the echo inside a conch shell. He loses his temper and yells at her in French, causing her to drop the shell (though she catches it). For about six seconds, a cartoon still of Cousteau shrugging in a swimsuit appears with Musak-style music and a title card reading "Please Stand By."
When Cousteau returns, he is calmer and discusses coral bleaching with the fish, showing whitened coral on screen. He then talks about coral reproduction. Dory frantically swims to each new egg saying "Happy Birthday," while Marlin covers Nemo's eyes. Cousteau explains that there are so many eggs that even the hungriest fish cannot eat them all. He concludes by urging everyone to work hard to preserve the reef's beauty. Nemo and the others interrupt him again, inadvertently summarizing the film's message. Cousteau gets angry, and the scene cuts to him on his boat at night. Humiliated at being "upstaged by fish," he mutters, "This would have never happened to Papa." In a before-credits scene, Nemo tells viewers about Cousteau's website: oceanfutures.org.
The cast includes Jean-Michel Cousteau as himself, with Albert Brooks voicing Marlin, Ellen DeGeneres voicing Dory, and Alexander Gould voicing Nemo.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Roger Gould
- Producer
- Osnat Shurer
- Writer
- Roger Gould / Bob Peterson / Jeff Pidgeon
- Starring
- Jean-Michel Cousteau / Albert Brooks (voice) / Ellen DeGeneres (voice) / Alexander Gould (voice)
- Music
- Todd Boekelheide / Joshua Hollander
- Editing
- Steve Bloom / Katherine Ringgold
- Studio
- Walt Disney Pictures / Ocean Futures Society
- Distributor
- Buena Vista Home Entertainment
- Released
- 4 November 2003
- Runtime
- 7 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film opens with Jean-Michel Cousteau, Jacques Cousteau's son, narrating about coral reefs. Dory, a regal blue tang fish, begins bothering him by entering the frame. The scene then cuts to an anemone from which Nemo and Marlin emerge, and Cousteau sighs at his inability to proceed with his documentary. The film cuts to real cuttlefishes, which Dory tries to speak to, and then to a live Spanish dancer, prompting Marlin to dance and all three animated fish to dance to music. Cousteau screams "STOP!" and rants about the water cycle, concluding that "Everyone, everywhere, affects the ocean!" Dory expresses amazement, but it is revealed she was hearing the echo inside a conch shell, causing Cousteau to lose his temper and scream at her in French. A cartoon still image of Cousteau shrugging in a swimming suit appears with a "Please Stand By" title card.
Reader's Guide
After calming down, Cousteau talks with the fish about coral bleaching, with whitened coral appearing on screen. He then discusses coral reproduction; Dory frantically swims to each new egg saying "Happy Birthday," Marlin covers Nemo's eyes, and Cousteau notes that there are so many eggs that even the hungriest fish cannot eat them all. He concludes by emphasizing the need to work hard to preserve the beauty of the coral reef. Nemo and the other fish interrupt him again, inadvertently summarizing the film's message. Cousteau gets mad, and the camera cuts to him aboard his boat by night, humiliated that he has been "upstaged by fish," muttering "This would have never happened to Papa." In a before-credits scene, Nemo tells viewers about Cousteau's website: oceanfutures.org.
Did You Know?
- Jean-Michel Cousteau is the son of Jacques Cousteau.
- Dory tries to speak to real cuttlefishes in the film.
More in Coral Reefs 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced