Question: At one point the dentist mentions that he's going to "see a man about a wallaby". I get the feeling that this is a reference to something. Is it?
Answer: This is actually an homage to Crocodile Dundee, where the character (who is Australian) says the same phrase but has to explain it to his American friend.
Answer: It's a reference to going to use the bathroom. The American equivalent is "going to see a man about a horse/dog" (depending on which part of the country you are from).
Question: I read somewhere that there is a reference to fight club in this film. I just wondered if anyone had spotted it and if they have can they point it out please?
Answer: This reference is pretty hard to spot. You need to be very familiar with Fight Club and David Fincher. The reference occurs in the scene when Gill is describing the plan to escape from the fish tank. The camera work and linear flow through a sequence of events closely remembles the early scene in Fight Club where the Narrator describes what is about to occur in Operation Mayhem.
Chosen answer: "A mollusk walks up to a sea cucumber and... [Most of the joke itself is missing here, as we only get to hear the beginning and end of it] ...so the sea cucumber turns to the mollusk and says 'With fronds like these, who need anemones?'" It's a pun on the term "with friends like these, who needs enemies", only with words more suited for an aquatic environment.
Question: What exactly is the 'Ring of Fire?'
Chosen answer: It's the name the fish have given to the volcano in the tank, a volcano which can be "turned on" to produce a stream of bubbles (which look like a ring of fire when seen at night through the red glow the volcano produces).
The ring of fire is what comes out of the volcano but they gave it a name that sounds Hawaiian, I'm assuming; Mount Wanhanaluki or something like that.
Aww. You missed another joke! It's Mount Wanahakalugi, or "Want to hock a loogie", ie. Spit.
Question: When Marlin discovers Mr Ray has taken his class to the Dropoff, he says "why don't we just fry them up and serve them with chips". American "Chips" are not the same as British "Chips." Is this dialogue only in the UK video release that I have, and if so, what is in the US version?
Answer: Even though "chip" as french fries instead of crisps is not an "American" term, we still use it as a description for "fish and chips." There is actually a Fish and Chips stand about a mile from my house and my mom even worked at a fish and chips stand when she was in college. So, it says that on the American version of the DVD as well.
Answer: There's no reason one can't serve actual potato chips with a meal, loads of American restaurants do, some even go so far as to house-fry fresh ones instead of out of a bag.
It's just a saying as "chips" also refers to "fries." It's not technical.
Question: I read that this film was inspired by Lord of the Rings and that there are many similar elements between the two. Can anyone please tell me if this is true and also point out what the 'elements' are?
Answer: It's not true - other than both films dealing with quests, there are no real similarities.
Question: In the scene where Nemo gets initiated, Jacques the shrimp wakes him up, says "suivez-moi", swims off and then clarifies - "follow me". In the French version, however, Jacques first says something similar to "suivez-moi", then when he comes back he says something almost completely different. What is the English translation for the second thing he says?
Answer: In the French version, he says "suivez-moi" twice, but it's 2 different voices, and the French dub has a strong French accent, so it sounds different.
Question: In the scene where Nemo is almost brought up by the fish net in the dentist's office and the tank gang quickly help Nemo swim down, it is very faint but the track that is playing, is this the same track that is the theme music for The Hulk?
Answer: No. Despite similarities in the score to the Hulk, and particularly to the Shawshank Redemption, the score is entirely specific to the film. Other than the Robbie Williams song over the end credits.
Question: When the turtle first meets Marlin, he talks about how he brought up his turtle offspring and says, "You know, you leave them on the beach to hatch on their own... and coo-coo-cachoo, they find their way back to the big old blue." Coo-coo-cachoo is also mentioned in the song 'Mrs. Robinson' by Simon and Garfunkel in the beginning of a chorus saying "Coo coo ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know." Does anyone know if there is any connection between the phrases containing coo-coo-cachoo, or what the phrase's possible meaning?
Answer: The actual lyrics are "Koo-koo-ka-choo, Mrs. Robinson", but it most certainly is a part of the song "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel. There is likely not a connection of any kind, or any hidden meaning, it's just a nonsense sound that is in more than one song.
Answer: Coo-coo-cachoo is not in Mrs Robinson, they actually sing woo hoo hoo and wow wow wow in that song. Coo-coo-cachoo is from a Beatles (and then Oasis) song called I am the Walrus. Other than the aquatic nature of the walrus being similar to that of the turtle there is no connection. The turtle was supposed to be a hipp-esque character prone to use unusual words and phrases like whoa, and like whoa!
"Koo-koo-ka-choo" is from "Ms. Robinson." The line in "I Am the Walrus" is "Goo goo g'joob"
Question: Gill claims all drains lead to the ocean. Is that really true?
Answer: Short answer, no. Household drains, which flush waste water, sometimes are connected to septic tanks. These tanks don't go anywhere. Other drains that connect to a waste sewage pipe lead to a sewer treatment plant first. There, waste water is purified and treated before going back into the water. Not all plants drain into the ocean but into rivers (which could lead to the ocean, although some lead to a lake, especially if the river is dammed). Storm sewers, which don't contain waste water but rain and other water run-off, can drain into a river, lake, or ocean.
Question: Just out of curiosity, but if the rotating fan would be jammed in a fish tank in real life and the tank would get dirty, would the fish still be able to breathe? Especially if it took a day or two to get the filter fixed? Could they even survive in a filthy tank? I hope this makes sense since I don't know how these things work, nor have had one in my life.
Answer: Algae is just a natural plant and isn't harmful to fish. It even adds to the overall tank health, though most aquarists prefer a "sparkling clean" look. What is dangerous is if the aeration in the tank is cut off. The fish will quickly suffocate. Goldfish are hardier and can survive longer, but tropical saltwater fish would likely die within a few hours.
Chosen answer: Nigel is a pelican - he appears to be modelled on a Brown pelican (although that particular species is not actually native to Australia).
Tailkinker ★