Right in the opening scene of the movie Finding Nemo, a barracuda attacks Nemo’s parents, Coral and Marlin, who are guarding their over 400 eggs.
While Pixar does not precisely show what happened to Nemo’s mom, Coral, the story strongly implies that the barracuda ate her alongside other eggs.
Albeit Nemo’s mom made only a two-minute appearance, many fans hoped she lived to tell the tale. They even came up with interesting fan theories about where Coral happened to escape the barracuda’s attack.
Finding Nemo
IMDb Animation Adventure ComedyAfter his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.
| Director | Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich |
| Release Date | May 30, 2003 |
| Studio | Pixar Animation Studios |
| Cast | Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould |
| Writers | Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds |
| Runtime | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| Rating | G |
Nemo’s mom, Coral, survives the barracuda attack but fails to save her kids!
While most popular fan theories about Finding Nemo are dark, the theory of Nemo’s mom’s survival is rather optimistic.
As per the fan theory, Coral does not turn the barracuda’s food during the attack, but her precious eggs become one. She sees it all: the tragic fate of her babies.
Instead of coming back to comfort Marlin in the safety of his anemone, she lives in the dead of the night, never to return, drowning herself in grief and despair at being unable to protect them. Furthermore, they are highlighting the fact that barracuda does not eat clownfish.
With that, fans wish to see her back someday, reuniting with her husband, Marlin, and son, Nemo.
The opening scene for ‘FINDING NEMO’ was added last minute after Pixar got worried they had made their first bad movie.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 29, 2024
“Originally you found out about Nemo's mom's death through flashbacks”
(Source: https://t.co/YQLzHCT5aR) pic.twitter.com/WGfNcsRK6L
That said, not all Finding Nemo fans are on board with the idea of Coral being alive. Many argue that Coral’s survival would make her demise and its impacts on Marlin meaningless.
Regardless, in Toy Story 4, Pixar revealed what happened to the barracuda that ate Nemo’s mom.
In a scene set in an antique pawn shop, the barracuda seems to have been captured, stuffed, mounted, and finally discarded, hanging on the wall.
With that, Pixar gave closure to the fans saddened by Nemo’s mom’s tragic fate. Moreover, the barracuda’s fate somewhat implies Nemo’s mom, Coral’s tragic demise.
So, despite all popular fan fiction, Coral does not seem to be alive as per Pixar’s canonical story development.
Additional Information
- As per reports, the sequel to the movie Finding Nemo is in the developmental stage but will only hit theatres in 2026 or 27.
- Many Pixar fans are hoping that the third installment of the Finding Nemo franchise will focus on Marlin.
