The Jellyfish Forest is a group of characters from the 2003 Disney•Pixar animated feature film Finding Nemo. They are a large group of jellyfish which Marlin and Dory encounter above a large "trench" on their way to the East Australian Current in their journey to find Nemo.
Background[]
The jellyfish, as their names imply, are large pink jellyfish which Marlin and Dory encounter all across the ocean. Throughout Marlin and Dory's adventure to find Nemo, many jellyfish are seen in multiple groups and provide a challenge for fish to pass through while inside the jellyfish forest. Any fish that is not careful when coming in contact with a jellyfish can result in a zap upon touching any jellyfish's tentacle. In spite of the tentacles being dangerous, a fish that comes into contact with a jellyfish's bell does not receive a shock upon contact, resulting in the fish to be rebounded safely.
Physical Appearance[]
Each jellyfish seen in the jellyfish forest has a pink coloration. Like jellyfish in real life, they have umbrella-shaped bells with trailing tentacles studded with stinging cells, which can sting anything that comes into contact with jellyfish.
"Squishy"[]
- For the character from "Monsters University" who is also known as "Squishy", see Scott Squibbles.
One tiny jellyfish, nicknamed "Squishy" by Dory, is the first jellyfish that Marlin and Dory encounter on their journey to find Nemo after the two decide to swim over the trench rather across it, due to Marlin seeing a fish carcass inside it. As Dory encounters it, she tries to interact with it, to which it stings her, much to Marlin's worry that the creature that Dory is interacting with is a jellyfish, which Marlin thinks "Squishy" is a threat to her. Though a nickname used by Dory, the English Audio Description used on the 2012 home releases of Finding Nemo as well as the film's release on certain digital platforms also uses the name "Squishy" to identify the jellyfish that Dory nicknamed.
Development[]
The idea of creating the jellyfish sequence was inspired by Andrew Stanton's footage of seeing all the jellyfish during his trip to Palau - albeit in freshwater instead of saltwater, unlike the ones seen in Finding Nemo. Upon remembering the time he saw multiple jellyfish, it lead to the idea to the production team creating a sequence of Marlin and Dory facing a challenge on their way to find Nemo, which was used for Marlin not only finding a way to get close to Nemo, but also for facing his fears. The jellyfish sequence was one of the easiest sequences to design and took about a week to finish it. While animating the jellyfish, supervising animator Dylan Brown explained that the way they created and animated the jellyfish is how they animate the way they move in real life. According to technical director Oren Jacob, the jellyfish were created as simple spheres as stand-ins for the jellyfish, later sprinkling them in volume, and pointing a camera in the direction where they would arrive, making it one of the complicated sequences to create while blending in Marlin and Dory across the forest of jellyfish, due to multiple jellyfish moving in different directions with no reference of ground plane, ceiling, or walls in a 3D camera while trying to animate the aforementioned fish throughout the sequence.
In addition to this, the characters interacting with the jellyfish, the jellyfish depicted as being see-through, and the way the jellyfish move in different directions proved to be one of the most challenging scenes to do in Finding Nemo. Despite the challenge, the animators of the film found this scene beautiful to remind viewers of seeing jellyfish in nature films and TV series, and the animators were able to get through the challenge of creating the complicated jellyfish sequence. Additionally, according to Bob Peterson (who voiced Mr. Ray in the film), the jellyfish forest sequence was also one of the first scenes where Marlin decides to put his fears aside to help him conquer his fear of the ocean while trying to find Nemo and enjoy the moment with Dory interacting with the jellyfish.[1]
Appearances[]
Finding Nemo[]
On their way to reach the East Australian Current and upon swimming over a dangerous "trench", Dory curiously sees a tiny jellyfish to which she decides to call it "Squishy" and upon trying to touch it, Marlin notices Dory in pain and finds out that the small creature she is interacting with is a jellyfish, to which Marlin slaps it away. While observing the fin that was stung by the small jellyfish, many jellyfish surround Marlin and Dory, just as Marlin fears that they may not be able to escape the jellyfish. Marlin then observes Dory curiously bouncing on several jellyfish, much to his worry that bouncing on jellyfish is a bad idea until he realizes that bouncing on their tops do not sting her. As Marlin notices that, he discusses with Dory about playing a game by bouncing on the heads of the jellyfish, telling her that whoever bounces on the jellyfish is the winner albeit avoiding the tentacles. Playing the game, Dory advances ahead of Marlin, bouncing into several jellyfish just as Marlin tries to catch up with her. As Dory continues advancing further, Marlin then catches up with Dory by bouncing on multiple jellyfish heads, to which Marlin advances further than Dory.
Upon escaping the jellyfish, Marlin claims himself to be the winner only to notice that Dory is not next to him. Starting to panic, Marlin rushes back into the jellyfish forest to find Dory who is still inside. As Marlin searches, he suddenly finds Dory lying down unconsciously in one of the jellyfish's tentacles, to which Marlin is determined to rescue her without getting stung. Upon dragging Dory away from the jellyfish, Marlin looks around the jellyfish forest and sees an open exit, to which Marlin navigates Dory across the jellyfish forest. However, the jellyfish began stinging Marlin many times, as he tells Dory to stay awake, only for her to continue muttering "P. Sherman", just before she passes out. Upon escaping the jellyfish forest, Marlin drops Dory as he too passes out. They later regain their consciousness at the East Australian Current with the help of sea turtles. They are later mentioned again by Crush, Squirt, and the other sea turtle hatchlings in a dialogue about how Marlin survived the jellyfish forest by overcoming the adversity he faced. They are later mentioned again by Nigel who arrives at Philip Sherman's office for a visit to talk with Nemo to explain his father's journey to rescue him.
The jellyfish are not seen again throughout the rest of the film aside from a montage of Dory's flashbacks containing multiple moments of her encounter with the jellyfish while uttering "P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney" upon passing by one of the pipes engraved with the words "Sydney" on it. They are later seen again during the end credits of the film.
Video game appearances[]
Finding Nemo (video game)[]
In the console versions of Finding Nemo, the "Jellyfish Race" level takes place within the entire jellyfish forest where the player as Marlin must race Dory across the jellyfish forest by bouncing on the jellyfishes' heads. If Dory reaches first place in this level, the player must restart the level. In addition to this, smaller jellyfish in the game, listed as "Squishes"[2] in the instruction manual for the console versions, also appear as enemies within this level which the player must avoid while racing against Dory. These small jellyfish cannot be defeated and must be avoided at all costs, due to the level starting off with Marlin bouncing on the jellyfish with no bubbles for the player to use to trap them and defeat them. Touching this bouncing jellyfish can trigger in a cutscene of Marlin getting dizzy upon getting stung by a small jellyfish and the player must restart the second part of the level where the player left off. The third part of the level involves Marlin doing a race against Dory again where the player must win the race against Dory across the jellyfish forest again. Once the player wins against Dory in the "Jellyfish Race" level, the level is completed with Marlin escaping the jellyfish forest with Dory as the two later find themselves in the East Australian Current.
In the Game Boy Advance version, jellyfish are encountered in the "Jellyfish Forest" level of the game. When the level begins, the player must swim within the current while avoiding the jellyfish within the first part of the level. Touching a jellyfish's head does not harm the player, but touching a jellyfish's tentacles does cause the player to receive damage upon contact. In addition to the moving jellyfish which the player must avoid, the player must also avoid contact with the non-moving jellyfish, as the player must be careful when swimming past their tentacles. After the first part is finished, Marlin must find Dory who is still trapped in the jellyfish forest, where the player must swim carefully around the jellyfish forest while avoiding the jellyfishes' tentacles. Once the player finds an unconscious Dory in the jellyfish forest to help bring her out of the jellyfish safely, the level is automatically completed and loops into a cutscene of Marlin helping Dory escape the jellyfish safely, just as the two later find themselves in the East Australian Current.
Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures[]
In Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures, jellyfish appear in a mini-game titled "Jellyfish Dodge", which is part of Gurgle's storyline. When the mini-game starts, players must survive the round within one minute. While the player must avoid the jellyfish in this game, touching a jellyfish's bell does not lose a life while touching a jellyfish's tentacles causes the player to lose a life. Throughout the game, various jellyfish of different sizes appear and move in different directions, making the game more difficult with the jellyfish appearing in multiple directions. Once the timer runs out, an arrow will appear and the player must escape the area where a singular jellyfish was originally blocking the exit to win (which disappears when the timer expires) if there are no jellyfish in the way to avoid taking damage. In Score Attack mode, the player must survive a number of jellyfish rooms while avoiding the jellyfish facing different directions. The number of points earned in Score Attack mode depends on how many rooms that the player has survived at in this mode. Completing "Jellyfish Dodge" unlocks the last mini-game "Danger! Eels!", which is also part of Gurgle's storyline.
Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue[]
In Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue and its 2012 special edition, jellyfish have been featured in the mini-game "Jelly Fish Bounce", which is the last mini-game unlocked within Deb's storyline. When the mini-game starts, Dory who is bouncing on a jellyfish tells Deb, who is curiously observing Dory, to try bouncing on a jellyfish just like her to which Deb agrees to accept Dory's offer just as Deb decides to challenge against Dory across the jellyfish forest (this cutscene was not used in the Special Edition release, as it instead features a clip from Finding Nemo of Dory bouncing across the jellyfish forest in excitement).
In this game, players assume the role of Deb who challenges Dory across the jellyfish forest. There are three types of jellyfish encountered in this mini-game: the pink ones which can be bounced on normally, the yellow ones which can slow down players with their electric shock (yellow jellyfish can only slow down the player when they are in hostile mode when they raise their tentacles above their bells and not when they are in neutral mode), and the green ones which can help the player boost across the jellyfish forest to help Deb win against Dory. If the player is electrocuted by a yellow jellyfish, they will be unable to move for a while, causing Dory to advance further than Deb. Completing "Jelly Fish Bounce" finishes Deb's storyline, which brings Deb all the way to the ocean.
Yellow jellyfish had a slight change in the 2012 special edition, where electric shock animation effects are added when they raise their tentacles above their bells, giving players a warning to not jump on them, as it can slow them down. Like in the original edition, completing "Jelly Fish Bounce" in Story Mode for the first time finishes Deb's storyline which brings Deb all the way to the ocean.
Disney Friends[]
In Disney Friends, jellyfish are encountered in the "Jellyfish Fields" area, where the player encounters Squirt encouraging them to have fun bouncing on the jellyfish playing a mini-game with Squirt. Player must tap on the correct jellyfish which Squirt bounces on to match Squirt's pattern. If the player selects a jellyfish that does not match Squirt's pattern, Dory will be stunned and the player must repeat the pattern again.
Disney Crossy Road[]
Non-playable jellyfish appear in the Finding Dory world in the discontinued Disney Crossy Road game. If the player obtains at least six shells in a row (each shell collected is worth four points which multiplies if another is collected quickly), a swarm of jellyfish appear and serve as obstacles that are unique throughout this world. If the player gets into contact within the jellyfish swarm's path when playing as most characters in the Finding Dory world, it can cause the player to end their gameplay. Though an obstacle, jellyfish swarms can also shoo away approaching fish on road sections throughout gameplay. Additionally, some jellyfish also serve as the Finding Dory hub's lily pads, which the player can hop onto throughout gameplay. In the arcade version of Disney Crossy Road in the Finding Dory hub, these jellyfish were replaced with regular lily pads, unlike in most versions of the game.
While most characters from the Finding Dory world are vulnerable to jellyfish, Marlin is immune to being stung by jellyfish swarms. When playing as Marlin, jellyfish swarms cannot sting him and thus, the player cannot receive a game over if a jellyfish swarm passes through him.
In addition to the non-playable jellyfish, a singular playable jellyfish simply named after its own species also appeared as a playable character in the game. It was also obtainable as the second milestone prize from the second variant of the Finding Dory Weekend Challenge or as a winnable prize from the Ticket Machine if the player did not unlock it at the limited time event where it was introduced. Like Marlin, the playable jellyfish character is immune to being stung by jellyfish swarms. When playing as the jellyfish character, jellyfish swarms cannot sting through it and thus, the player cannot receive a game over if a jellyfish swarm passes through it.
Disney Parks[]
The Seas with Nemo & Friends[]
The jellyfish scene is encountered in the Epcot attraction where the vehicles arrive in this section. Audio clips of Dory and Marlin interacting with the jellyfish can be heard when guests arrive at the area, to which Dory is heard playing with the jellyfish, much to Marlin's worry. The next scene in this ride is the abyssopelagic zone where Marlin and Nemo are chased by a mysterious anglerfish to which they suddenly escape from it just before the vehicles encounter Bruce, Anchor, and Chum inside the sunken ship.
Finding Nemo: The Musical[]
In the attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom, the jellyfish sequence was encountered after Marlin and Dory received advice from a school of Moonfish where Marlin and Dory swim pass a small jellyfish (played by a puppeteer) to which upon passing through, a zap sound effect is heard to which Marlin tells Dory that the sting she received from the jellyfish she passed through was a little sting from a jellyfish, followed by Dory bouncing on a larger jellyfish while Marlin finds out that Dory will not get stung when she touches a jellyfish's head, as it is found out that the tentacles can sting Dory if she swims through them as more jellyfish (played by multiple puppeteers) appear throughout the sequence. Throughout the sequence while singing the "Just Keep Swimming" sequence, Marlin and Dory have fun together while swimming past various jellyfish and as Dory finds herself surrounded by multiple jellyfish, Marlin swims in front of her telling her to regain her conscience after encountering the jellyfish, telling Dory to "just keep swimming" just before the two later find themselves at the East Australian Current where they are rescued by Crush.
As June 13, 2022 due to the attraction being renamed as "Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!", the jellyfish sequence which was encountered after Marlin and Dory follow advice from the school of Moonfish was entirely cut, replacing the sequence with a narration from Gill about Nemo hoping to find his missing father. Additionally, the next scene where Marlin and Dory are at after following advice from the Moonfish features the two finding themselves at the East Australian Current.
Crush's Coaster[]
The jellyfish forest can be briefly seen in the Walt Disney Studios Park attraction when the vehicles arrive at the Sharks' Lair scene. Guests must turn around to look at the back in order to see the jellyfish to which as the vehicles arrive in the Sharks' Lair, they arrive at the next scene where the ride becomes even bumpier.
Pixar Play Parade[]
Jellyfish puppets were seen in the Finding Nemo unit of the former Disney's California Adventure parade where female performers used the jellyfish puppets and followed the float just before the unit loops into A Bug's Life unit.
Nemo & Friends SeaRider[]
The jellyfish scene is one of the scenes that can be seen randomly in the Nemo & Friends SeaRider attraction at Tokyo DisneySea. Upon arriving, Dory touches a small jellyfish, to which Marlin shoos it away. Marlin and Dory find themselves inside the jellyfish forest and upon reacting to Dory bouncing on the jellyfish, Nemo suddenly appears just as Nemo tells his father to have fun with Dory, just as Nemo, Marlin, and Dory have fun bouncing on the jellyfishes' heads. Throughout the sequence, they were able to get through the jellyfish forest.
Trivia[]
- Jellyfish have been occasionally featured in merchandise inspired by Finding Nemo, despite their limited amount of screen time in the first film itself.
- The jellyfish depicted in Finding Nemo are shown to be stinging Dory, whereas in real life, they are able to poison any fish with a poisonous toxin without an antidote to cure them.
- The Moonfish may have known about the jellyfish when they were discussing with Marlin and Dory to help get to Sydney Harbour via East Australian Current, which would explain why they told them to swim through the trench, not over it.
- Despite not returning in the sequel Finding Dory, models of jellyfish can be seen in the Kids Zone area at the Marine Life Institute.
- According to an interview with Bob Peterson in the visual commentary of Finding Nemo, he commented that he heard of a real-life species of jellyfish native to Australia (curiously which Finding Nemo mostly takes place at) called a box jellyfish, one of the most deadliest jellyfish species he has ever heard of after supposedly watching a nature program showcasing one of the top ten deadliest animals in real life, which is a possible inspiration of the jellyfish from Finding Nemo.
Gallery[]
References[]
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