If you were sad to hear the original voice of Nemo, Alexander Gould, passed the torch to 12-year-old Hayden Rolence for the sequel, then dry your eyes. Entertainment Weekly has revealed one of the best Pixar easter eggs in Finding Dory yet, that the original voice of Nemo is in Finding Dory and you totally missed it. Don't worry, you are not the only one. Pixar kept the cameo quiet and honestly, by the time Gould makes his vocal appearance, you're probably going to be a sobbing mess, anyway. All the more reason to watch Finding Dory a second (or fifth) time, right?
Gould was just a kid himself when he took on the role of the adventurous clown fish Nemo in 2003. These days, he is a 22-year-old accomplished actor best known for his role as Shane Botwin in Showtime's Weeds. Since Gould is an adult now, having him voice little Nemo, who has only aged a year in between films, would have been a stretch. Instead, Pixar brought Gould in to voice a grownup character in a hilarious scene near the end of the film. Mild spoilers for Finding Dory to follow, so if you have not seen the film yet and you want to try to find Gould for yourself, just keep on swimming to avoid these next details.
The next time you watch Dory's adventure, pay closer attention to the climatic scene near the movie's end when a truck is hijacked by two non-human characters. The truck has two super freaked out passengers, one of whom is credited as Passenger Carl — Carl is the human formerly known as Nemo the clown fish. Yes, that really is Gould freaking out as he grapples with ocean life invading the truck.
If knowing Pixar did not leave Gould out of Finding Dory makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, you are not alone. While he has grown up, for the first generation of Finding Nemo fans, Gould will always be Nemo. He voiced one of Pixar's most iconic characters ever, and it is only fitting for him to appear in the followup even if he has aged out of the role he originated.
Happily, the talented young Rolence did a wonderful job of bringing Nemo back to the big screen. Here is hoping that by the time Pixar gets around to making a third movie (I know I would not mind going back to the anemone at least one more time), both Rolence and Gould will join any future Nemos in the fun. Knowing Gould was included in the new movie is just one more reason to love Pixar, and the studio's respect for the beautiful movies they create.
Time kept swimming along, but Pixar made sure Finding Dory did not leave the original Nemo behind.
Images: Pixar; Giphy (2)
