Finding Nemo is 20! Voice actor Alexander Gould, 29, reflects on monster success of Pixar film

Finding Nemo voice actor Alexander Gould has reflected on the lasting impact of the 2003 hit film as it came out 20 years ago on Tuesday.

The star, who voiced the iconic clownfish character Nemo when he was nine, also shared why he couldn’t reprise his role in the 2016 film’s sequel, Finding Dory.

Gould, now 29, said on Good Morning America, “It just has so many beautiful themes. I think that’s probably why it was such a cultural phenomenon at the time. It just spoke so deeply to everyone who watched it.

“You pick up all the good messages of having faith in yourself, trusting yourself, being able to overcome obstacles in your own life.

“Things that seem to hold you back don’t actually hold you back. For parents, it has great themes around letting go and pushing your kids out into the world and letting them thrive on their own merit.”

Now: The star, who voiced the iconic clownfish character Nemo when he was nine years old, also spoke about why he couldn’t reprise his role in the 2016 film’s sequel, Finding Dory

“People ask me to do the voice and then I have to explain that I was, you know, 9 years old and my voice has changed a little bit since then.

“I usually get a lot of questions about what it was like and people quote me the movie. It’s really quite amazing to be a part of something like a pivotal piece of film, of animation.

“I have a bunch of nieces and nephews, and I just have to rewatch it with all of them, and they had a blast. They quote the movie to me and ask me questions about filming while they watch, which is really nice.”

The star also revealed why he was replaced by actor Hayden Rolence in Finding Dory – explaining how his voice breaking meant he was no longer able to capture “the essence” of Nemo.

He said, “When Finding Dory came out, I think I was 20 or 21. After filming Finding Nemo, I was still doing the voice…until I was about 14.

‘Around that time I was told that my voice had unfortunately changed too much. I couldn’t grasp the essence of Nemo anymore. That’s what happens when you’re a child actor.

“So they brought in someone new who was able to capture the essence that I had in the original film, and he did a fantastic job. I came back and did a little cameo [in Finding Dory].

Then: He said, ‘People ask me to do the voice and then I have to explain that I was, you know, 9 years old and my voice has changed a little bit since then (pictured nine years old in 2003)

All new: The star also revealed why he was replaced by actor Hayden Rolence in Finding Dory – explaining how his broken voice meant he was no longer able to capture ‘the essence’ of Nemo

Gould played Passenger Carl, a truck driver who works for the Marine Life Institute.

Released in 2003, Finding Nemo told the story of an overprotective clownfish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) who, along with a forgetful regal blue tang named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), sets out to find his missing son Nemo (Gould).

At the time of its release, Finding Nemo became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, earning $871 million worldwide.

It was nominated for three Oscars and won one for Best Animated Feature, becoming the first Pixar film to do so.

The movie was followed by a 2016 sequel – Finding Dory – which saw the famously forgetful fish search for her long-lost parents.

In the film, Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy voiced Dory’s long-lost parents.