I CAN imagine the story pitch: A motherless child with a stunted limb is abducted and held prisoner along with several other physically and emotionally scarred victims. Meanwhile, his neurotic ...

It was my birthday. Nemo would be my friend. Then a grizzled Moorish Idol fish catapulted into my hair while a goddamn pelican flew through the window and knocked my uncle out.

Their leader is Gill (Willem Dafoe), a been-around Moorish idol fish who understands Nemo’ s passion to be free and concocts a scheme to help him out.

In reality, it's actually a sly nod to his species. While he is never expressly referred to as such, Gill is a Moorish idol - easily identifiable by his distinctive black-and-white markings.