The Pout-Pout Fish

Plot

Mr. Fish lives in a coral reef society. Described as glum and gloomy, he meets baby sea dragon Pip at his shipwreck home. Pip needs help expanding her home to accommodate for her hundreds of siblings. At first, Mr. Fish declines, but changes his mind after both his and Pip's homes are destroyed. Instead of rebuilding, Pip suggests they visit Shimmer, a mysterious, wish-granting fish.

Underneath the reef is an abyss home to a pod of cuttlefish, led by their leader Marin, who is in danger of being cut off from the sun due to kelp growth and will soon be forced to relocate. Benji, her son, does not wish to leave, deciding to seek out Shimmer as well. This puts both Benji and Mr. Fish in a race to find Shimmer, as it is rumored that she can only fulfill one wish every few years.

Mr. Fish and Pip make their way to Shimmer, by rescuing two jellyfish, helping three dolphins, and helping a mother whale find her child, with the assistance of an eel. They eventually reach Shimmer, but are interrupted when Benji kidnaps her. Benji arrives at the abyss with Shimmer with others trailing behind, when she reveals that she can't actually fulfill wishes. Because of this, the cuttlefish relocate to the reef above, with Marin disowning Benji. They hypnotize its residents into exile. In an attempt to save the reef, Mr. Fish and Pip call upon the animals they helped. They manage to remove all of the kelp, allowing the cuttlefish to return to their homes.

After they return, Mr. Fish has his home rebuilt, and Pip's family moves to a cruise shipwreck fitting all of her siblings. Pip reveals to Mr. Fish that she wrote a story named "The Pout-Pout Fish", of which the film is depicting. As Pip leaves, Mr. Fish is greeted by Shimmer, who the former tries asking out, unaware that the eel accidentally caused his home to be destroyed again.

Voice cast

Nick Offerman as Mr. Fish, a short-tempered sky blue and purple ocean pout

Nina Oyama as Pip, a hyperactive baby yellow leafy seadragon

Miranda Otto as Marin, a female red cuttlefish

Remy Hii as Benji, an orange cuttlefish

Jordin Sparks as Shimmer, a mystical pink Siamese fighting fish

Amy Sedaris as Brigitta, Greta and Karina, three pink Dolphins

Nazeem Hussain as Archie, a blue cuttlefish with glasses

Mark Coles Smith as Hector, an orange octopus shop owner

Grant Denyer as Beautiful Mike

Lloyd Langford as a bioluminescent eel

Mel Buttle as Shaz, a purple box jellyfish

Release

The Pout-Pout Fish was released theatrically on January 1, 2026 in Australia by Maslow Entertainment and was released on March 20 in the United States, by Viva Pictures.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 61% of 31 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Appealing and colorful without being particularly distinctive, this animated adventure is a small fish in the big pond of family entertainment but can be relied upon to turn a frown upside down."

Catherine Bray of The Guardian gave the film two out of five, writing: "Based on the books by Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna, The Pout-Pout Fish’s animation lacks the charm of the books’ illustrations, and the writing is uninspired."