Did Andrew Stanton ever reveal why he set the film in Australia?
Choice of Interest, Maybe?
Maybe theres plenty of exotic life living around Australia, maybe he got a fresh look at the animal life in the ocean reefs at Australia and found it a perfect setting for Finding Nemo?
Well, the Great Barrier reef is like, the Olympus for fish. They’re everywhere, and there are over 1,200 types of fish there!!
I think that’s why.
Makes compete sense! Plus Australia is down right ballin.
Plus, reading Sydney makes more theatrical sense than say, San Francisco. By the time Dory finished pronouncing it from the mask, both of them might be dinner for the ugly-looking, lantern-carrying fish already.
Seconded, from experience!
I had a chance to go there a few years ago with Student Ambassadors, but we couldn’t afford it. (the next year I went to England, Ireland, and Wales with the SA). I plan to visit in the future!
You came to Wales?
Which part did you visit?
Haha, sorry.
Yeah, where abouts in England did you go to? 
I think Australia’s ocean is one of the few untouched parts left on this world, I think the directors had a chance to go to Australia to witness the Great Barrier reef for themselves, and they sought it as the perfect place to furnish Finding Nemo’s setting.
Also, that lantern-carrying fish you were talking about, it’s an Angler Fish.
Spelling corrected - TDIT
I still think it’s because of the 1,200 fish breeds. I can’t think of any other logical reason. I mean, why is Up set in America? It just adds layers to the movie.
Species, not breeds 
(Sorry, Wildlife Biology minor in the house). But yes, you’re right that diversity adds to the fun of it all.
You mean, ‘furnish’? There’s only one meaning for f*rnicate…
Oops, sorry for using that word! Propagate was the word i was thinking of!
That’s okay. But I think ‘propogate’ doesn’t exactly make sense either, how do you reproduce or spread a setting? I think it should be ‘place’, ‘establish’, ‘employ’ or some synonym of that sort.
tdit is right. Propagation applies to plants.
And computer viruses. And people. And ideas.
Well, anyway, they chose the setting indefinitely because of the great barrier reef and the ocean life diversity of Australia, and of the popularity of the city Sydney.
But why don’t some of them have an Australian accent, too far away?
A lot of movies have different accents in different settings. Jewel in Rio, Mulan in Mulan, Belle in Beauty and the Beast…it’s pretty common not to have American accents in films set away.