"[2][1] In contrast the exuberant music composed by Randy for Toy Story and Monsters, Inc., Newman had a "more fluid and emotionally atmospheric" which suited the tone of the film.

"[3] Noah Marconi of Soundtrack World wrote "Despite minimal melodic material, Newman binds the score with his characteristic orchestration, string gestures and harmonies.

[6] Music critic Alex Burns wrote "Thomas Newman’s score throughout Finding Nemo is really effective with some exciting twists and turns".

[7] Reviewing the main title "Nemo Egg", he called "serves its purpose of setting the scene of the film, with Newman’s colourful scoring shining through.

"[7] Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote "From dreamy to scary to silly, each of Newman's 39 cues for Finding Nemo is a wonderfully intricate, miniature composition.

"[8] Ranking it as one of Newman's best soundtracks, Natasha McMeekin of Collider commented that the score "not only embodies the movie's characters and their subsequent emotions, but the sea itself — calm, beautiful, soothing, but at the same time, harsh, unforgiving, and unpredictable.