The Pout-Pout Fish is swimming his way to the big screen with an animated film adaptation, currently in theaters. Based on author Deborah Diesen and illustrator Dan Hanna’s preschool book franchise, which made its debut in 2008 from Macmillan’s FSG Books for Young Readers imprint, the film stars the notably grumpy fish as he tackles adventures with a myriad of seawater friends who show him the value in friendship and community.

“I wrote that book when my own kids were little, and now they’re in their 20s, and so there’s been an interesting growth cycle for the character of the Pout-Pout Fish,” Diesen told PW. “After several decades of existing as a character in a story, he is in a new format and reaching different audiences, and it’s very exciting.”

In 2025, it was announced that Viva Kids acquired the animated feature for North American distribution. The film was produced by Australian-based production company Like a Photon Creative, MIMO Studios, and Macmillan Publishers. Ricard Cussó directed with co-director Rio Harrington. Cosmic Dino Studios provided the animation for the 85-minute feature. The film was first released earlier this year in Australia cinemas.

Kristin Dulaney, executive producer on the film and VP of subsidiary rights at Macmillan, said that the team explored different avenues for the adaptation, from TV to film, and decided that an animated feature film was the best route for showcasing Pout-Pout’s full potential.

“What we were able to do [with this project] is age up the movie and, in doing so, we were able to bring this to a much larger audience, which is a real opportunity for a property like Pout-Pout Fish,” Dulaney said.

The film follows the titular Pout-Pout Fish as he encounters sea dragon Pip and a sudden disaster forces them to work together on a journey to find a legendary fish that can grant wishes and potentially save their home. Emmy winner Nick Offerman stars as Pout-Pout, joined by actor Nina Oyama as Pip. The supporting cast includes Emmy nominee Amy Sedaris, Grammy nominee Jordin Sparks, SAG winner Miranda Otto, and actor Remy Hii.

“He felt like the ultimate Mr. Fish,” Dulaney said of Offerman’s performance. “He did a fantastic job embodying that pouty character. There’s a real soft and joyful side of Nick that comes out when Mr. Fish has that character change.”

Diesen was proud to see that the film acts as an extension of her series, offering readers a new way into similar lessons she’d aimed to impart in her work. She noted that a major theme that both her books and the film tackle is the question of one’s perspective. “Are we able to choose our own outlooks, at least in part, and if so, what helps us do that? What gets in the way of us doing that?”

Another major theme that was important to maintain across projects was friendship, and how Pout-Pout, a loner, comes to appreciate having others he can rely on. “To me, the most important [aspect] in the film is the theme of community, and how we problem-solve in a community,” Diesen said. “Whether we problem-solve through conflict and competition, or through collaboration and communication and cooperation—I think those are really important questions that kids and grown-ups can explore together through the film.”

And being a part of a community is something that Diesen knows plenty about as a creator. “In a wider sense, there’s a big team of people who make a movie, but there’s also a big team of people who make a book,” she said. “And every book is a shared collaboration. The illustrations of a children’s picture book are the bigger half of the partnership. They are what carry a children’s book. And so, from the very beginning, I have been a part of a team, a part of a collaboration, a part of a community.”