Blue Reef Aquarium’s cuddly costume character Charlie the Clownfish will be guest of honour at the premiere of the new ‘Finding Dory’ film at Hastings Odeon Cinema on Friday, July 29th.
He will be making a special appearance at the 1.15pm showing and will be available beforehand for a meet and greet session with younger cinemagoers.
The Rock-a-Nore Road wildlife attraction is also launching a new summer trail which highlights the real-life tales of the fishy characters featured in the new animated Disney Pixar film.
Visitors will be able to meet the fishy inspirations for the film while unscrambling a hidden password as part of the fun trail.
Blue Reef’s Leanna Lawson said: “Charlie is really looking forward to attending the premiere for the new film and getting the chance to meet lots of younger fans.
“As well as the new trail around the aquarium there are also activities and fact sheets both to highlight the different species featured in the film and also to underline the importance of marine conservation.
“When ‘Finding Nemo’ first came out in 2003 there was a huge interest in clownfish.
“The ‘Dory’ character is also based on a real fish known as a regal tang and there is some concern the popularity of the new film could lead to an increase in the number of inexperienced fish keepers trying to get hold of the species,” she added.
The aquarium is urging people to think very carefully before deciding to set up any type of marine display at home.
“Marine aquariums can be very expensive to run and need a lot of research before starting out,” said Leanna.
“We would urge people to never buy a regal tang, or any other fish, on a whim. Regal tangs need large aquariums; an adult can grow up to 30cms long, needs a tank of at least 500 litres, and may live for up to 20 years!
“Regal tangs are also very delicate, and prone to parasitic diseases. They are definitely not fish for beginners,” she added.