Inclusion is a generic moral lesson found in many children’s movies.
Finding Nemo’s plot relies on Dory and Marlin learning to get along so they can find Nemo.
Nemo learns through his own adventure how to trust in his own abilities.
“Most writers tend to focus more on a
relationship grounded in commonality than one that is not…
Despite their differences, Marlin and Dory have a very close relationship.
Firm believers in inclusiveness would argue that
Dory and Marlin’s relationship translates to the wider realms of society.“ (Draman, 2)
Showing two characters cultivating a relationship from shared experiences and needs is healthy.
Relationships that last are about more than commonalities.
Draman expresses that Finding Nemo director
“Andrew Stanton clearly illustrates the belief of inclusivity through a fictional world when enabling Nemo to make significant contributions to society.” (Draman, 3)
In my opinion, writing disabled characters who participate in the “fictional society” is the bare minimum and maybe progressive for its time, but nothing to praise.
Stanton has stated his inspiration came from family. I find Finding Nemo’s family dynamics very realistic.
Praising a plot for writing circumstances where characters who are different are included is how things should be in a children’s film.
Finding Nemo presents relatable themes of friendship, family, and change.
The “resistance” of Marlin to accept Dory mimics real hesitations some people have about disability.
Marlin thinks short-term memory loss is fiction.
And goes as far as to say, “there’s something wrong with you.”
This thought wouldn’t belong in a perfectly inclusive society. Fictional stories are relatable because they have connections to reality.
Portraying Marlin as having assumptions about Nemo and Dory mirrors real cultural expectations. This realism is what makes Finding Nemo such a compelling story.
Source
Draman, Alexa. “Swimming for Inclusion.” The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research 17 (2016): -. Web. <https://Csherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol17/iss1/3>