“ ‘Though ‘Nemo’ is a complete fantasy, it’s based on things that are familiar to audiences.
The father-son relationship, going to school for the first time – these are things everyone understands, yet this film is about fish on a coral reef.’ [Lasseter]” (Arkrof, 1).
Finding Nemo was the highest-grossing film the weekend it was released in May 2003. The story is very personal to director Andrew Stanton.
“Stanton concludes,‘Telling a story where the protagonist is the father got me excited.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an animated film from that perspective…I loved playing with that issue and having a father who has to overcome his own fears of life to become a better father.
Having him in the middle of the ocean, where he has to confront everything he never wanted to face in life, seemed like a great opportunity for fun and still allowed us to delve into some slightly deeper issues.’” (Arkrof, 2)
Finding Nemo was written for parents while also a children’s film. Children see the story from Nemo’s perspective as a curious, young, adventurous clownfish.
Finding Nemo’s coming-of-age story has many nuances that make the story meaningful to many groups beyond fathers and sons.
Nemo has a physical disability, Marlin’s a single dad,Dory has a mental difference.
Each of the main characters progresses the plot with their unique take on the world.
Nemo gets captured by the dentist because he tries to prove his capabilities to his father, who overprotects him because of Nemo’s physical differences.
Marlin is closed off from the world’s possibilities because of the traumatic loss of his wife, Coral. Dory helps Marlin see the value in others’ differences.
Dory is the only fish he knows who can read human.
Disability representation wasn’t the focus of the film’s director Andrew Stanton. He was inspired by his own life experiences. The story is based on reality. In the early 2000s, the current conversations were about disability.
“After decades of campaigning and lobbying, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990,
and ensured equal treatment and equal access of people with disabilities to employment opportunities and to public accommodations.
The ADA intended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in: employment, services rendered by state and local governments, places of public accommodation, transportation, and telecommunications services.” (ADL Education)
Sources
ADL Education. (2022, May 3). A Brief History of the Disability Rights Movement. adl.org. https://www.adl.org/education/resources/backgrounders/disability-rights-movement
Arkoff, V. (2021, February 16). Ultimate Guide to ‘Finding Nemo’. howstuffworks.com. https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/family/activities/how-finding-nemo-works1.htm