For many of us who were very young kids when Finding Nemo was released in 2003, that was the very first movie we ever saw at the movie theater. Some of us may have had to leave the theater in tears less than 20 minutes into the film. Others stuck it out and stayed for the entire movie, being transported into the underwater world for the great search to find Nemo. This first impression stayed with many of us for 13 years and defined our reception of the long-awaited sequel, Finding Dory.
If you liked Finding Nemo, the sequel is not only a super exciting revamp of a childhood classic, but also an entirely new Pixar experience to love. Cameos from the first movie were frequent, but not excessive. Finding Dory didn’t fail to include any character I had hoped would make a reappearance. The characters of Dory, Nemo, and Nemo’s dad Marlin seemed to be accurate developments of those characters in Finding Nemo. New characters, such as the seven-legged octopus Hank, nearsighted whale shark Destiny, and sea lions Fluke and Rudder, were just as lovable and added a new layer of humor. The plot was surprising and exciting, with as many twists and turns as the original adventure of Finding Nemo. It was successfully geared towards the same audience that had grown to love the original classic, fulfilling our every hope as a sequel and so much more as a standalone movie. However, if you were a young child, brought to the movie theater by your parents, who was looking for fun, happy, family-oriented entertainment, it might have been a disappointment. There are some scenes scary or tear-jerking enough to urge a five-year-old to run out of the theater bawling.
That aside, what stood out the most in Disney’s attempt to create another timeless childhood classic was the theme of inclusion and acceptance. There is a strong emphasis on catering to individual differences and disabilities. Dory herself suffers from short-term memory loss, but with the support and acceptance of her fellow fish she manages to overcome the challenges of her disability. Many other major characters struggle with some sort of disability or difference that they overcome with the encouragement of others. Disney is undoubtedly promoting a message of self and social acceptance, stressing that every individual is important regardless of their differences.
Unless you are a fragile movie-viewer easily frightened by a young, lost fish’s woes, or you hated Finding Nemo in the first place, I strongly endorse Finding Dory and excitedly encourage you to get ahold of it if you missed it in the theaters. If you have a friend who is struggling to accept themselves, invite them to view it with you; Dory offers some invaluable lessons from which anyone—be they five, fifteen, or fifty-five—can learn.
