Finding Dory - A Lesson for Adults as much as it is for Kids
The much awaited sequel to Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo has recently come out and it truly is a modern fable. Drawing in just enough adult themes to reflect is probably adult audience to be able to have a relatable storyline but not too much so as to beat zootopia's social reflection. Finding Dory is truly a movie that reflects what those who watched Finding Nemo as a child have been waiting for.
Youtube Video: "EXCLUSIVE: 'Finding Dory' Trailer"
There are 3 main aspects about this movie that I want to discuss; what dory as a character can teach us about the importance of 'family', what the word 'family' actually means as well as the positive messages that this movie brings to children and the wider audience.
The whole premise of this movie is that Dory, the forgetful and loveable Blue Tang fish played by Ellen Degeneres, finally starts remembering her family and quests to find them. The name of the movie is interesting though: 'Finding Dory'. The previous movie, 'Finding Nemo' based itself on the character of Nemo, the young clownfish that was taken and Marlin and Dory's journey to find him. However this movie isn't about Dory being lost (even though she does get take). The name plays an interesting role as a pun, not only signifying parts of the movie where both Nemo and Marlin are out to look for Dory but for Dory herself; Dory is trying to find who she truly is, going back to her roots and finding her family. Hence, Finding Dory is about Dory finding herself. What this shows is the importance the idea of family plays in our lives. For Dory, who for her entire life couldn't seem to find a place where she could fit in, her family was the single place where she was loved unconditionally and not judged for her unfortunate short-term memory loss problems. Family is important, it is the one group of people in your lives who won't judge you for being you and who will stand by you with loyalty, a factor that so many of us crave in an ever digital and caricatured world.
And when she does find her family she feels a sense of incompleteness - why's that? Simple because the meaning of family for her has changed. Most of us regard family as our blood-relatives, that is, those whom are genetically tied to you. However, what this movies shows ultimately is that family isn't just about that. As important as blood relations are, so too are the emotional and physiological developments that we make with other people too. It is important to note that the people whom take care of you and who may be your parent's may not be blood related to you - an issue that many people will relate to adopted children or children whom are living with their extended relatives (such as their uncles/aunts or grandmothers/grandfathers) whom are stereotypically known to say "you're not my real parent's" which in any case shows the true meaning of what a parent is and ultimately what family means. For the modern audience, and for both Pixar and Disney (which are major family enterprises) there is a desire to encourage this idea of family, even if it means that the traditional nuclear family isn't always put at the forefront. This reminds me of something someone once told me about the difference between blood-relatives and friends whom can be considered family: While your family couldn't choose you and were forced to be with you, your friends aren't forced. They can choose to be with you, to hang out with you and spend time with you. And the fact that they have stuck around and supported you sometimes can mean that relationship is stronger and thicker than blood itself.
Positive messages are littered throughout the movie, on top of all the creative puns, that I believe are truly important. Whilst I do think at some points both Disney and Pixar took the easy route and chose to find messages and themes that were present in 'Finding Nemo' and copy/paste them into 'Finding Dory' I don't think that it was necessarily a bad idea. Finding Nemo was known as a movie with very strong positive themes about participation, resilience and confidence - matters all to pressing to younger generations. These such messages are imprinted throughout 'Finding Dory' and play an important and key role in kid's films. One of these such key messages can be seen in the scene where both Marlin and Nemo are in the fish tank after being violently tossed out of the bucket. The message in that scene revolved around not limiting people to what they are, or what we think they are capable of. Such messages are important to young people who's dreams are more often than not shattered at a very young age by the very people who should be supporting them to the full.
As you can see as much as this movie is targeted towards younger audiences and more family orientated than ever before, much of what we see in this movie can be related to adults. It is this type of filming that truly makes Pixar one cut above the rest of its competitors in the industry.
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