Favorite Flicks: Finding Nemo

© 2003 Disney/Pixar
Running time: 100 minutes Rated G
Featuring the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, and Willem Dafoe

Based on the book Babe the Gallant Pig, by Dick King-Smith

 

PLOT

Clownfish Marlin and Coral are just settling into their new home on the reef, awaiting the arrival of their 400 babies, when a barracuda attack takes Coral and all but one of their eggs. Marlin, vowing never to let anything happen to his only remaining child, becomes a doting, overly protective father to Nemo. When it’s finally time for his first day of school, Nemo is more than ready to come out from under his father’s fin and explore the ocean—but Marlin isn’t so eager for his son to grow up. Disobeying his father, Nemo swims out into open waters—and is promptly scooped up by a scuba diver. Plopped into an aquarium in a dentist’s office, Nemo finds out that he is destined to be a birthday present for the dentist’s “fish-killer” niece, Darla. As Nemo and his tank mates formulate escape plans, Marlin and his memory-challenged pal, Dorie, make an adventurous trip across the ocean in search of Nemo.

HUMANE MESSAGES & OTHER GOOD POINTS

• Emphasizes that tropical fish belong in the wild and should not be taken from their natural habitats. Gill, who shares the tank with Nemo and was also captured from the ocean, tells Nemo, “Fish aren’t meant to be in a box, kid. It does things to you.”

• Fosters empathy by showing the animals’ emotions and reactions to various situations. For example, Marlin and Nemo are heartbroken when they are separated from each other, and both are willing to do whatever it takes to reunite.

• Shows the value of kindness and friendship. Upon seeing his “lucky fin,” Nemo’s new school friends try to make him feel welcome by pointing out their own shortcomings. One admits, “I’m H2O intolerant,” while another points out, “See, this tentacle is actually shorter than all my other tentacles.” When Nemo is put in the aquarium, the other fish comfort and welcome him as well as work together to help him escape. Also, as Marlin and Dorie travel together, they develop a close friendship and eventually realize that they have each come to depend on the other.

• Demonstrates that it is often humans who are responsible, however inadvertently, for disruptions and disturbances to the environment. When the sharks find out that Nemo was captured by a diver, Chum says, “Humans. Think they own everything.” Meanwhile, the dentist comments about Nemo, “I found that guy struggling for life out on the reef, and I saved him.”

• Portrays the oft-maligned shark in a positive light. Sharks Bruce, Chum, and Anchor have sworn off eating fish, and they recite this pledge: “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.” Although instinct takes over when Bruce gets a whiff of blood, the other sharks are apologetic and explain that, really, he’s a nice guy with good intentions. Later, the sharks help Dorie safely find her way home.

• Features animal characters who overcome their prejudices to cooperate with one another. Perhaps the best example is Rex, who states, "Every animal has its proper place." When he realizes that Babe is neither stupid nor inferior, Rex abandons his old ways of thinking and helps him win the sheepdog trial.

• Shows the value of kindness and courtesy. Babe excels as a shepherd because he asks sheep nicely for their help and offers praise and thanks when they cooperate.

POINTS TO PONDER

• Despite the film’s message that fish belong in the ocean, some children are sure to want their very own Nemo or Dorie. While fish can be great pets, clownfish like Nemo, blue tangs like Dorie, and other tropical fish are better off in the wild. Instead, choose captive-bred, nontropical varieties, such as goldfish, and be sure to keep them in a filtered tank, not a bowl. Like all pets, fish are pets for life.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Get the facts on fish. Do clownfish and sea turtles really get along? Can sharks really stop eating fish? Are the fish in the movie native to the ocean around Australia, where the movie took place? Have students pick a character and research how that animal actually lives and interacts with others in the wild, then compare their findings with how the animal was portrayed in the movie.

The state of the reefs. Coral reefs are a critical part of ocean ecosystems, but reefs all over the world are in decline due to destructive fishing methods, pollution, collection of plants and animals for the pet trade, and recreational activities such as scuba diving and boating. Have students research the state of coral reefs in a given area (such as the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, where the movie is set), the primary causes of degradation in that area, and what measures could be taken to lessen further damage.

Be a bookworm. To reinforce some of the ideas from the movie, read aloud or point students to books with similar environmental themes. In the Company of Whales (Point Roberts, WA: Orca Book Publishers, 1993), by whale-watcher Alexandra Morton, is a nonfiction study of orcas in their natural habitat. Virginia Kroll’s Sweet Magnolia (Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Press, 1995), the story of a city girl visiting her wildlife rehabilitator grandmother, sends the message that wild animals should be allowed to stay in the wild. Coyote at Piñon Place (Norwalk, CT: Soundprints, 1999), by Deborah Dennard, offers a look at how humans have affected one coyote’s home—just as Finding Nemo shows how people are changing the world’s oceans.

All three books are KIND Children's Book Award winners. For more recommended reading, click here.