Finding Nemo

An aquatic parable that reflects on diversity in community, taking risks, overcoming fears and finding freedom in a father’s love.

This underwater adventure stars a clownfish on a mission to save his son who has been taken from their home in the Great Barrier Reef. Marlin lost his wife and all but one of his babies when a barracuda took them from their new mansion overlooking the reef’s drop-off point.

He now lives in a safe and secluded quiet cul-de-sac with his only remaining son, Nemo. Fearful of the ocean and its unpredictable risks, he struggles to protect his son. Like all young fish, however, Nemo is keen to explore the mysteries of the larger world around him.

When Nemo is suddenly taken far from home and dropped into a fish tank at a dental clinic in a harbourside suburb of Sydney, Marlin finds himself the unlikely hero on an epic journey to rescue his son.

To complete this mission Marlin has to venture out of his idyllic reef existence into the larger marine community—a scary place where no clownfish has dared to go before. Marlin is joined by a good Samaritan named Dory, a regal blue tang fish whose short-term memory problems add interesting elements to the plot.

Following the theme of diversity in community, Finding Nemo features characters who have disabilities, be they physical or psychological. Nemo was born with one fin shorter than the other. While Dory has short-term memory loss, at the same time she has abilities and intelligences that so-called “normal” Marlin did not possess.

The different species and characters depicted in the film all have a part to play in the larger scheme of things. Crush, the old, wise, radically hip and laid-back sea turtle helps Marlin and Dory catch a ride on the EAC (”that's East Australian Current, dude!”) toward their destination. A whale outside Sydney Harbour appears to be an enemy when he swallows Marlin and Dory so close to their destination, but through Dory’s hilarious attempts at “whale speak,” the whale gets the story of their mission, and teaches Marlin an important lesson about learning to trust and let go in challenging circumstances.

Some of the funniest scenes involve a trio of sharks in their own 12-step-program at Fish Eaters Anonymous. In a hilarious send up of AA meetings, the sharks attempt to transform themselves – from their natural desires of eating fish – to going vegetarian. Bruce the shark (whose character is brilliantly brought to life by the voice of Barry Humphries) continually leads his buddies in repeating the mantra “Fish are friends, not food!” But when one of the fish is injured, the smell of blood brings out the real shark instincts and they find themselves reverting to their carnivorous desires.

Nemo makes his own circle of friends inside the fish tank, including their leader, Gill—who sports a shredded fin and scars from his many attempts at escaping the fish tank—and a friendly pelican at the window, Nigel (another well-cast voice in Geoffrey Rush).

However, he finds that life inside a tank has many drawbacks. The fish who’ve been there too long have developed strange personality quirks. One is obsessed with the bubbles coming from the treasure chest aerator. Another believes her reflection in the glass to be an annoying twin sister. The sullen, scar-faced Gill states while looking out the window to the harbour below, “Fish don’t belong in a tank.”

At first glance this may appear to be a kids-only movie. On closer inspection, however, alongside the spectacular animation and character voice-overs, Finding Nemo portrays a fishy tale of many levels and depths.