As we step into Trans Awareness Week in the year 2023, this writing piece will delve into a milestone: the 20th anniversary of the Pixar classic from the early 2000s, Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003). This film holds a special place in my affective memory as it is believed to be the first one, I watched in a cinema. Over the decades, as I’ve grown older, the story has transformed, taking on a range of interpretations and dark theories. It even got a sequel in 2016, Finding Dory (Andrew Stanton, 2016).
The inspiration for Finding Nemo came from the director's childhood, during which he loved going to the dentist to see the fish tank, assuming that the fish were from the ocean and wanted to go home.
At the surface, Finding Nemo's plot bears similarities to a Disney Renaissance classic from the late 1980s, The Little Mermaid (John Musker and Ron Clements, 1989), with themes of personification, solo fatherhood, and child rebellion. It even adopts a typical Disney motif seen in the 'mothers in refrigerator' syndrome with Coral's death at the beginning of the film. It's worth noting that, at this point, Disney had not yet acquired Pixar; this only happened in January 2006. The film also features Easter eggs referencing other Pixar productions like Monster, Inc. (Peter Docter, 2001), Cars (John Lasseter, 2006), and Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995). There are notable references to many cinematic classics, including Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000), Titanic (James Cameron, 1997), Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975), Scarface (Brian de Palma, 1983), The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963), The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980), Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960), among others. Even literary references, the protagonist, Nemo, was named after Captain Nemo from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," a classic science fiction by Jules Verne.
Diving deep, some interpret Finding Nemo as a tale exploring disabilities and mental illness. The protagonist, Nemo, bears a deformed fin on the right side due to a fatal attack on his mother and sibling eggs; however, he successfully overcomes this disability. The characters further illustrate these themes—Dory, the beloved comical relief, suffers from short-term memory loss, while Gil has a damaged fin. Jacques and Gurgle exhibit obsessive-compulsive disorder, Bruce and Anchor grapple with an identity crisis and a fishaholic tendency. Nemo's classmates also contribute to this portrayal; one has short tentacles, and the other is H2O intolerant. Marlin, Nemo's father, copes with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and an anxiety disorder. Yellow Tang showcases an obsession with bubbles, and Deb/Flo manifests dissociative identity disorder.
Diving deeper, some propose that Finding Nemo could depict a transgender trajectory through Marlin. Biologically, clownfish exhibit dichogamy, commonly known as sequential hermaphroditism—a change of sex due to necessity, environmental factors, or proportional differences between the sexes. In the case of clownfish, all babies are born male and undergo a transformation into females in adulthood. This process involves the emergence of a dominant female, and upon her death, the next oldest male undergoes a transformation into a female. Consequently, Marlin could be seen the mother and father figure simultaneously.
Finding Nemo is not merely a bed of anemones; it is crucial to highlight its problematic elements. The ritual scene involves the fish in the tank chanting 'Sharkbait, ooh ha ha!' as a form of initiation for Nemo, a clownfish. This scene has sparked discussions and criticisms regarding cultural sensitivity, particularly with the Pacific Islander community. The chant bears resemblance to certain traditional Pacific Islander rituals and could be perceived as culturally insensitive or offensive. Moreover, in contradiction to the film's environmental philosophy and following its human villain's arch, the success of Finding Nemo led fans worldwide to rush to pet stores to acquire their own clownfish for home aquariums. Unfortunately, this increased demand for these endangered species has resulted in harmful impacts on their natural habitat.
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