Disney Finding Nemo Movie Review

For those of you who've seen Finding Nemo (and ya'll should by now it's quite old), here is our analysis (other than it's just a fantastic flick).

Finding Nemo is the perfect conservative/anti-socialism movie.

The macrocosm ocean world of Marlin searching for his son presupposes both freewill and that other characters would rather do good and help another person in need than not.

As Marlin searches, some characters can not help their baser nature (barracudas, jellyfish, and seagulls), some struggle to overcome it (Bruce the shark), and others are helpful even when it goes against their nature (Nigel the pelican). But the overwhelming majority of ocean dwellers are just plain nice folk (Dory, schools of fish, sea turtles, most reef dwellers, whales, etc.).

This positive view rests on the belief that doing good of one's own volition is the natural tendency of the majority. This is a conservative value (and perhaps typically anglospheric in its high trust nature).

The microcosm world of Nemo trapped in the fish tank, shows that even strangers in the same prediciament will try to help another. The fish in the tank could have easily devoured Nemo. Instead they worked even harder to free him - especially after learning his imminent fate and of the hope his father's search naturally brought.

These fish all wanted to escape to the ocean despite most never having lived in it and realizing it would be fraught with danger. The tank offered the perfect socialist dream - free food, comfortable living environment, dental entertainment but it was not enough. The freedom to make your own life and live by your own choices was paramount.

The ocean world is dangerous, but the lesson Marlin learned is that those dangers should not prevent you playing your full part in the world (and that Gill learned that using people to achieve your personal ends is wrong). Marlin and Gill are both nannies -- Marlin in the precautionary "don't do anything that might possibly hurt you sense" and Gill in the "I know best what's good for all of us" sense -- but both realize the error of their ways.

It's a shame that socialists haven't learned the error of theirs.

See the movie, it is so worth it. Or at least visit, findingnemo.com for clips and previews.