This past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing "Finding Dory," which is the sequel to Finding Nemo. Throughout this movie, I couldn’t help but wish I had re-watched "Finding Nemo" right before, simply because of the all the hidden messages I found in "Finding Dory." From the story line to the timeless metaphors, "Finding Dory" was a mini guidebook to life that had principles one should keep forever.
*Note: If you have not seen "Finding Dory," this article is still OK to read. I made sure not to put any content of the story that you could not find in the trailer.
1. Just keep swimming.
This one is a classic. Everyone who has seen "Finding Nemo" - and probably even those who have not - know this phrase. Just keep swimming refers to persistence and perseverance. We learn at a very young age that life is not going to be easy, and it was never meant to be. Therefore, we just have to keep going and never give up, despite the challenges we face.
2. Family comes in different forms.
The plot of this movie is based off of Dory trying to find her biological family (this information is found in the trailer - not a spoiler!). Although this is true, she never lost sight of the fact that her family also included Nemo and Marlin. Dory, Nemo, and Marlin shows the audience that not all family is genetic and what makes people our family has to do with love more than anything else.
3. Go with the current.
It's so easy to get caught up in trying to know the outcome of situations, and doing everything possible to try and control it. But, Finding Dory teaches us to just go with the flow; go with the current and let it take you where you're supposed to be. Things always fall into place at the end of the day, so why worry?
4.There is more than one way to do something, and there is always another way.
This is important because we have to understand that what may work for some people may not work for others, and that's okay. It's about finding out what works best for you, and making the best out of it. Now, we all know that Dory suffers from short-term memory loss. Despite that, Dory never fails to get through situations, even if she forgets what situation she's in 2 minutes after she gets placed in it. Although, the way she may go about situations may not be "normal" or traditional, she always figures out a way to make it work in her own way!
5. Be you, the world will adjust.
I really appreciated "Finding Dory" (and "Finding Nemo") because of the exposure of mental health & disabilities it gives to the audience. Nemo has a genetic defect that affects one of his fins, which makes it more difficult to swim; Dory has a brain disorder that affects her memory (the scientific name for her disorder is called anterograde amnesia), and shows signs of panic disorder as well; Destiny, the whale, has impaired vision; Hank, the octopus, has anxiety etc... the list goes on. Although this film shows a variety of characters who are "different," it focuses more on accepting them for who they are rather than seeing the differences as flaws. So, really this point leads to two lessons: accept who you are, and accept who others are.
