Spoiler warning! Please, if you do not want to know anything about the movie before seeing it, then do not read this until you have seen the movie!
As most everyone knows, "Finding Dory" came out this past Friday. I went to go see it as soon as I could. It was so fantastic, and those who have not seen it should. Alongside the topic of family, the film showed ways that disabilities are looked at.
This movie shows Dory’s memory loss as a disability that she believes she has to apologize for, not just a funny quirk. Although it does lead to comical moments, her memory loss is seen in a more serious light.
Marlin in "Finding Nemo" was able to learn that Nemo’s lucky fin disability didn’t make Nemo weak. However, that lesson wasn’t fully understood. Marlin still becomes impatient with Dory and discourages her from doing certain things, like going to school, because of her memory loss making her more of a liability to others. Marlin doesn’t realize that his treating her this way is wrong. He believes he is helping her by discouraging her from activities that could lead to trouble for her. Many people in the world behave this way and don’t treat disabled people as capable.
Nemo takes on a new role in this film. He becomes a sort of voice of reason to Marlin. He points out to Marlin that what he is doing is more of an obstacle for Dory than her disability is. This is because he is making her feel like she isn’t capable without others watching her. Throughout the whole movie, Nemo teaches Marlin that Dory is more capable than he thinks she is.
Dory meets a new cast of characters that all have some kind of disability. Destiny is a whale shark who is near sighted and can’t swim well. Bailey is a beluga that had a head injury and believes that his echolocation is compromised. Hank is an octopus who lost a tentacle, making him a septopus. Dory helps these creatures realize that their disabilities make them unique and that they can do whatever they put their mind to, even if they must seek out help.
Through this adventure, we see Dory realize that she doesn’t have to be so dependent on others, despite her memory loss. One thing that makes this film different is it shows the difference between being dependent on others and getting help. Being dependent is not being reliant on another person for everything, and in some cases, that isn’t a bad thing. Getting help is working together with someone to use the skills they have to assist in an activity where you lack skills.
"Finding Dory" shows how disabled people can be capable of doing things, even if they need help in some areas. Even if you aren’t disabled or don't know a disabled person, it shows how getting help from others doesn’t mean you are fully reliant on them.
