I am sure many of you who have yet to see "Finding Dory" have encountered the multitudinous amounts of memes, gifs and baby Dory videos on many forms of social media. Honestly, I experienced this as well because I was unable to see it on its premiere day. Before I forge on ahead and try to spin Dory’s tale into gold (which it did by itself, considering the amount of revenues it has already made in the box office), I have to mention spoilers to refer to the thoughtful and mosaic variables that every personified fish or person can experience, whether or not they have a disability. If that is not your cup of tea, please watch the movie and you are perfectly welcome to read through this again. If you have no issues with spoilers changing your views, then please do read on. Critics from popular movie review sites have rated Finding Dory in the 90th percentile with critic consensus saying: “Funny, poignant, and thought-provoking, "Finding Dory" delivers a beautifully animated adventure that adds another entertaining chapter to its predecessors story.” These words are an amalgamation of professional opinions. I personally cannot say without a doubt that Dory is the epitome of the perfect Pixar animated movie, but I greatly appreciate the focus on telling its story.

As regularly proclaimed by baby Dory, she is a fish “that suffers from short-term memory loss”. This refers to a person who has difficulty recalling information that they were provided with ten to twenty minutes prior, while completely capable of recalling something that they heard of ten to twenty years prior. Short-term memory loss can be caused by a “lack of oxygen to the brain” either achieved through physical trauma, imbibing harmful chemicals (i.e. drugs, alcohol, etc.), or in the womb, where a baby can shift its position where the umbilical may be pinched. A simple back and forth between a stranger and a person with short-term memory loss could be completely forgotten, or as Marlin mentions, Dory’s tendency to wander in the midst of a conversation. One specific mention from Dory’s character was the fact that she had never before felt what it was like to miss someone, specifically her parents, until she suddenly remembered. Her character was acting as an assistant in a classroom setting, and when a student asked her about her origins, Dory suddenly turned around and wondered what it was they had discussed in the first place. Unlike Nemo’s physical disability, Dory’s disability is reliant upon her brain. However, as with most health conditions, treatments can be undergone with a person's continued perseverance and tenacity to never give up or allow their conditions to restrict them. For example, Dory's parents decided to give her a visual exercise or lodestone that would be used to help her find her way home.

However, the focus of the movie was not only Dory’s difficulty in navigating and trying to achieve her goals despite her condition, but it was also Marlin’s insensitive and callous treatment of her memory. The specific incident, which I will paraphrase, is Marlin saying that Dory should simply wait and forget because it is what she is most capable of doing. Those with a disability or health condition should not be in anyway pitied, but they should be treated humanely with respect and patience, as with any human exchange. Relationships between normal people and/or uncommon people will always be difficult. Even with years of time spent together, married couples will argue, a parent can lose patience with a toddler, and a person with short-term memory loss can have their feelings hurt in the span of a few minutes. The movie itself was heartfelt in its representation of how such obstacles can be overcome, and that family itself is not only defined by blood. As Dory’s mantra dictates, “Just keep swimming” and keep an open mind about a situation so that you can best find a solution in any problem that trips you up. After all, life is full of pitfalls and pedestals that appear with or without our purposeful intent.