Lessons From Nemo World

I am an avid watcher of kids movies, especially animated movies. I enjoy it as much as a child does and also use the adult brain when in need. My few favorites are Ice Age 1 and 2, Shrek 1 and 2, Lilo and Stitch, Avatar, Toy Story, Frozen (for their songs especially) and my all time favorite is Finding Nemo.....

Last night I was watching "Finding Nemo" yet another time (I have stopped counting). I could watch this movie in my highs and lows. But watching it (last night) on Fathers Day made my fondness grow even more for this movie. If you really think about this movie, all it tries to portray is the struggles of a dedicated father as a single parent.

The depiction of this resplendent marine world by Disney Pixar is visual splendor. It's an endearing movie that could make you laugh, cry, wonder and teach you lessons of life. Never in a million years I would have imagined that an animated movie can share this much substance.

The movie is packed with many life lessons, but here are a few things that I think we all can learn and teach -

Listening to your child is also as important as listening to parents. 
Ever  fretting Marlin learns from his son Nemo that it is ok take risks. He also learns that he cannot have control over everything around Nemo and that he should not pass his fears down to his son.


It's ok to ask and accept help. Sometimes help comes in the most unexpected way.
Marlin never actually asks for help and thinks that all the ocean dwellers are predators and that he never feels good about seeking help from them. But Dory time and again reach out to others resulting in progress of their journey. Especially when Marlin and Dory become lost after they exit the EAC and Dory convinces Marlin to get help from a whale and are engulfed inside the whale's immense mouth. Marlin desperately tries to escape while Dory tries to communicate with the Whale. In response, the whale carries them to Sydney Harbour and expels them through his blowhole.

The value of Friendship and Teamwork
When Gill, Peach, Bloat, Jacques, Bubbles, Gurgle, Deb/Flo (Fishes at the dentist office fish tank) help rescue Nemo with their team effort. Also the team effort displayed when all the fishes are caught in a fisherman's net and they all force swim down to release the net open.

Never reject anyone for their disabilities and or limitations. Each one of us are different. We each have our own strength and weakness.
The protagonist, Nemo has a deformed fin yet he proves his ability to survive through his ordeal and is accepted by other aquatic school friends. Dory despite her short term memory loss disability knows how to keep hers and everyone else's spirits high.  Marlin's Phobia for the sea is eventually triumphed over,  after he steps out of his comfort zone and fights through the odds in his mission to search and rescue his son.


Parents will never giveup on their kids, but parents should also know not to make such promises to kids that is impossible to keep up.
Marlin's (The dad clown fish) promise to Nemo (Marlin's son) that he would never let anything happen to him was questioned by Dory (the blue feisty fish) as she says - "That's a funny thing to promise, you can't promise that nothing would happen to him"


While we teach our kids to believe in their abilities to be successful, we should also take a leap of faith in our kids and vest our trust in them.
Often its hard for over protective parents to know when their kids will be ready for the real world. As Crush (The 150 yr old Tortoise)  says "You will know when they know"

News/Gossip can spread like forest fire
How Marlin's story narration while travelling the EAC reaches Sydney harbor (until it comes to the ears of none other than Nigel the pelican) well before Marlin himself reaches the harbour.

The movie professes the fact of life that there are going to be some inevitable series of obstacles, it also conveys the message as to how to handle those. So next time you face a hurdle, remember Dory's constant iteration of her slogan... "Just Keep Swimming" "Just Keep Swimming" "Just Keep Swimming" .... :)...Thanks to Disney Pixar.