IT’S BACK.
Finding Nemo has swam his back into the recent times!
It’s so childish how excited I am for this movie. I don’t know if you know, but I have three fish tanks. One is 90 gallons, another is 10, and another is ten. I don’t know if I’ve ever shown them on my blog, but I think it’s time:
The babies!
I have a ten gallon with a betta also, but that tank is really my show tank (it’s also understocked). My other ten gallon has baby Pictus catfish.
So.. Finding Dory.
Well, Disney has made it pretty clear they know Millennials have a weakness: And that weakness is nostalgia. Millennials love nostalgia. In fact, as a Millennial, I was reading about how much we love nostalgia last night before bed. I was searching for the reason why we love it as much as we do. There is no doubt Disney is riding that train and milking it for what they can – and my generation certainly isn’t protesting.
Onto Finding Dory, now, for real, though.
I really love what Finding Nemo does. As you can see, I have a fish tank. As you can see, my tank is well taken care of. But, in Finding Nemo, if you recall, the fish are placed into a small tank and want to escape. Well, the thing is, that can actually happen (minus the escaping). I have a betta fish, which is one of the most abused fish out there. Betta fish typically need water in the high 70s or low 80s,a filter, and at least 3-5 gallons to swim in. Fish, too, get bored. My betta resides in his own ten gallon tank, all to himself – he has two filters, rock substrate, gets frozen/freeze dried/pellet food, and tons of plants to explore and hide in. I also bought him his own toys and special floating hiding spots. I also saved him from death – a child was about to buy him and put him back on the shelf. I snabbed him the minute they put him back.
But I want to tell you what Finding Nemo does right about fish.
You’re gonna hate me now.
Fish only get loony as they do in Finding Nemo for one reason – the tank is too small. Yes, I am saying fish can get loony. If you screw something up, make the tank too small, add too many fish, or add fish that aren’t the appropriate size for the tank (say, you know, goldfish in a bowl.. or ten gallon tank), fish will be batshit crazy. Fish will not be happy. Fish will be aggressive, lethargic, and just generally unhappy. I know because I have kept fish since I was 4. I have had 20 gallons, 10 gallons, 40 gallons, and 90 gallons (and I hope to get a 125 gallon next). I have raised fish and given them away, I have kept individual fish for years (5 years on one Tetra, now deceased; I am now raising a 6 inch, 3 year old catfish, who I have had for all 3 years), and I know if they aren’t happy. I can tell if an altercation is about to begin, I can tell if one fish doesn’t like another, and I can tell if something is bothering them and what that is.
Point being, fish are really fucking complicated, and a bowl is not an adequate living space for a goldfish, betta, or rock, even. And that’s what I liked about Finding Nemo. Finding Nemo put them in a small tank and they weren’t happy. But the problem is, the public took something entirely different away from it. Like most movies that feature certain dog breeds, such as German Shepherds, the same happened with Finding Nemo. When a certain movie about a dog is popular, the first thing people do after seeing the movie is go and adopt a dog of that breed – which is asinine. That happened to Finding Nemo, too. People went out and bought Hippo Tangs (Dory), Clownfish (Nemo), Moorish idols (Gill), and Yellow Tangs (Bubbles) without actually knowing a thing about fish or what they require because of Finding Nemo. There is a reason they want to escape the tank. Fish are living, breathing beings. They have requirements just like any dog, cat, bird, horse, or lizard. I liked that the movie highlighted the mistreatment of fish and how they are often crammed into small spaces inappropriate for them to live in – the problem is, it only made the problem worse. That’s why I’m including this paragraph. When you see Finding Nemo, or Finding Dory, or any movie about any animal, do not go and buy one because the Pixar or Disney version is cute.
SPOILERS.
MINOR SPOILER BELOW.
And it seems to hit on this in Finding Dory, according to this still:
Fish need stimulation (Dory’s tank is empty). Fish need others of their kind (she’s alone). Fish need an appropriate sized tank (unknown tank size). Fish need you to take care of them properly. But for fuck’s sake, please don’t get an octopus.
The trailer, though, starts out with Dory sleeping while apparently dreaming about her origins. Soon, she swims off. The next few clips is Dory trying to find her family, and soon, she starts remembering things, which is character development for Dory. Ultimately, the trailer is about how the story begins. I know, apparently, there will be new characters. Particularly Hank the Octopus, Bailey the Beluga, and Destiny the whale shark (source below). There isn’t a whole lot to say about Finding Dory, other than the lovable Hippo Tang seems to be back in action. The trailer doesn’t reveal much, which is a good thing. I can only hope they manage to make the same sort of statements about fish, the ocean, and how we treat them. The animations look solid, and the soundtrack seems quite exciting.
Overall, whether you have a fish tank or not, you’ll be excited for Dory’s next adventures.
Fictional Planet 