*POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD*
I waited thirteen long, hard years for the sequel to Finding Nemo. In these thirteen long, hard years I was growing up and going through all of the messes growing up entails. Yes, it would've been nice to have Marlin, Nemo, Dory and the gang around a little sooner to bring some light into my life, but I've at least made it this far so that's a start. However, I do think it's convenient that Finding Dory is with us now, especially at a time when a lot of the franchise's original fans are college-aged and perhaps running into unprecedented amounts of stress. Additionally, Finding Dory comes to us in a wake of awareness about mental health.
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I generally think that the film does a great job portraying the strengths of people, or marine animals in this case, living with mental illnesses or challenges regarding mental health. First of all, there's Dory. She suffers from short term memory loss, and her parents both promote her self-sufficiency and encourage her not to be afraid to reach out for help when she needs it. Also, Marlin's changing attitude towards Dory while she's trying to find her parents reveals the way we might isolate people suffering with mental illness. He initially accuses her of being a burden, but comes around to realize how he hurt her and apologizes, telling her that her short term memory loss is just another part of what makes her special and makes her Dory.
Also, some of the new characters shine a further spotlight on mental health issues. Hank the octopus suggests symptoms of major depression: his desire for self-isolation and removal from the larger world around him in his efforts to go to the aquarium in Cleveland. Despite his depression, Dory doesn't leave him behind, values him for his strengths and doesn't hold his feelings against him.
Going beyond the scope of mental illness, Finding Dory emphasizes a general theme of finding self-confidence and self-love despite one's perceived weaknesses and insecurities. Destiny the whale shark has poor vision and convinces herself that she won't make it in the ocean, but in the end she takes a huge chance and ends up proving herself to be more than capable. Bailey the beluga is plagued by self-doubt in his ability to use his echolocation, but eventually with some help from Destiny gives it a try and is super proud of himself when he pulls it off for the first time.
Furthermore, let's not leave out the fact that this is a movie targeted towards children with an especially great message for young girls. First of all, Dory is a powerful woman-fish who is successful despite being told that she can't achieve her goals. Second of all, her sole purpose isn't to find love or become the object of a man-fish's affection. Thank you, Pixar, for telling us a story about a woman who just wants to travel the ocean to find her family and make some great friends instead of just falling in love.
My only problem with Finding Dory is the use of Gerald the sea lion and Becky the loon as objects of comic relief for their "quirks," or what I perceived to be more noticeable forms of mental illness. They seemed to be ostracized, bullied and looked down upon by their peers. This can be seen in two different ways, and I'm not sure which to buy into. First, it's an accurate portrayal of abelism. Gerald and Becky are mocked and rejected for not passing as neurotypical. It's a statement about reality. However, the second view is that it's perhaps prioritizing less "visible" mental illnesses over others and being negligent about the message that the treatment of these characters might be sending. I'd love to believe it's just an exposé on the horrors of reality, but will the children pick up on this? I'm not so sure.
Despite the latter statements, I did love this movie. It's a story about unconditional family, love, fate, friendship, determination and mental health. Whether this last one is seen by others I suppose is up for debate, but it certainly spoke to me. Plus, if baby Dory wasn't the most precious thing you've ever seen in your life then I think you need to re-think a few things.
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