Yesterday I sat in front of Finding Dory. It is hands
down the cutest and smartest movie I
have seen in a while. It is clever,
heart warming (and heart breaking sometimes), funny and beautiful.
It gives acritical look on human behaviour without pointing any accusing
finger like a lot of environmentalist kids films and series (Fern Gully, "Captain Planet",
Lorax etc..). In Finding Dory, aquariums
are shown in different ways. Its portrayal is very realistic- it presents an
environment full of good intention ready to take care of sick fish and
rehabilitate them while also underlining the harm and stress it can cause to
fish and mammals. The “poke cove” scene
is very relevant of that – by letting young kids touch starfishes, sea
cucumbers and sea urchins, stressing them out and terrifying them (most park have a "kid discovery" section like this) it contradicts the purpose of those place; to save and cure said animal. 
Destiny’s case is also
very telling- she is a near sighted shark whale; the dichotomy is very strong here as it seems logical that
a sick animal would be taken care of in this kind of centre- the character says
it herself, she is unfit for this world, can’t see a thing and bump into every
walls. Billy the beluga’s reply challenges this assumption: “there is no wall in the ocean!”. And
indeed it raises the question of wild life conservation: Better a sick animal
in captivity so it can survive according to our assumptions ? Or better a sick
animal in his own habitat, where he could die but also could live properly its
life?
This movie teaches a
lot to kids. The beauty of this graphics helps a lot understand as well: We are
confronted to a lot of beautiful but sporadic places within the oceanic
reserve, divided into several area, with shops and human life in between. On
the other hand the part in the ocean shows a homogenous place full of colour,
differences in fish. Much like Finding Nemo back then, it shows the wonders of
the oceanic world, its colours its vegetation it diversity. In Finding Dory
there is a clear difference between the natural habitat and the artificial one.
It is wrapped up in a
sweet story about roots and family that speaks to every children as, especially
in the case of small children, parents are their whole world. As a result they
can relate and get into the movie deeper.
To me this movie has an
excellent environmentalist message for kids. It is not too judgemental, not too brutal and not too patronizing- It is a good complement to raise environmental awareness.
