Marlin

The boys and I watched "Finding Nemo" yesterday. It had been a few years since I had seen it (and then I don't think I was paying too much attention), but this time I sat with the boys on the couch and watched it - and it was really good.

The home situation was a lot different a few years ago and if I had really watched it then, I don't think I would have gotten the same message out of it. You see, it didn't register with me when I first saw the movie that Marlin, Nemo's dad, was a single father. Yes, after the unfortunate death of Coral and all of her eggs but one by the barracuda, Marlin was left to care for Nemo as a single parent.

As the movie shifts ahead in time, Marlin is overprotective of Nemo - partially because Nemo has one bad fin, but I think mostly because Nemo is the only offspring of his to survive and Marlin wants to make sure nothing bad happens to him. As Nemo gets older, he starts trying to do things his father is asking him not to - testing both what he is able to do as well as to see how his father will react.

Later in the film, when Marlin and Dory are looking for Nemo, Dory has a great quote when she tells Marlin that he should let Nemo experience things on his own, otherwise Nemo would never experience anything. Its a great animated film, one of the best I've ever seen, and I'm sure we will be watching it again.