does nemo actually exist?

Have you ever wondered if nemo was actually real ?This blog is going to be about the theories of finding Nemo.  After you read this blog, you will never see the child’s movie finding Nemo in the same light.  I will first tell you a little bit about the movie. The film was published in 2003, and it is an animated  Disney Pixar film. The main characters are a talking clown fish named Nemo and his dad Marlin. Nemo was captured by scuba divers because of his disobedience and his father Marlin is on a mission to recover his son. This all takes place in the ocean and proceeds to move on to land. Now that I gave you some insight and background information on the movie, we are going to move on to the theory behind it.

The theory is that Nemo does not actually exist because in actuality the barracuda attacked and ate Marlins family.  There were no surviving eggs, and he is desperate for some good news so, in his mind he creates “Nemo”-.  Another theory is Marlin is so overprotective with his son Nemo because Marlin has trauma from a situation in his past that was not fully disclosed but left to the imagination. He fears that his son will encounter the same destiny . Nemo develops anxiety because of his dad’s overprotectiveness.  Another possible theory is that Marlin killed his wife and ate all of his eggs before coming to a realization that the eggs were his. Upon realizing the eggs where his he then proceeds having a mental breakdown. Clown fish in real life will actually kill their own offsprings and mate. This theory sounds more realistic and had a higher chance of actually happening. It is no secret that many of the Disney movies are based on fiction but they are masters at putting a twisted plot behind Little Nemo.

Now I would like to give you my thoughts on all these crazy theories. I would never think in a million years a Disney movie would have this many dark theories. I always thought every Disney movie that came out had a happy story to tell but according to these theories it was dark to begin with. The theory I am surprised with the most is where it talks about how Nemo was not even real and Marlin was just imagining him.  As I reminisced,the first time that I watched the movie, not once did any of those scenarios come to mind. I actually thought the movie was about a fish that got separated from his family and tries tirelessly to find his family and home. I never imagined that it had to do with post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. I was also surprised by the theory that Marlin had eaten his family and his mate.

In conclusion, the critics thought that Marlin suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder known as PTSD; he was so overcome by his family being slaughtered that in order to deal with the situation, he made up Nemo. It is also noted that Nemo inherited some of his father’s anxiety due to constant worry. The theories in reality bring awareness of the consequences of untreated mental illness.

Giovanni Martinez

Chicago Hope Academy – DMSF Class of 2026

Photo: By mekanphotography on Adobe Stock