5 Stages of Grief
There are several twisted theories about what takes place in Finding Nemo. The one you’re probably familiar with is the prime motivation behind Marlin’s unrelenting search for his son is that, since clownfish can change genders, he really wants to turn Nemo into his wife in the future. Gross.
But there’s another thankfully less disgusting theory that explains Marlin’s psyche. In reality, Nemo was never real. He, Coral, and his 399 egg siblings were all eaten by the barracuda at the beginning of the film. What we’re witnessing as we watch Finding Nemo is Marlin going through the five stages of grief.