A dark Finding Nemo theory has left fans of the movie feeling unsettled. If you're ready to completely re-evaluate the Pixar classic, you can check it out below:
The movie centres on a clownfish called Marlin who gets separated from his son Nemo and sets off on a journey to try and find him with the help of a forgetful fish called Dory.
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The 2003 films has a legion of fans, but a new theory has given a slightly darker edge to the children's flick.
Posting on TikTok Angela Freitag, or @angelaafreitag, shared the theory which is 'ruining childhoods'.
She explained: "Nemo doesn't actually exist. Hear me out... so at the beginning of the movie, this barracuda kills all the entire family, right?
"When Marlin wakes up, he imagines that there is only one egg left. He names his only son Nemo; Nemo in Latin translates to 'no-one' or 'nobody'. It gets weirder.
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"So, Nemo doesn't actually exist, the entire movie is about Marlin going through the five stages of grief."
She then lists the five stages of grief, with examples of Marlin's behaviour throughout the film.
"[Denial] He doesn't want his son going to school because he doesn't think it's safe," she adds.
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"[Anger] He gets mad at Nemo when he does something that is out of his control.
"[Bargaining] He deals with a super-forgetful travel buddy to try and find his son.
"[Despair] Marlin then watches Nemo get flushed down the drain.
"[Acceptance] And then by the end of the movie Marlin learns to let go and let Nemo do what he wants."
Fans of the movie were left reeling after being made aware of the theory, with one person replying: "Girl stop, that's my childhood."
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Another said: "No - now I can't watch this the same."
While a third added an even darker twist, posting: "I heard that barracudas don't eat clownfish. So the mum ate the family."
However others, quite rightly, pointed out that throughout the film Nemo interacts with other characters, which he wouldn't be able to do if he didn't exist.
One asked: "Then how come the dentist and the other fish were talking to Nemo?"
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While a second wrote: "But Nemo had friends when he went to school and when he was at the doctor's office, so please explain - I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just asking."
Fair point... unless you really want to go down the rabbit hole and suggest all of those characters were merely figments of Marlin's imagination, too.
Featured Image Credit: Disney/PixarTopics: Disney, TV and Film, TikTok