Highlights
- Marlin's unresolved grief over the loss of his wife, Coral, has hindered his character growth and created an opportunity for a third Finding Nemo sequel.
- A potential sequel could explore Marlin's journey to rediscover himself as an independent individual and confront his fear of losing loved ones.
- Revisiting Coral's story through flashbacks or visions could help Marlin move on and provide fans with more insight into their life before Finding Nemo.
Finding Nemo received a much deserved sequel, Finding Dory, after many years of public pleas by Dory’s voice-actor, Ellen DeGeneres. It’s a fitting sequel for the fish that was separated from her parents. The franchise has done well to illustrate being physically and mentally lost. But there’s another character who’s experienced being lost in a different way. With Nemo and Dory’s lost stories told, it’s time for Marlin to lead the next sequel and complete the trilogy. He still has a good deal of growth to undergo and his past trauma with grief has yet to be resolved. Focusing on another one of Pixar's most iconic characters, a Marlin sequel could both wrap up his story, as well as Dory’s and Nemo’s in their search for independence.
Marlin’s life has been largely preoccupied with taking care of or in search of others. Now, it’s time for Marlin to take care of Marlin. There are many aspects of Marlin’s life and personality that facilitate room for growth. But the biggest and most unknown area is his love of and life with Coral. Her vague and brief presence in the franchise has left an impactful echo that reverberates as who Marlin hopes to find and has become. In some instances, that may be for the better but, in others not so much. But Marlin has never resolved this inner conflict onscreen which may give Pixar a starting point for a third entry into the Finding Nemo franchise.
Finding Nemo Gets A Lot Darker With These Theories
Rewatching the classic family film after this will make the film look a little darker. Does Nemo exist, or is this a story about a grieving father?
Why The Next Finding Nemo Sequel Should Focus On Marlin
Marlin suffered the tragedy of losing his wife, Coral, in the opening of Finding Nemo. After becoming an overprotective single parent, he’s still an overprotective single parent. The trauma of loss has left him unwilling to change, though he has shown some improvement. A new Pixar movie could hone in on this emotional conflict and trait in a way that forces him to change for the better. Otherwise, these unresolved traumatic experiences further make his character appear stagnant compared to Nemo and Dory.
Utilizing a time skip, the hypothetical Finding Nemo sequel could put Marlin in the position of having to let go of an adult Nemo leaving the nest, as well as letting go of a more independent Dory, leaving Marlin all alone. An empty-nester story for Marlin is not uncommon for clown fish despite living most of their lives communally. An interesting fact, and possibly a huge deal for Disney, is that when the dominant female clownfish disappears from its poly community, it is one of the male members that undergo a sex change and becomes the new female leader. While this could be a queer win for diversity onscreen, it is still unlikely to appear as openly in a children’s film by Disney who has been traditionally conservative in this area, but is making progress to be more diverse.
Nonetheless, a “Finding Marlin” story that forces Marlin to confront his fear of losing loved ones and his past grief over Coral would be a great way to illustrate the experience of a spiritual loss, which is a more universal theme than it seems. Losing his identity as a child-rearing father and a part of Dory's support system could send Marlin on a journey to rediscover himself as an independent individual. It could lead to the classic cinematic B story of Marlin finding an unlikely romance. This isn't a story too far off from animated Pixar short film Dug Days. It features Carl from Up refusing, then contemplating, then preparing to go on a date after years since his wife passed. This could be a fitting story for Marlin as well. Dory and Nemo could even play Cupid in such a story.
How Marlin's Story Can Bring Back A Little Known Character
Not much is known about Marlin’s wife, Coral, whose story deserves to be revisited. But the impact of her life and death on him have not only hindered his character growth but also creates the opportunity to finally confront the gaping hole her death left in his heart. Coral’s protective instinct which led to her death was the impetus of Marlin’s overprotective behavior. Elizabeth Perkins could reprise her role as Coral through flashbacks or visions could help Marlin move on. But it could also give fans the opportunity to learn more about Marlin and Coral’s life before Finding Nemo. Granted, Marlin was always a “sea half empty” kind of fish; and maybe that’s what needs to change.
Coming full circle to complete the trilogy of Finding Nemo would need to address this key hole in Marlin’s story. Reeling in all Marlin’s sea-friends over the life of the franchise to help him through this journey would illustrate that his hypothetical life as an empty-nester need not be a lonely one. Of course, a “Finding Marlin” sequel can go in any direction. But failing to give Marlin a chance to grow and change in the same ways as Dory and Nemo, is either a gross oversight by Disney and Pixar, or they’re simply waiting another thirteen years to premiere the next Finding Nemo sequel.