Comments on: ‘Finding Dory’ – An Unexpected Disability Moral

By: brandon

brandon — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 12:47:00 +0000

I’ve never really seen an animated movie be this forthcoming about disability before.

The only other instance was How to Train Your Dragon, with the now infamous reveal at the end of the first movie that Hiccup had lost his left leg.

But instead of retconning it or putting too much focus on it, the franchise had, admirably, made it a part of his character instead of his only defining trait.

By: Mary McKeon

Mary McKeon — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 19:55:00 +0000

In reply to SwanburneGirl. I'm autistic too, and your point is actually what I was trying to say. Seeing the blue puzzle pieces always makes me uncomfortable when I watch the movie because it reminds me of those organizations, even though I know that wasn't intentional. I tried to link an article about why the puzzle piece logo is problematic, but I guess it didn't work when I submitted.

By: Haley Gilbertson

Haley Gilbertson — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 22:02:00 +0000

I love that they did something like this effectively
I just saw it today and it was very eye opening and just so sweet to see loving parents just always there to help their child through a disability and her parents are just so sweet and voiced so well, really one of my favorite aspects from the movie
Definitely enjoyed reading this article on this topic 🙂
(Also Me Before You, AMAZING!!!)

By: SwanburneGirl

SwanburneGirl — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 16:41:00 +0000

THIS. I agree with what was said in this article 100%, and as someone with autism spectrum disorder, I really like that Finding Dory can be used to teach kids about disabilities. One thing I could really relate to was the montage at the beginning of Dory saying “sorry” to all the different fish she asked to help her- I feel like I’m constantly apologizing for my autism/ADHD/anxiety symptoms, and I think we need to realize that people don’t need to apologize for not being able-bodied/neurotypical. There’s so much more I could say about this, but I’ll just leave it at that. Thank you so much for this article.
(also, I didn’t notice the blue puzzle pieces in Inside Out! I think that’s cool if it’s a shout-out to the autistic community, but I don’t really like the puzzle piece symbol being used to represent autistic people as most of the time it represents Autism Speaks/the “need to find a cure”. Autism Speaks is horribly ableist- I don’t have time to type up a list of what they’ve done, but a quick Google search could tell you that they’re doing more harm than good for autistic people, and we don’t need to be “cured”- the world needs to learn to accept us as we are. Sorry about the little rant, I just needed to say that.)

By: Baymax

Baymax — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 00:56:00 +0000

I haven’t seen it yet, but as an outcast with major Asperger’s syndrome, and I was moved by this article and I know what this feels like.

Bless every person.

By: Octaviano Macias

Octaviano Macias — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 20:20:00 +0000

I absolutely loved the film for a lot of the reasons you bring up here, it isn’t cynical about disabilities, which in turn give it something to stand proud as a good addition to the original.

By: Ryan Prieto

Ryan Prieto — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 19:44:00 +0000

I loved the film. I felt the best part of it was Dory’s parents. They were loving, supportive, kind, and patient. But they also had their down moments, feeling the distress which is accompanied with not knowing what the future holds for your special needs child. I loved loved loved this aspect of the film. How nearly everyone left Dory thinking it not their place, or out of their means to be there for her. This movie really articulated some delicate points for having, living, and engaging with special needs people. It also communicated that you should not undercut what they are capable of.

By: Cecelia

Cecelia — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 16:37:00 +0000

Amen.