I dont think it needs to be a super obvious moral to be a fable. Zootopia is obviously a more clear fable but I saw the moral here pretty clearly. I disagree that a fable’s moral or message must be prominent and obvious. Some parables require pondering and that’s the case with this movie. I think there is tons the film is trying to say about nature and life and how fate sometimes makes sure we make certain choices

Isn’t the point of a fable to impart a moral?

I dont know if I agree with you

Deep.

It can’t be a fable if the moral isn’t direct and prominent enough for pretty much anyone to take it away.

I thought maybe the message was about answering the question: what is the meaning of life / what constitutes a fulfilling life? And the proposed answer was that it’s about connections: finding a partner, having children, passing on your knowledge, watching your child become their own person, letting go, dying. These are the illustrated “beats” of life, though you could substitute partner for friend and children for students, colleagues or other types of mentees.

But I felt like something was missing. Like maybe the guy had dreams for his life before getting shipwrecked on the island. Maybe he had things that he wanted to accomplish professionally. But maybe the point is that even if life gets in the way of all of your projects and efforts and you constantly get set back, you can still live a fulfilling life. Maybe the essential is not really that big goal we fight to achieve. I think I like your version better. Nature gives us what we need.