By analyzing certain Disney movies we can see the relationship between the movies and the protection of marine wildlife. Disney is a well known franchise around the world. Their movies bring a special feeling to the hearts of people. Disney makes people feel young again, but their movies have a hidden message about the protection of marine wildlife. Marine wildlife continues to face several obstacles. Marine wildlife continuously face major threat such as overfishing, oil spills, pollution, ocean temperature rising due to climate change, and several other obstacles.  By analyzing certain disney movies, we can see hidden messages that encourages us to help protect marine wildlife.

By analyzing certain Disney movies, we can see and demonstrate the image we perceive of the ocean and the impact humans can have. The ocean is home to several species of plants, animals, and also tiny bacteria. The ocean plays an important role in the way world and humans function. Several things that we, as humans, need to live rely on the ocean's power and currents. Is the ocean our protector or do we protect the ocean? There are several hidden messages in Disney Pixar movies about the protection of marine wildlife. Disney has a very large audience, and they use their large audience to pass along messages about marine wildlife protection. Disney guides its young viewers to make the right decisions in life. By leading their viewers to making the right decision, it can also lead to an impact  on the world. 

 Movies like Finding Dory, have an underlying message to protect the lives of marine wildlife. Finding Dory is a well known Disney Pixar movie, that was released in 2016.  Dory was separated from her school.  The underlying theme of the movie is to make people aware of the negative impact that humans can have on marine life.  Most species stay with their group until they die, but because of human intervention, either directly or indirectly, can have unwanted consequences on the ecosystem. Through the separation, Dory does not get to procreate and further her species. When Dory is reunited with her parents, the encompassing area around the aquarium shows the litter in the water. This litter shows the direct effect humans have on the marine ecosystem of several fish and plants.This movie illustrates the image some people perceive the ocean to be. 

Movies such as, Finding Dory and Finding Nemo, also demonstrate the image we perceive of the ocean. After Finding Dory and Finding Nemo were released, marine biologist saw a decrease in the population of Blue Tang fish and Clown Fish. Several of these fish were taken from the ocean, and kept in fish tanks. Unfortunately, several people did not know how to care for these type of fish, so they ended up dying and were unable to reproduce. As stated by Adam Holmes, writer for Cinema Blend, more than 300,000 Blue Tang were traded globally after the release of Finding Dory (Holmes, 2016). In Finding Dory, Dory ends up in the California Marine Life Institute. The California Marine Institute serves as a beacon of health, and rehabilitation. Disney wanted their viewers to see this Marine Life Institute as a place of healing, and a place that supported marine wildlife, as well as making sure that these creatures are returned to their home, not held in captivity. The image we should take from this movie is that the ocean is like a parent, and it protects the creatures and plant life that reside there. The rehabilitation center acts like a doctor, and the doctor helps cure these fish so they can be returned to the ocean. What Disney wants their viewers to understand is marine wildlife should be appreciated from afar, not from their home. Blue Tang cannot be kept in captivity often, due to the fact that they do not thrive in captivity. Being held in captivity prevents an animal from reproducing as often as they would in the wild, and their sense of moral and their health often starts to decline. Ellen Degeneres said “  I think that fish should be in the ocean. It’s what this whole sequel is about: It’s about rehabilitation and putting them back in the ocean. And we have to protect our oceans. Hopefully that discussion starts with this film, because we really need to protect that environment.” (Degeneres, 2016). Fish belong in ocean, with their pods, along with the resources they know. The message that Finding Dory is trying to convey is that fish belong in the ocean, not in fi. No child wants to be separated from their mother, so why should we separate fish from their “mother”? Finding Dory sends a message about how we, as humans, can connect with the ocean, by protecting it and protecting the animals and plants that live within the ocean. Finding Dory is a movie about love, family, and protection.  There are several other Disney movies that relate to the protection of marine wildlife. 

By understanding the hidden messages in Disney movies,  several people can stop in the increase of fish for commercial gain and as well as for profit.  Finding Nemo is a movie that is very similar to Finding Dory, yet they are also very different in the messages they give. Finding Nemo is a story about a clown fish that gets taken from his father because a man wants to add to his fish tank. When Nemo gets taken out of the ocean and placed into a fish tank, there is a message to be decoded in that scene. Every time a diver takes a fish out of the ocean for commercial gain or profit, that entire species of fish is at risk. Like Dory, Nemo is separated from his father, which can also be known as his school. Separation from one’s school can lead to an increase in predation as well as a decrease in reproduction of offspring. What Disney wants most people to understand in this scene is that fish belong inside the ocean, they do not belong in captivity Clownfish and blue tang do not thrive well inside captivity. Finding Nemo encompasses the belief that fish should remain in the ocean. Several scenes in Finding Nemo, promote that fish should stay inside the ocean. In the scene where Nemo meets these new fish inside the tank, you meet a fish called Gill. Gill is an angel fish, but he also has several scars on his body due to trying to escape the fish tank. Gill can be perceived as the struggle fish encounter every time they are taken from the ocean for commerical gain. He represents the threaten fish that are taken from the ocean and the fish that cannot reproduce with their school. Disney did not create these movies to increase the buying and selling of exotic fish.  Allegedly, an increase in marine life trade is due to movies like Finding Dory and Finding Nemo. 

Disney strives to make their viewers more aware of their surroundings and more aware of others environments. The Little Mermaid is also another movie that Disney uses to help spread the word about the protection of marine wildlife. This movie is about a girl named Ariel, she is the daughter of King Triton. She gets tired of being limited by her father’s rules, and she wants something different. She meets a mortal man named Prince Eric. She gives up her voice to be with Prince Eric, and they end up getting married and have a classic Disney ending. The Little Mermaid encompases the harmony reprsented between the two worlds. King Triton in The Little Mermaid represent humans, and Ariel represents the fish. We as humans are limiting to the expansion of marine wildlife. Humans are one of the main contributing factors to the decrease in certain marine wildlife. By having a negative effect on the ocean, we are limiting our own resources. Ariel can also represent the solutions to all the negative effects that humans impose on the ocean. Ariel was willing to give up everything to be with the one she loved, but at first her father was cruel and did not see through Ariel’s eyes. The fish rely on the ocean for food, shelter, and for their life. If we limit the ocean by polluting the seas with oil, trash, and toxins, then we are limiting ourselves as well. Humans are not at war with the ocean, but in order to continue to get the resources we need and want then we must treat the ocean with love and respect, if we are going to continue to rely it. The message behind The Little Mermaid is that we must understand the ocean and understand that it protects the things we need, as well protecting humans. When you are in Ariel's grotto, you see a lot of debris, this is another message that Disney is trying to portray to its viewers. A way that people can understand this scene in The Little Mermaid is that Ariel is trying to keep all of this debris out of the ocean. Littering has a negative effect on marine wildlife and their ecosystems.Thousands of animals each year get tangled in plastic nets, bags, and soda rings (National Geographic, 2017). Many animals think that debris is food, and they eat the debris and it kills them because they cannot handle the foreign object and they choke.  Debris in oceans can cause several animals to die or become seriously injured. Ariel’s character is perceived as the protector of the ocean. She is always providing for them, making sure they are safe, and making sure resources are available. Disney wants its young viewers to understand their role in the protection of marine wildlife. By adding these large messages, into a child's fairy tale, it makes the child more proactive in the protection of marine wildlife and wildlife in general. 

Knowing and understanding how this ecosystem works and changes we can help protect the ocean it's beautiful creatures. Humans need the ocean, just like the ocean needs us. Whether we know it or not, we also help the ocean. We help keep certain marine populations down. We help prevent them from reaching their carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is reached when the size of the population has reached it maximum size (Ricklefs & Relyea, 288) . When reaching carrying capacity, a population runs out of resources to sustain themselves. As humans we can reduce the size of populations,  and we can try and prevent them from reaching their carrying capacity. Disney movies help us understand the ocean, and what it is meant to be perceived as. Disney related the problems of the ocean, and creates a hidden solution inside their movies. Such as in The Little Mermaid, Finding Dory, and Finding Nemo. By understanding what the ocean needs, we can understand how to take care of the ocean and the creatures that reside there. Finding Dory’s message was the rehabilitation of marine wildlife. These creatures belong in the sea. They should only be taken out of their habitat for rehabilitation or for resource needs. We are humans, we need to eat as well. There is a difference between only killing for resources and then there is over killing. Disney and marine biologist are not saying do not kill marine life, they are saying take only what you need. The ocean needs fish in order to function normally. There are certain fish that help keep the ocean clean. In several parts of the world, such as Indonesia, coral reefs have become endangered due to overfishing (The World Bank, 2017). The World Bank has protected over 358 coral reef villages. This company still wants to raise the rate of successful coral reef villages by 2019 (The World Bank, 2017). Disney encourages people to take action to protect marine wildlife. People often think of Disney as fairy tale stories that always have happy endings,  but in actuality if you analyze these movies you can see several hints about the protection of wildlife. Stories such as Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and The Little Mermaid promote the protection of marine wildlife, all while telling a fun and humorous story.   As humans we need to aware of our surroundings, as well as the environments around us. 

The ocean is a strong reminder of the successes that humans have reached. Oceans are a prime resource for humans. The ocean is a major agricultural resources. It has been proven that clean and healthy oceans produce more jobs and food (The World Bank, 2017).  In several Disney movies you can see the use of the ocean for agricultural use. In The Little Mermaid, you can see that prince Eric sails the seas to bring home fish for food and trade. In Finding Dory, you can that there are several boats, and ports that promote fish trade. Also, in Finding Nemo, Marlin and Dory land on a port that is used for trade. In 2012, fisheries produced approximately 160 million tons of fish which produced over $129 billion dollars in exportation (The World Bank, 2017). This allowed several people to get the nutrients they needed. Disney promotes the ocean as being pure, strong, and beautiful.You can see these examples in Finding Dory, Finding Nemo, and The Little Mermaid. An example in Finding Dory would be, when Dory experiences the great migration of stingray. Migration is important for human resources because migration allows fishermen to gather different types of species. This allows trading to increase because it allows fishermen to gather a variety of fish, which increases profit of exportation. The increase in exportation and trade causes an increase in agricultural revenue which in return increases success in economic growth. The ocean is a resource and should be used as such, but people should also have respect for the ocean. 

Several things help protect certain animals from being threatened by humans are the depth at which these animals reside, the temperature of the ocean in certain areas, and the ever changing movement of the ocean. Disney movies help us understand the importance of the ever changing ocean. There are several messages that help children and adults become proactive in protecting marine wildlife. Becoming proactive in saving the ocean, is a step in protecting our planet. Encouraging generation to become proactive in saving marine wildlife, can also help save our planet. The ocean acts a barrier between the fish and the outside world. Humans cannot travel very far into the ocean, and certain temperatures prevent humans from entering into the ocean. The ocean is an ever changing protector. 

 Disney will always help people understand the true meaning behind their stories, you just have to take a closer look. By using Disney movies to persuade people to understand the effects that humans have on the ocean, it can show people that we need to change our ways or the ocean and those that reside in the ocean will continue to suffer until there is nothing left. Without the ocean, humans cannot survive. Disney movies use relatable information to help us understand the dangers that the ocean and marine wildlife face. Disney’s franchise continues to expand, and their messages continue to get larger.
