Disney’s upcoming animated blockbuster might cause the endangerment of a species
Although the majority of children’s movies have excellent storylines that are effectively represented and influence people’s perspectives in positive ways, sometimes these blockbusters can have unintended negative effects. Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo, for example, created an increased demand for clownfish around the world when it was released in 2003.
Most people loved the movie about a small clownfish who had been separated from his father and then trapped in a dentist’s aquarium. At the end of the film, we saw the return of Nemo back to his home in the ocean thanks to his father’s struggle. Unfortunately, this was one movie where the moral of the story was quickly forgotten and resulted in a 40 per cent increase of clownfish sales. To fulfill this demand, some clownfish were bred in captivity while others were taken from their homes in the ocean—just like Nemo. The trend of overfishing, combined with changes in the ocean’s ecosystem due to acidification and rising temperatures, led to the Center for Biological Diversity to petition the National Marine Fisheries Service to put clownfish on the Endangered Species List, according to a 2012 Los Angeles Times article.
Scientists are afraid that history will repeat itself with the blue tang after the release of Finding Dory this June. There is even greater concern associated with this because, unlike the clownfish, the blue tang cannot be bred in captivity due to the difficulties associated with replicating their reproductive method. Currently, the blue tang is not endangered like the clownfish but it still needs to be protected before people start removing it from the ocean.
According to a report by Karen Burke da Silva, associate professor in biodiversity and conservation at Flinders University in South Australia, more than 400,000 clownfish and 300,000 blue tang are shipped into the United States per year already. This points to an uncertain future for the blue tang.
To protect these fish populations, da Silva founded Saving Nemo and its Million Kisses campaign. The goal of the campaign is to have one million users submit photographs of themselves making a fish kissing face. The aim behind this is to involve Ellen DeGeneres, who provides the voice of Dory in the animated films. The campaign promoters have also applied for a Disney conservation grant.
An online petition also hopes to reach 120,000 supporters before the theatrical release on June 17 to encourage Disney to issue a warning statement about the potential endangerment of the blue tang at the beginning of the film.
If we do not take preventive measures to save Dory, then it is possible that the future of her species will exist only as an animated character.