Lilo and Stich Family

¶ … Extended Family in Finding Nemo and Lilo & Stitch In the American society, the concept of the family can be interpreted in various ways, due to the flexibility in which the term is used by Americans. More often, family does not only mean the nuclear family composed of the father, mother, and child/children, but it also includes relatives and friends who are close to the individual. Indeed, through the years, society has evolved to make its family institution bigger, more flexible, and wider, yet deeper, in scope.

The concept of the "family" is an important theme discussed in the animated films, Finding Nemo by Pixar and Lilo & Stitch by Walt Disney. These films centered its theme on how a family is constructed and what are the dynamics (or relationships) that develop from within upon its creation.

This paper discusses and analyzes how these two films depict the concept of "ohana," a popular term used in Lilo & Stitch to describe the concept of an extended family, where bloodlines are not the only consideration for considering one as a member of the family, but also established relationships within and outside the nuclear family circle. The concept of "ohana," as popularly included in Lilo & Stitch, speaks of the relationship Lilo had established with Stitch.

In this film, family is defined as more than connections through bloodlines, but the characters, especially Lilo, consider other people, even animals/extra-terrestrial creatures like Stitch, as part of her family. This illustrates how family is defined on a qualitative aspect, where there is a crossing of boundaries between what is blood and non-blood lineage.

Of course, one of the important processes included in the creation of the extended family in Lilo & Stitch is how Stitch, as the new member of the family, should prove itself worthy of being called a family member. This includes Stitch's transition from being a deadly genetically-produced extra-terrestrial creature to being a simple, ugly dog that Lilo loves to be with. However, this conflict is resolved with the eventual inclusion of Stitch in Lilo's family (composed of her and her sister, Nani).

Finding Nemo adopts a similar family structure as Lilo & Stitch's. Like Lilo and Nina, Finding Nemo's family is composed of the father and son clownfish, Marlin and Nemo, respectively. Initially a nuclear family, Nemo's capture by a diver in the film served as the catalyst for him to develop other social relationships, thereby developing in the process a new kind of family -- that is, an extended family composed of his 'aquarium' friends: Gill, Bloat, Peach, Gurgle, Bubbles, Deb/Flo, and Jacques.

Similarly, Marlin, during his search for Nemo in the vast ocean, had developed a new family in the company of the fish with a short-term memory, Dory. Finding Nemo redefines the concept of the family in new ways, since it does not consider time and length of relationship as basis for one's inclusion in the family (be it extended or.