I abhor Disney and their "it's all about the money" business strategies, but they
have managed to buy some good movies off of other more creative filmmakers. Finding Nemo was a cute movie -- as was 101 Dalmations, and you can imagine the bain that movie has been to Dal breeders and animal shelters. Dalmations get very large, and are not the easiest dogs to own.
That said, I think everyone has made good points. It's understandable for a little kid to say -- "I want a Nemo of my own!" It's a really good time for adults to give jr a little lesson in self-control.
"Well, honey, it would be really fun to have an aquarium like that dentist had, but maybe we should find out more about it first and see if we really have the time to take care of a fish like Nemo. And don't forget, Nemo didn't really want to stay in the aquarium, did he? Wild fish like Nemo are probably better off if we
don't help to create a demand for them, because then what happened to him will happen to lots of other fish, too."
If the kid then starts bawling and being utterly ridiculous, the word "no" is probably not familiar to them and the
parents probably need to learn a little discipline.
As much as I would like to lay all the dead fish in the world at Disney's feet, I can't hang this on them. All in all, I'd say the message in this movie was "don't take wild fish out of the ocean" and not "run to your nearest pet store and pick yourself up a Nemo." Blame parents and fish stores, I guess. You didn't see people running out and buying their kids lion cubs after seeing Lion King, or bear cubs after seeing Brother Bear (ok, ok, but you get the idea -- try flushing a dead lion or bear down the loo).
People just do the dumbest things, period, and if there is money to be made from it, someone will be there to help them do it.