Fans have been up in arms over a new theory about Finding Nemo, with some even saying it makes them want to call a therapist.

Pixar is known for not being averse to openings which are an emotional gut punch for the audience.

Of course there’s the masterful opening montage of Up following Ellie and Carl’s life together as the pair find out they can’t have children before Ellie dies of cancer, leaving Carl a widower before the movie even gets going.

And Finding Nemo is no stranger to this either, with the opening seeing bubbly expectant parents Marlin and Coral’s life torn apart in a barracuda attack.

After the attack, Marlin wakes to find Coral and all but one of the eggs gone – naming the single survivor Nemo. What is with Pixar and widowers?!

Prepare to have your childhood ruined…(Disney/Pixar)

As movie openings go it’s a brilliant way to set up all the character development that the traumatised Marlin has to go through to repair his relationship with his son.

But now some viewers have made some interesting observations about the opening scene which might paint an altogether more sinister picture.

And it all hinges on one scientific fact about the barracuda.

Barracudas are ferocious predators which go after a wide range of fish, even including smaller and juvenile sharks.

It’s up there for one of the most distressing movie openings for sure. (Disney/Pixar)

Their streamlined bodies and large jaws filled with teeth are perfectly adapted to actively hunting down slippery fish.

However, one thing which is not on the typical barracuda’s menu is clownfish and clownfish eggs.

But there is one species which does eat clownfish eggs – clownfish.

This was confirmed by Fanatasea Aquariums, who said: “The male clownfish will tend to the eggs until they hatch. He will scope out any unviable or damaged; yes, he will eat those. Sometimes, all of the eggs will be eaten, especially during the parents’ first few attempts.”

So it could have been that Coral and Marlin simply chomped down on their own eggs, a theory which left fans reeling.

One wrote: “Great. Now I’ve gotta call my therapist,” while another posted: “My flabber is gasted!!!”

And a third commented: “Every day, this app finds a way to ruin my childhood.”

This is not the only theory about Finding Nemo either.

Is Nemo just a hallucination? (Disney/Pixar)

Another suggests that Marlin was the only survivor of the attack and that Nemo is a grief-induced hallucination.

So Marlin hanging out with Dory who suffers from short-term memory loss, not to mention the sharks attending group therapy for fish addiction, is actually him staying on a psychiatric ward.

The theory only seems more certain with the final nail – ‘nemo’ is the Latin word for ‘nobody’.