Finding Dory

A question that was being asked around the internet was: Will the summer of Hollywood’s sequel and prequel box-office dissatisfaction do well with the release of “Finding Dory,” Pixar and Disney’s follow-up surprise (released back in June) in the same animated ocean of underwater fishes that made 2003’s masterpiece that was “Finding Nemo?”

Thankfully, I can assure everyone that the sequel has so many emotional moments, some great lines and is not a bad one, even though it follows the same plot threads as before except to the Pacific Coast of California instead of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Susan Wloszczyna said it best in her review, “If “Finding Nemo” felt like a blissful day at the beach, then “Finding Dory” is an eventful afternoon at an aquatic park—or, in this case, the Marine Life Institute that, as the omniscient recorded voice of Sigourney Weaver re-assures any PC-oriented visitors to the facility, is dedicated not to human amusement but to “Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release.”” The film might be less satisfying this time, but “Finding Dory” is definitely worth the time.

Wloszczyna stated:

Wisely, the film takes full advantage of what was “Finding Nemo’s” greatest asset besides its lushly multi-hued underwater inhabitants and plant life: Ellen DeGeneres’ buoyant spirit and child-like glee as she vocally gave life to Dory, the forgetful yet fearless blue tang whose struggles with short-term memory loss proved to be a crucial plus whenever the going got tough as stressed-out daddy clownfish Marlin searched for headstrong young son Nemo. After all, nothing is more freeing than barely being able to summon your past, which is why the impulsive Dory is so good at acting in the moment.

It can be a risky choice to make a comic-relief side character into a protagonist. However, similarly to how the late Robin Williams, who so memorably improvised up quite a lot as the Genie in “Aladdin,” Ellen DeGeneres and her sometimes silly, sometimes lightheaded character continues to be a perfect fit for the role that gave the inspirational salt-water heart of “Finding Nemo” and basically does the same here as Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) swim next to her on a new journey a year after the first movie.

The story is not as new as you expect as the original, even if the script is again by Andrew Stanton (along with co-writer Victoria Stouse), who once more directs with the help from Angus MacLane. Wloszczyna said, “Ultimately, there is too much reliance on logic-defying Saturday-morning TV cartoon action as the main characters swim about by scooting through pipes and flopping from one liquid vessel to another at the institute.” It was sort of believable when the captive fish led by Willem Dafoe’s melancholic Gil planned a great escape from the tank at the dentist’s office in “Finding Nemo.” However, the sequel goes beyond sincerity when new character octopus Hank (an impatient twist of tentacles with chameleonic powers voiced by Ed O’Neill, who you might remember as Al Bundy from “Married…with Children” and currently as Jay Pritchett on “Modern Family”) is somehow able to drive a runaway truck on a congested highway when he can’t reach the accelerator/brake or see over the dashboard.

Wloszczyna pointed out, “What your brain might not accept, however, your heart just might.” “Finding Nemo” was driven by its sensitive portrayal of a single parent’s irresistible need to protect their child, especially one with an undersized fin, instead of letting him figure things out for himself and get a feel of independence. Here, Stanton creates some sort of original character when we first meet Dory as an innocent, big-eyed, little fish (Sloane Murray) whose worried parents Charlie (Eugene Levy) and Jenny (Diane Keaton) explain how she must always tell whoever she meets, “I have short-term memory loss.” Or, as she says it in a child’s way, “short-term remember-y loss.” Wloszczyna mentioned, “Instead of her daffy-go-lucky grown-up self, Dory is a helpless tyke whose recall vaporizes almost instantly because of her learning disability and she inevitably wanders off into the undertow, leaving her despairing mom and dad behind to devastating effect.”

The movie completely starts when the adult Dory suddenly has a flashback to her childhood and, with that brief moment, remembers her parents (she briefly talks about it in “Finding Nemo” when she tells Marlin that short-term memory loss runs in her family). Now she is off, with the uptight Marlin and supportive Nemo following behind her, to find her parents. Wloszczyna said, “She might be looking for her parents, but Dory is really unearthing her own identity and manages to stir up other defining memories along the way, no matter how fleetingly.” These include how she got the inspirational song, “Just keep swimming,” and how she was able to learn “whale.”

Some previous characters from “Finding Nemo” return including the East Australian Current (E.A.C.) turtles Crush (Andrew Stanton) and son Squirt (Nicholas Bird in the first and Bennett Dammann in here), stingray teacher Mr. Ray (Bob Peterson) and the “Mine! Mine! Mine!” – shouting seagulls (Stanton). However, a few of the new characters, including a concussed beluga whale (Ty Burrell, best known as Phil Dunphy in “Modern Family”) and a near-sighted whale shark (Kaitlin Olson), make their marks in here along with a pair of lazy Cockney sea lions (Idris Elba and Dominic West) rehabbing at the aquarium who only get irritated when their quiet crazy-eyed friend Gerald (Torbin Xan Bullock) tries to get on their rock.

Except for Marlin, who learns a respected lesson on sympathy after throwing an insulting comment at Dory when she accidentally put Nemo in danger, Wloszczyna noted, “almost every creature encountered from a bird-brained loon to an immense chatty clam that recalls Audrey II in “Little Shop of Horrors” gladly helps out our heroine with her mission.” You can guess whether that’s successful or not, but let’s just say there is a happy ending where you need the Kleenex next to you. Actually, there are two or three happy endings since the filmmakers don’t know when to stop. That includes a finale that needs walking through a series of end credits that however is worth the wait. Spoilers: the Tank Gang from the first film (Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Austin Pendelton, Stephen Root, Vicki Lewis and Jerome Ranft), still stuck inside their (now algae-covered) plastic bags, reach California one year after floating across the Pacific Ocean. They are quickly saved by the staff members from before, with Bloat asking for a second time, “Now what?”

In the end, this movie is tied with “Finding Nemo” as the best Pixar movie. I would say it’s on par since they both had the same message that both delivered beautifully in their own way. As you probably have guessed, this is another one of my favorite Pixar movies, and it was one of the best animated movies that was released this year. If you didn’t get a chance to see this in theaters when it was released, rent it on DVD. You will love it, I promise you because it’s definitely worth the watch. Especially if you have little kids that you showed “Finding Nemo” to, they will want to watch and will love “Finding Dory.” For a movie that didn’t need a sequel, this was a surprise for everyone and it was amazingly good. There is a possibility for another sequel, which might focus on the Tank Gang.

Alright everyone, thank you for joining in on “Disney’s Pixar Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed it, because I know I did. That’s all the reviews for this year, which was actually easier for me compared to last year, which was crazy. Have a good New Year’s Eve everyone. Let’s all keep our fingers cross that next year will be better. I will see all of you next month when I start back up on my Friday reviews on another franchise. Take care.