Sequels
can be a crapshoot, even with Pixar. Finding Dory, though, is a delight, and
more than that, it’s a really worthwhile continuation of its story. It’s been too long since I’ve seen Finding Nemo to say how it stacks up to
the original, but I can say that the sequel doesn’t feel derivative or seem
like it’s just there to capitalize on the success/good will of the first movie.
In the
time since Marlin and Dory made their transoceanic journey to recover Nemo, the
sunny but forgetful blue tang has made a new home for herself with her clown
fish buddies. However, a chance
conversation strikes a nerve with Dory and sends up sparks of a memory she’s
long since forgotten: the parents from
whom she was separated as a child.
Desperate to reunite with them, she begs Marlin and Nemo to help, and
the three go on a wild adventure of homecoming and rediscovery.
The
animation, no surprise is both gorgeous and fun. The various young Dory flashbacks are one of
the highlights of the movie, in part because young Dory is too cute for
words. The voice cast does a stellar job
– returning actors Ellen Degeneres Albert Brooks fall back into their
characters with ease, and Hayden Rolence does well as the new Nemo. Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy are pitch
perfect and very affecting as Dory’s folks, and the Marine Life Institute
setting offers up Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Idris Elba, and
Dominic West as a slew of entertaining new characters.
What’s
more, the story is really lovely. It has
everything you could want from a movie like this: fun non sequiturs from Dory, unlikely
friendships, comic action/adventure sequences, great one-liners, colorful side
characters, and plenty of genuine warmth.
Like I said, I love the young Dory flashbacks, which are an excellent
device from a plot sense (helping Dory through the stages of her journey) and a
thematic one (overcoming odds with the help of those who love and believe in
you.) It’s so wonderful and uplifting to
see the many tricks and strategies Dory’s parents cook up to help their
daughter manage her short-term memory loss.
That’s
what’s really neat about this movie. It
takes the themes that the first film touched on – Nemo and Dory accomplishing
impressive things despite Marlin’s belief that they’re held back by their
disabilities (“lucky” fin and short-term memory loss, respectively) – and expands
on them in terrific ways. In addition to
Dory and Nemo, we meet other characters at the Marine Life Institute who are
wrestling with their physical limitations and what they feel they’re capable of
based on that. It’s about succeeding
when others think you can’t do it, trusting that you’re stronger than you’ve
been made to believe you are, and (perhaps most significantly) making
adaptations to do things the way you
need to do them, which includes friends/loved ones helping you get the tools
you need to succeed on your own terms rather than stepping in and doing it for
you.
Oh
yeah, and the short is both beautifully-animated and hardcore adorable. Loved it
so much.
Warnings
A few
scary moments for kids.
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