Finding Dory - movie review
Finding Dory
Plot: The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish begins a search for her long-lost parents, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.
Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neil
Director: Andrew Stanton
Rating: U (infrequent mild threat)
Runtime: 1hr 37 mins
Release Date: Friday 29th July 2016
Dory. Upon hearing that name, it's sure to bring a smile to your face. Finding Nemo was released in 2003 so thirteen years have passed since that initial release. This time round, Nemo and Marlin are taking a backseat as Dory takes centre stage. I unabashedly adore Finding Nemo. I'd put it up with the best that Pixar have ever produced. As for the sequel, which also happens to be Pixar's seventeenth feature film, Finding Dory is unparalleled joy and one of my favourite films released this year.
Straight off the bat, Dory is the star of her own film and to be honest, that's to be expected with the absolutely amazing Ellen DeGeneres as the voice. If you aren't familiar with how this movie was made, Ellen has been campaigning for this sequel for so long and then, three years ago, her dream came true. This is clearly a passion project for her and as fulfilling as it is to see these characters that we love return, it must be ten times that for her. As the voice of Dory, Ellen, unlike her character, hasn't forgotten what made Dory so lovable in the first place. She's funny, endearing, entertaining and so much fun to watch onscreen. Do not get me started on Baby Dory! You thought young Mike Wazowski was cute? That's nothing compared to Baby Dory. She is, without a doubt, the cutest animated character and her scenes had me beaming as she tried to explain her short term 'remembory loss'. Ellen was not the only recurring voice to return as Albert Brooks comes back to voice the deadpan but highly devoted clownfish, Marlin. As I explained, both him and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) play the supporting character roles and whilst Dory is on her main quest, the father and son duo are on their little adventure which is equally as entertaining. Whether it be hopping across paths via water fountains or communicating with Becky to carry them across the institute, you're invested no matter what. Marlin still has his dry sense of humour (a trait which Brooks also has) but it's amped up a little seeing as his son's life isn't on the line. He has his fair share of serious and more emotional moments yet I enjoyed a more light-hearted approach to his character.
As for Nemo, he's a cute as ever with his lucky fin but I think it's fair for people to know that he doesn't play the biggest role in the film. He's mostly Marlin's moral compass and he is there throughout but he doesn't do much. However that's okay because Nemo has had his film and now it's Dory's turn. That about sums up the returning characters. There are a few little cameos here and there from the first film but I won't spoil them and allow you to enjoy the surprise. But what we may lack in returning characters, we monumentally gain in brand new characters who are just as, if not more delightful. The first, and who almost steals this film away from Dory, is Hank the Octopus voiced by Ed O'Neil. When we first meet Hank, my immediate thought was 'Well, this Octopus is a bit of a dickhead' a thought I can't say would ever come to my head. But then Pixar do something which they do best; they make us love him. We discover that he has a touching backstory which explains why he is so gritty and kind of depressed at points but O'Neil as the voice is perfect casting. He's basically Jay from Modern Family if Jay had eight legs. Another duo who are sure to be a hit many years down the line are Kaitlin Olson as Destiny, a Whale Shark, and Ty Burrell (another Modern Family star) as Bailey, a Beluga Whale. These two act like the best of friends that get along so well but aren't afraid to chat shit behind their back. It's revealed that Destiny used to be a friend of Dory's (they were pipe pals) and when we see the two reunited, we get some pretty funny moments. Plus, Burrell as Bailey is just dynamite and when he gets to use his echolocation, the whole audience was in hysterics. Obviously, if you've seen any promotional material for this film, you know it's about Dory looking for her parents and voicing her mum and dad are Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy. I think Pixar have a knack for casting the ideal voices because the two of these acclaimed actors are brilliant as her parents. They manage to blend caring attitudes with a wry sense of humour, and in one scene involving them and Baby Dory, Pixar rip your heart out and show it to you. It's not at the level of the opening of Up but it definitely tugs a few heartstrings. The final two characters who I want to briefly talk about act much like the seagulls from the first film. In the sequel, we meet two sea lions voiced by Idris Elba and Dominic West (fans of The Wire are likely to be happy). They aren't giving any development or dramatic moments but are simply there for comedic reasons and their strange fascination with this rock is flat out hilarious. The joke would go on for ages and repeated again and again but it would always make me laugh. But something which I cannot stress enough, is that this is Ellen/Dory's film through and through and you're likely to love her even more than before, if that's even possible?
One thing that struck me about Finding Dory was that it's so much funnier than Finding Nemo and that's high praise considering that Nemo still makes me laugh to this day. It might have been the central focus on Dory and how funny of a character she is, or how this isn't as dark as Finding Nemo was (yes, it involves missing parents but Finding Nemo was basically a life or death situation) but there was so much levity to this film. That's not to say Pixar disregard any emotion and only focus on comedy. Like I mentioned earlier, during a flashback with Baby Dory and her parents it explains how Dory lost her parents and her trying to look for them but struggling because of her short-term memory loss. I didn't reach the point of tears but unlike films like Inside Out and Toy Story 3, Finding Dory isn't demanding people cry in the movie. Sure, there are many hard-hitting emotional moments that many may find heartbreaking but it didn't hit me in that way. What many people are overlooking about Finding Dory is that it's a unique animated film. Because of so many animated films being produced now, it's common for them to cherry pick ideas and themes found in other films but Finding Dory goes against the grain with a original and emotive story. It's not boundary pushing like Inside Out but the plot feels very different to any animated film I've seen before. Part of the reason for this is that there isn't actually a villain in this film. Yes, the situations the characters find themselves in aren't the most helpful but no one in the film is looking to stop them from achieving their goals. Whereas the humans in Finding Nemo (Darla and the Dentist) mistreated the fish, the humans working in the Marine Life Institute are only looking out for the fish's health. This goes to show that still, Pixar are treading new ground and prove that not every kids film needs to fit into the formulaic plotline.
Something that we've come to expect from Pixar is that they are films for all ages. Looking around in the cinema, I saw young children, teenagers, young adults and parents (even without kids). It makes sense because some of these people would have been kids when they saw Finding Nemo and I've already said, in 2019 when The Incredibles 2 is released, I will have no trouble in pushing kids out of the way to make sure I see that film. I say this almost everytime when I leave a Pixar film (exception: Cars 2 and Brave) but the humour is executed in such a way where kids will laugh because of it's initial joke but then adults will also laugh because of the deeper meaning. An example of this is when Dory is asked to explain mommy's and daddy's. Now kids find this funny because Dory is struggling to teach the class whereas adults laugh because Dory is actually trying to explain a topic that is likely to go over kids heads. But here's where I'm going to get a little deeper and I may be looking too far into this, but I've seen others comment about it and it's stuck with me ever since; I think that parents who see this film who also have children with disabilities (be it mild or severe) are going to love this film and really find it touching. Trying to avoid spoilers, our main characters end up in a Marine Life Hospital where they encounter many sea creatures with specific problems that are being treated. Dory obviously has her short-term memory loss, Hank has a missing tentacle and doesn't like large crowds, Destiny is narrow sighted and Bailey has a growth on his head. These characters prove to us that they are able to cope with these issues and come out the other side. I obviously cannot speak on behalf of anyone with this experience but I would predict that parents who deal with that on a day to day basis would find Finding Dory extra special.
This goes without saying now, but Pixar have created yet another beautifully animated film. During the scenes underwater, we feel as if we are under the sea (pardon the Disney pun). The colourful sea life and coral is a feast for the eyes and so far, this would be my pick for Best Animated Movie. I know that Zootopia has a good chance especially with it's social commentary, but I think that Finding Dory is just a better animated film. We also get introduced to new settings that we haven't come across yet especially the interior of the Marine Hospital. A clear standout is when Dory enters a large tank and we just take in the beauty of it all. They could have stopped there and that would have been enough, but they go even further with Hank. I think it's safe to say that Hank is the most complexly animated character ever produced. He has to ability to camouflage into the background and there is no other word for it but masterful. Just sheer class from Pixar. They may as well have taken the mic from DreamWorks and dropped it. It also wouldn't be a film set in the Finding Nemo universe if Thomas Newman wasn't scoring the film. He manages to continue with this graceful and relaxing score he achieved with the first film. Everything about just oozes chill and laying on the beach. As soon as I heard the first few notes at the beginning of the film, I was back.
All the concerns I had about Finding Dory were nonexistent by the time this film had finished. I was worried that Dory was going to irritate me too much and that they just took a great supporting character and put her in the lead much like the Minions and Penguins Of Madagascar. How wrong was I? I do slightly prefer Finding Nemo but they're so close. I just fell in love with this film and it's become my favourite film of the summer. Also, there is a little short shown before entitled Piper which is just as adorable (albeit not in the level of adorableness that is Baby Dory) and wait around for the credits to roll because the scene they show is sensationally pleasing. I'm happy to say that...
My Verdict: 10/10
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