When I heard that Finding Nemo would be getting a sequel, I wasn’t immediately enthusiastic. The original movie is one of the best Pixar movies and the story of a father clownfish searching for his son, was very original.. The underwater world was interestingly realized, the movie had strong emotional impact on its viewers and lots of memorable characters. Reading that the sequel was called Finding Dory I was afraid that the storyline would be similar and this would result in a weak copy. With the Toy Story sequels Pixar did prove that they are able to keep quality at the same (high) level. Have they managed to do the same with Finding Dory?
In the first movie Dory was a character who was funny because she came across as naive. The reason for that however was because her short-term memory wasn’t working properly. Making that character the main one could have been a very risky decision. Won’t you get tired of her by the end of the film? It is something Pixar must have realized as well. The story is not about Dory gone missing, but the title refers to her finding out more about herself. Where is she from and who are her parents? That’s the search which forms the center of this film, in which Marlin and Nemo go along to help her. The end result is a quest which eventually leads them to a sea aquarium in California, where most of the movie is set.
Besides a couple of cameos of old characters, Finding Dory also introduces new ones. Octopus Hank is the most important one, who can use his camouflage and decides to help Dory, despite having his own agenda (and issues). The sea lions who live near the aquarium (played by Idris Elba and Dominic West) are a wonderful addition and a responsible for some of the best jokes. So with a different type of story and various new characters the film does something new without introducing a villain. This story mainly revolves about Dory’s search for herself which results in a couple of moving scenes and a lot of funny moments. Technically things are as you’d expect from the studio, with amazing environments, full of details. As a sequel the comparison to the original is inevitable, but Finding Dory is almost as good as the original and a joy to watch for all ages. I can’t wait to revisit it soon with my kids.
Oh, and please make sure to stay when the credits start rolling, because the after credits scene is really worth the wait.
I just glanced at this as I’m gonna see this tomorrow! I want to be as fresh as possible when I see it. Glad to see the high rating Nostra!
Interested to read what you thought about it.