Have you seen her?
One year following the events of Finding Nemo, Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) is living a good life with Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his son, Nemo (now voiced by Hayden Rolence). One day, while on a field trip with Nemo and his class, the short term memory loss fish suddenly remembers something...she has a family! But where are they? Dory feels a need to go find them. With Marlin and Nemo helping her, they head to the "Jewel of Morro Bay, California" to see if they can find some more clues.
One good thing about 13 years between films is that the animation quality is given a chance to improve leaps and bounds. The first Nemo had fantastic (for its time) animation, but Dory really expands its character base and makes its waters look more realistic and cool. Characters are more colorful. Landscapes are more beautiful. Everything is just more believable.
The story is also deep and meaningful. Dory changes here from a comic relief sidekick to a relatable and very memorable lead. Screenwriters Andrew Stanton and Victoria Strouse certainly give enough emotional buoyancy to the primary plot, oftentimes to the point of nearly yanking tears (like every great Pixar production has). The script also has a handful of really funny moments that offset the emotional moments, and its not just Dory's forgetful nature that is laugh-worthy here.
DeGeneres is fantastic here, and really expands on her character in many ways in terms of development and emotional sincerity. Brooks also does a nice job once again as Marlin, even if he shows a little more age at times with some lines. Rolence does a nice job with Nemo. As for the new characters (which Stanton and Strouse, for the most part, do a great job making them memorable), the stand-outs include Kaitlin Olson as the sweet-hearted and comically-clumsy whale shark Destiny, and Idris Elba and Dominic West as two hilarious sea lions (Fluke and Rudder). Dory's parents are lovingly voiced by none other than Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy.
It was also nice to see Mr. Ray (Bob Peterson) and Crush (Stanton) again (in addition to the seagulls briefly) in the film, bringing in a rush of nostalgia. The Tank Gang also appears (too) briefly, but the film does such a great job with the new characters, you basically forget about them (no pun intended). Sigourney Weaver's narration joke is pretty clever.
Finally, the messages and strong examples here are worth noting. Dory's parents (spoiler alert) are shown to never have given up in finding their daughter. Also, the way they handle Dory's memory disability is both inspiring and touching to behold, as if it is meant to try and touch those who have children with special needs. Dory is also a great role model at times, showing genuine kindness, enthusiasm and honesty to everyone she meets.
On the downside, a couple of small issues crop up here and there. One, Thomas Newman's score fails to be really memorable. After giving a very memorable score to the first Nemo, there is just about no repeated tunes here, and the overall all-new material doesn't really stick in your head. Sia's "Unforgettable" cover is refreshingly old-fashioned and fun to listen to, but it is a bit of an odd choice for this movie. I did wonder where the sharks and Nigel the pelican went off to, but not for very long. Finally, I felt the flashbacks were just slightly overused. While they are used to help the story move along, I think they could have used them slightly less.
In 2003, at 8 years old, I went to the movie theater for the first time (after being scared of loud noises for years) to see Finding Nemo. It was an unforgettable experience. Going with my dad and my childhood best friend, it opened the door for me to want to go to theaters more often. But, as an adult today, Nemo holds a place in my heart for many reasons.
It's perhaps Pixar's most memorable film. Great characters. Moving plot. Lots of funny parts. Beautiful animation. And, it remains a classic piece of all-ages storytelling. I remember buying the DVD, and playing with some toys from the movie. I watched it probably 100 times. And for the first few years, I wanted a sequel so bad, hilariously with thoughts of saving Nemo's mom (lol). Eventually, I lost hope, and as I grew into a critic and movie lover, I eventually realized that the story stood strong on its own, ended perfectly, and didn't need to be continued.
But then, imagine my surprise three years ago when DeGeneres announces, well, Finding Dory! I was incredibly excited at that point, as memories from childhood rushed in. But, at the same time, I was concerned if this sequel would actually work. I did like the idea that Dory would be the focus this time.
And, by the time the undersea credits started rolling, I felt like a kid again. Finding Dory is a terrific sequel. Andrew Stanton and his production team clearly treated this with care and really did a great job crafting another emotionally-engaging story. And, DeGeneres gives perhaps the performance of her life here, adding more layers and depth to a character that is now sure to become one of the most memorable animated characters to ever grace the silver screen.
A couple of hiccups aside, this is Pixar's best film since Brave. It doesn't quite hit the heights of its predecessor (and that would have been a tall order to begin with, the first one was groundbreaking and fresh in so many ways), but it comes very close. It's a fantastic piece of family-friendly entertainment, certainly one of the year's best films so far, and a movie I definitely can't wait to see again (and own).
Score: 9.5/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: "Heck no!", "holy neptune!" and "holy carp!" are the only notable euphemisms.
Adult Content: None really. Dory gets confused about a young fish's question about "babies" and says "when two fish love each other...", before being interrupted.
(NOTE: There was a lot of controversy in the last trailer for the film discussing that the film might would feature a lesbian couple based on a quick trailer snip-it. But DeGeneres and the producer of the film have said that was not the intention. And there is virtually nothing in the actual 5-second scene that indicates this either).
Violence: There are a few perilous moments, but the overall film is actually not as intense or scary as Finding Nemo, which had a barracuda attack, three sharks, and a scary-looking deep-water fish. There is a squid that attacks our friends and nearly takes a bite out of Nemo with its beak. Dory and Hank are flipped around, and taken away abruptly by currents. Destiny runs into things constantly thanks to her near-sightedness. A truck swerves around traffic and crashes into the sea (in slow-motion). Becky pecks at a few people.
Drugs/Alcohol: None
Other: One or two vomit jokes. Pangea is briefly mentioned. In order to try and keep a villainous fish from attacking, Marlin offers to "worship" the fish and "build [it] a monument".
