Review of 'Finding Dory'

A sequel to Finding Nemo, Finding Dory sees our blue tang friend, Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), experiencing dreams about her parents. When she goes on a field trip with Mr. Ray (Bob Peterson) where he talks about ray migration and returning home - Something about “home” triggers a memory in Dory about her parents, “Jewel of Morro Bay, California”. With this clue Dory is determined to go and find them. With the help of Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) she crosses the ocean to the “Marine Life Institute” in California. To the horror of Nemo and Marlin, Dory is captured by scientists and taken to the institute where she is meets an octopus named Hank (Ed O'Neill) who offers to “help” her find her parents. Nemo and Marlin must find someway to get into the institute to rescue their friend…Perhaps the sea lions lazily but ferociously guarding their sun-bathing rock might be able to help, or maybe their scraggly looking bird friend with a bucket…

Our favourite characters return once again for another adventure in a breathtakingly beautiful looking animated film. Of course, this is targeted at a younger audience but adults will certainly find something here as well, as with most great Pixar films. Hank, the seven-tentacled octopus is hilarious as is Becky, the rather odd looking loon, who both add the requisite humour to the somewhat weighty subject of finding one's lost parents. There are a lot of other great characters here but it never seems to distract too much form the main, easy to understand, story. Fun is the order of the day and this is very much what is delivered. Real, basic, emotion is in these characters and I doubt anyone watching will, at least slightly, be effected. The subject is not as simple as the first story as we are not, after all, searching for a son here but rather trying to discover what happened to relatives lost to bad memory, but it is conveyed well and all the better for it. Having said that it does seem to drag a bit in the middle but it makes up for it in a frenetic and satisfying finale.

Young children will simply love the fun and the adults will love the fun also but also the story. Really great fun but, to me, a bit slow in the middle.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2016-09-04

Directed by: Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane

Studio: Pixar Animation Studios

Year: 2016

Length: 97 minutes

Genre: Animation

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2277860/

• Wall-E (2008)

• Finding Nemo (2001)

• Lightyear (2022)