Written by: Kevin Berge
Pixar doesn't do sequels... well, except if they know they'll make extra toy sales or Ellen DeGeneres wants them. (Image Courtesy of: teaser-trailer.com)
Quick Take: Finding Dory drives home a sentimental, fast moving mystery plot that makes the most of a group of likable characters many of whom return from the original Finding Nemo. While it does not reach the lofty heights of its predecessor, the film more than holds its own as a fun, emotionally pure animated ride that is well worth watching.
***Finding Dory has only recently been widely released. Therefore, this review will certainly be spoiler free besides basic references to the main characters in the story. However, this review makes heavy reference to the events of Finding Nemo, so you should only read on if you have seen the previous film. If you haven't and are looking for an opinion, you should know Finding Nemo is one of Pixar's best and well worth its 100 minute run time.***
Pixar has a largely impressive resume of films under its belt. Its animated film resume includes Toy Story, Up, Wall-E, and Finding Nemo. Nemo is a film about a father looking to save his son who is forced to explore the outside world when he is captured. The twist to the story of course being that the father and son are clown fish.
It was a powerful tale with a simple but well written script that made it almost impossible not to like. Still, as delightful a story as it is, it wasn't exactly a formula asking for a sequel particularly not one that centered around the somewhat one note side character Dory, a regal tang with short term memory loss.
When it comes to sequels, Pixar's track record is much less impressive. Excluding the near perfect Toy Story trilogy, Pixar's quality has steadily decreased on returns with the forgettable Monster University and Pixar's weakest entry Cars 2. Luckily, Finding Dory is much more Toy Story 2 than Cars 2.
The reasons Finding Dory works are multifaceted though the surprising heart of the film is simply that Dory is a far more intriguing lead than Finding Nemo lets on. The character's short term memory loss plays perfectly into the mystery plot with a scatter brained build up of clues that work off one another well.
At times, the film beats the audience over the head with its foreshadowing, but, for the most part, it is down to the audience to pay attention if they want to try and predict what is coming. The plot flows well and never gets overly complicated even with its mix of hints approach.
Where the film falters though is in its attempts to recapture the magic of Finding Nemo, ultimately retreading at the wrong moments rather than expanding on the original film's character arcs with a series of new characters that are fun but do not make the serious impression the original's cast of personalities did.
Pixar has a largely impressive resume of films under its belt. Its animated film resume includes Toy Story, Up, Wall-E, and Finding Nemo. Nemo is a film about a father looking to save his son who is forced to explore the outside world when he is captured. The twist to the story of course being that the father and son are clown fish.
It was a powerful tale with a simple but well written script that made it almost impossible not to like. Still, as delightful a story as it is, it wasn't exactly a formula asking for a sequel particularly not one that centered around the somewhat one note side character Dory, a regal tang with short term memory loss.
When it comes to sequels, Pixar's track record is much less impressive. Excluding the near perfect Toy Story trilogy, Pixar's quality has steadily decreased on returns with the forgettable Monster University and Pixar's weakest entry Cars 2. Luckily, Finding Dory is much more Toy Story 2 than Cars 2.
The reasons Finding Dory works are multifaceted though the surprising heart of the film is simply that Dory is a far more intriguing lead than Finding Nemo lets on. The character's short term memory loss plays perfectly into the mystery plot with a scatter brained build up of clues that work off one another well.
At times, the film beats the audience over the head with its foreshadowing, but, for the most part, it is down to the audience to pay attention if they want to try and predict what is coming. The plot flows well and never gets overly complicated even with its mix of hints approach.
Where the film falters though is in its attempts to recapture the magic of Finding Nemo, ultimately retreading at the wrong moments rather than expanding on the original film's character arcs with a series of new characters that are fun but do not make the serious impression the original's cast of personalities did.
Hey, if we get Finding Hank as the third film of the trilogy, I'm in. (Image Courtesy of: youtube.com)
The main trio return for this film with Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence, replacing Alexander Gould) helping Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) along on her quest to find what she's always been searching for: her family. All three voice actors do well in their roles though Marlin and Nemo have very little to do in this film. DeGeneres has the toughest task of leading the cast and does a solid job with a role that could have easily become tiresome or stereotypical.
The octopus Hank (Ed O'Neil) makes the biggest impression of the new cast members as a fun, slowly developing character who gives off a spy film vibe with his camouflage skills. The rest of the cast include Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), Bailey (Ty Burrell), Jenny (Diane Keaton), and Charlie (Eugene Levy) as well as small roles that make a strong impression from actors Idris Elba and Sigourney Weaver.
The writing in this film much like Finding Nemo heavily relies on comedy, and this is certainly a light heartedly funny film with some fantastic running jokes. Andrew Stanton who has writing credits on many of Pixar's best films including Finding Nemo and Toy Story keeps the movie moving along with a steady screenplay that plays well with the new setting of the film.
This film also stands out in continuing to show how far Pixar can stretch the boundaries of computer animation with some fantastic animation that looks great on the big screen. Unfortunately, that animation isn't used as much to explore the variety of the ocean as the original which was always what made Finding Nemo so delightful to watch.
Thomas Newman's (Wall-E) score doesn't stand out too much but is solid and moves along the steady mix of emotions effectively. The running instrumental themes make a solid impression that feels perfectly suited to the story. Sia's "Unforgettable" is also a part of the soundtrack which feels a bit too much of an on the nose inclusion.
The building blocks of this film feel very much like classic Pixar, so well built that it's almost impossible not to like it. It is light and fun enough for kids to enjoy while being deep enough in its construction that it can be appreciated by all ages.
The octopus Hank (Ed O'Neil) makes the biggest impression of the new cast members as a fun, slowly developing character who gives off a spy film vibe with his camouflage skills. The rest of the cast include Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), Bailey (Ty Burrell), Jenny (Diane Keaton), and Charlie (Eugene Levy) as well as small roles that make a strong impression from actors Idris Elba and Sigourney Weaver.
The writing in this film much like Finding Nemo heavily relies on comedy, and this is certainly a light heartedly funny film with some fantastic running jokes. Andrew Stanton who has writing credits on many of Pixar's best films including Finding Nemo and Toy Story keeps the movie moving along with a steady screenplay that plays well with the new setting of the film.
This film also stands out in continuing to show how far Pixar can stretch the boundaries of computer animation with some fantastic animation that looks great on the big screen. Unfortunately, that animation isn't used as much to explore the variety of the ocean as the original which was always what made Finding Nemo so delightful to watch.
Thomas Newman's (Wall-E) score doesn't stand out too much but is solid and moves along the steady mix of emotions effectively. The running instrumental themes make a solid impression that feels perfectly suited to the story. Sia's "Unforgettable" is also a part of the soundtrack which feels a bit too much of an on the nose inclusion.
The building blocks of this film feel very much like classic Pixar, so well built that it's almost impossible not to like it. It is light and fun enough for kids to enjoy while being deep enough in its construction that it can be appreciated by all ages.
This film really needed a more simple message like "fish are friends not food". (Image Courtesy of: cinemablend.com)
The film's maturity comes from the way it cleanly addresses many mature themes. One of the most affecting themes in the film is the way mental illness is presented. The way Dory looks down on herself but makes others so easily looks up to her in her approach makes the movie shine through.
Family is also a crucial part of the film even though it is a bit repetitive this time around. Dory's acceptance of Marlin and Nemo as part of her family compares to Marlin's struggle to deal with and relate to Dory while Nemo accepts and almost idolizes her. Other characters become part of this big family as it goes along which somewhat overly sweetens the message but certainly drives home the point.
The film does sacrifice logic on far too many occasions to move along its themes while also feeling the need to overstay its welcome in the closing moments, but it ultimately works because of the movie's emotional resonance. For all its storytelling faux pas, Finding Dory succeeds by making an impression well worth experiencing.
As a side note, the Pixar short that precedes Finding Dory "Piper" is a delightful and cute story that needs zero words to tell its story of a young bird learning to take his own first steps of self-reliance. It almost outshines the main film with how perfectly it tells its story, proving as always that Pixar is a master of nonverbal storytelling.
My main concern as a film goer after only a first viewing of Finding Dory is whether it will truly stand up on repeated viewings. I certainly enjoyed watching the movie, but I cannot say as of yet that it was a memorable experience. It is likely many of the film's storytelling shortcuts could end up, making the film less impactful in the long run.
Still, I cannot help but recommend this as a delightful family film well in Pixar's excellent wheelhouse. It is fun for any age range with a wholly sentimental core that may just make more than a few audience members tear up by its close. While Finding Dory may not have felt necessary in the wake of Finding Nemo, it stands on its own two feet as a well made, delightful experience.
Family is also a crucial part of the film even though it is a bit repetitive this time around. Dory's acceptance of Marlin and Nemo as part of her family compares to Marlin's struggle to deal with and relate to Dory while Nemo accepts and almost idolizes her. Other characters become part of this big family as it goes along which somewhat overly sweetens the message but certainly drives home the point.
The film does sacrifice logic on far too many occasions to move along its themes while also feeling the need to overstay its welcome in the closing moments, but it ultimately works because of the movie's emotional resonance. For all its storytelling faux pas, Finding Dory succeeds by making an impression well worth experiencing.
As a side note, the Pixar short that precedes Finding Dory "Piper" is a delightful and cute story that needs zero words to tell its story of a young bird learning to take his own first steps of self-reliance. It almost outshines the main film with how perfectly it tells its story, proving as always that Pixar is a master of nonverbal storytelling.
My main concern as a film goer after only a first viewing of Finding Dory is whether it will truly stand up on repeated viewings. I certainly enjoyed watching the movie, but I cannot say as of yet that it was a memorable experience. It is likely many of the film's storytelling shortcuts could end up, making the film less impactful in the long run.
Still, I cannot help but recommend this as a delightful family film well in Pixar's excellent wheelhouse. It is fun for any age range with a wholly sentimental core that may just make more than a few audience members tear up by its close. While Finding Dory may not have felt necessary in the wake of Finding Nemo, it stands on its own two feet as a well made, delightful experience.
