The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish reunites with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way. (Source: Imdb.com)
Finding Dory Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YteR-y3eQk
While I do believe Finding Nemo is a good movie with stunning effects and a simple yet grabbing storyline, I wasn't too crazy about it as a kid-and I'm the one that grew up with this movie; I should have been 6 when it came out and I had it on tape cassette. Even so, I never desired to learn more about these characters. Thus, I can't understand the love for a sequel that I personally don't believe needed to be done in the first place.
Despite all of my thoughts, I decided to watch Finding Dory to see if this hyped up movie was worth all the time and effort put into it.
So, was Finding Dory a swimmingly good film for all ages or should this be a film you should just walk away from and forget?
If Finding Nemo HAD to have a sequel, I'm glad that they went this route. The plot about Dory trying to remember and find her family was smart to enhance upon since we clearly notice how Dory was the only blue tang fish we saw in the first film.
When the movie reminded me of that, I questioned, "Yeah...why was Dory alone? You would think someone would be looking after her"
The fact that I would even think that someone MUST have been protecting Dory from the wild ocean all of those years dictates how I felt about Dory's capabilities. I didn't think she could survive that long without a family, but Finding Dory is similar to Finding Nemo in a sense that it puts out the moral that anyone with any disability can do whatever they can if they put their mind to it.
I didn't feel too concerned about whether or not Dory would find her family. It didn't feel like the emotional rollar coaster that Finding Nemo was.
I remember shedding a few tears when I saw Finding Nemo, particularly when Nemo's mom and siblings were eaten in the very beginning, or when Marlin had to learn to trust Dory when they were inside the whale and all hope seemed lost,and when Nemo was presumed dead after the scene with him, Dory and all the other fishes in the net. With Finding Dory, there are way more cute and comedic scenes that took me out of feeling worried or scared that maybe-just maybe-things may not work out in the end.
Plus, near the end of the film, I felt like things wrapped up almost too smoothly...but then again when I think more about it...I can't think of any other way the story could have gone.
I will explain more in spoiler section.
If you were expecting another slightly stressful exploration through the ocean looking for a fish, you may not feel that in this sequel. Though granted, that may be a relief to some that Dory's search for her parents may be less harrowing than Marlin's search for Nemo.
Through Dory's journey, we are introduced to new settings and animals that are very pleasing to watch. It's a different atmosphere from the normal, open aquatic life under the sea and I appreciated that tremendously. They didn't stick with the same old settings even though considering that fishes survive off water, it could have been very easy to go the safe route.
The humor is also great, just as good as the first film. In a theater full of little kids and young adults, the comedy reached all ages and a few jokes induced a roar of laughter throughout the room.
The original characters: Dory, Marlin and Nemo behave exactly like they were in the previous movie. Dory is not only forgetful, but shows her handiness in tough situations, and in this sequel the movie cleverly tells us how Dory was able to acquire some strange skills for a fish such as why she could read English and so forth.
Marlin was the cynical worry-wart that doubts Dory's independence and that was annoying to see how uptight he was with her, but in the same way that he was uptight about his son being independent as well.
Marlin may not be the fan-favorite of the series, but you got to admit he's been through hell and back for both Nemo and Dory and to lose another fish he cares deeply about scares him to no end. If it doesn't seem obvious now, Marlin is the clear symbol of all those overprotective parents who while have reasons for acting the way they do, they must eventually learn to let go a little and allow their children (and friends like Dory) to pave their own paths and do things by themselves.
We get to see more of Nemo's personality when interacting with Dory and Marlin, and the scenes with him and Marlin appear to only further ingrain the moral of not judging people by their disability and letting them be strong on their own. It was so obvious to me that it almost got annoying, but given that Nemo knows how his dad behaves went he is not in control, it's justified why Nemo constantly has to reassure him that everything will be okay.
New characters like Hank the Octopus, Destiny the whale, and the seals were all a treat to watch on screen. They along with other unnamed side characters were hilarious and unique in their own way, especially Hank. His perspective on living in the ocean and having a family was far different from the other fishes and that brings to light to actual people who feel such a way in society and that was something I found really cool.
Animation was just as good as the first film, soundtrack was nice (including the credits song by Sia), I don't have much to mention there. All in all, Finding Dory was an enjoyable story from beginning to end. The characters are lovable and funny. I guess I have to say it...if you're looking for a cartoon movie to watch with the kids, or you're curious to know what happened with the fishes you saw 13 years ago, I'd say check it out. It will be a movie you may never forget.
SPOILER ALERT!
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What a sassy kid Nemo turned out to be, huh? Most of his lines throughout the movie seem to be tiny jabs at his father for getting angry at Dory. Then again, this is the same kid who "touched the butt" against his father's wishes. I guess if I had a father like Marlin, I'd behave the same way. Wow...Marlin must be the most hated character of the series (aside from Darla) yet he's been through so much. I feel bad for him.
The scene where Dory discovers that her parents went to Quarantine and she believed that they died only to find them soon afterwards bothered me a bit. It felt like the raw and dark emotions of Dory thinking it was her fault for her parents' death didn't sink in long enough to push any emotional pay off. And to find them right after her sad scene seemed rushed, but like I mentioned before, I couldn't imagine how else they could have done the reunited scene. It was good, but a part of me feels like it could have been better or Dory could have been alone for a little more before finding them. One of those options might have worked.
Some old favorites like the seagulls, Crush and the sea turtles, and the sharks are barely in this movie (or not at all) but this is made up with the new characters that I loved!
I support Bailey and Destiny together as a couple. There, I said it.
Hank the octopus didn't like the ocean because of his past. He didn't like contact with other fish life and wanted to be left alone. You would think an aquatic creature from the ocean would want to go back to his habitat, but that's how it's like with some humans too. You might know someone who truly despises other humans and would rather be by themselves than interact with others. Shoot, nowadays people question why our generation is so horrible (when frankly, it's slowly improving in my opinion. But there is just as much violence as it was in the past...just saying) and they wish they were born in another generation.
The baby Dory flashbacks were a bit too much. Especially AFTER Dory finds her parents, I think there is another flashback with them together and I'm like, "Why? She already found them!"
If someone could have just mentioned undergrove to Dory in the first movie, all of this might have been solved sooner.
That sneezing green fish in Quarantine made it to the ocean. Huh...will he infect the other fishes? Or better question...why was he being sent to Cleveland? (where they have other exhibits) if he's really sick? Shouldn't they have still been working on him? Maybe I missed some information...
Lastly...where the hell are those fish who helped Nemo from the first movie?! You know, the ones who put themselves in plastic bags and went to the ocean only to wonder what would happen to them next? I didn't stay through the credits to see if there were any special scenes, but far as I know, if they weren't shown...they're dead. Or they're waiting to show up in the second sequel in 2029.
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