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| Finding Dory - A more then acceptable Finding Nemo retread. |
Written by: Andrew Stanton (original story by), Andrew Stanton and Victoria Strouse (screenplay), Bob Peterson (additional screenplay material by), Angus MacLane (additional story material by)
Directed by: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane (co-director)
Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell
Rated: PG
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!
Plot
Forgetful blue tang fish Dory and friends begin searching for her long-lost parents, learning that family isn't just biological.
Verdict
This achieves an emotional impact typical of Pixar films, though it doesn't reach the heights we've come to expect. While the story doesn't feel quite as fresh, being a sequel and just retooling the plot of Finding Nemo, it's still a heartfelt movie with an engaging set of characters. It's difficult not to watch this and think about Finding Nemo. It's following a tested formula, and what it tries to do differently is forced. It just isn't as good as the original.
Watch it.
Review
Originally set at an aquatic park, the setting was changed to a marine biology institute after the crew saw Blackfish (2013), a documentary about the perils of captivity for killer whales.
This is currently the highest grossing animated movie in American box office history. Disney had planned a sequel in 2005 without Pixar, but the project stalled.
Sequels usually spell cash grab. While Finding Dory is a really cute movie, it's a cover of Finding Nemo (2003), and thus it never escapes that shadow. The plot is largely the same, except with a larger cast of characters. Instead of Marlin and Dory looking for Nemo, Marlin, Nemo, and Dory are looking for Dory's parents. This also includes a few subplots, the main one concerning an octopus, Hank, who befriends Dory.
The beginning didn't have the impact of typical Pixar introductions. It uses flashbacks to not only include Dory's backstory, but to firmly anchor it to Finding Nemo.
The animation is stellar. Hank the octopus is especially well rendered, the detail of his skin appearing uncanny. More than a few wide shots begin to blur the line of realism and animation.
There is a celebrity voice cameo that is completely out of left field yet hilarious. You will have no trouble discerning who it is as the actor states their name multiple times. This is obviously for the adults as it will be completely lost on children.
Dory is on a quest to find her parents. Of course she gets separated from Marlin and Nemo, who feel compelled to accompany her.
Dory's lack of short term memory is both her biggest obstacle and greatest advantage. Even Marlin adapts Dory's decision making process, playing a "What would Dory do?" game to escape a dire situation. Throughout the movie she recalls fragments of memories that include her parents, propelling her, and the plot, forward. It's just a bit too difficult to believe that her memory had never been triggered before in the years she was separated. Pixar usually crafts such clever plots, and so much of Finding Dory is just standard.
Along the way she meets Hank the octopus, or rather a septopus with only seven tentacles. He's an old grump that is changed by his short adventure with Dory.
The conclusion fulfills a number heartfelt moments that have been building since the start. Dory has a reunion and even Hank changes his mind. Dory realizes that family is more than just biology. This leads to biggest moment is when Dory finds a strip of seashells leading to a small fish home. When the camera shows a wider shot, lines of shells radiate from the house, and it dawns on the viewer that Dory's parents have been creating paths for her to find in case she ever came back. For years, they've been hoping and longing to see her just one more time. Even if you don't realize the impact of the shells at first, the movie explains it.
The question still remains as to whether her parents are still around, but you'll have to watch the movie to find that answer. While this is typically the point where a movie like this concludes, Finding Dory isn't over. The conclusion is more than a bit over the top, that stretches the logic of even an animated feature. This movie isn't, nor did I expect it to be completely realistic, but the ending feels tacked on for a big finish and to stretch the run time to a full ninety minutes.
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