Much like my recently reviewed Jason Bourne, Finding Dory is a long awaited sequel to a very popular film, however with Jason Bourne arriving 9 years later, Finding Dory has finally gotten here a whole 13 years after Finding Nemo.
With the popularity of Finding Nemo lasting for 13 years, it meant that Finding Dory would immediately receive a fan base, bearing in mind the fact that it would consist of older teenagers and adults.
Despite being released 13 years after the original hit, Finding Dory takes place only 1 year later. With Marlin (Albert Brooks – Drive, Taxi Driver), Nemo (Hayden Rolence – Beta Persei, Cicero in Winter) and Dory (Ellen DeGeneres – The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Love Letter) all living together, everything is in a perfect equilibrium until the blue tang fish recovers a brief memory of her past. Desperate to find out more about herself she decides to venture out through the ocean and a ‘marine life instute’, meeting some interesting characters and hilarious situations.
Starting out with a some childhood memories (where we get a look at the adorable baby Dory), it progresses to the part we all know, followed by her quest to remember her past. The concept of the lost search is all very familiar, despite being presented differently, and can feel slightly repetitive throughout, however once again the emotional grasp that the narrative holds on you causes you not to care that you’ve seen it before, but instead watch with the highest hopes for a restored equilibrium. With the only slight drawback aside, let’s carry on.
The concept of Dory looking for her lost parents is exactly a reversal of Finding Nemo, and that’s why it works perfectly. Instead of Dory’s parents, Jenny (Diane Keaton – The Godfather, Annie Hall) and Charlie (Eugene Levy – American Pie, Best in Show) searching for her, Dory is the one searching for them, however instead of using others for clues and directions, she has to get in touch with her lost memories, all thanks to her short-term-memory. This is perfect re-styling of the first film, making use of what made the first on so engaging. If it ain’t broke!
There is a surprising amount of new cast members and few familiar faces, and whilst some feel like this felt to separate, it actually serves as a subtle way to distant Dory’s journey from that of Nemo’s, therefore making the familiarities far less apparent. It also means that new characters are more significant to Dory’s story, and the same to those for Nemo’s, as opposed to the idea of easily recycling characters. Behind these new faces are quite a few familiar voices, however as to prevent a long list of characters and potential spoilers, I will only list the names of the actors/actresses: Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Idris Elba, Dominic West, Bob Peterson, Kate McKinnon, Bill Hader, Sigourney Weaver, and quite a few more!
One thing that has been partially recycled is the soundtrack. Those who remember the soundtrack to Finding Nemo will remember how beautiful it was, whilst not being overwhelming to the visuals. With Thomas Newman (Spectre, WALL.E) returning to compose, he maintained the same style and general theme, underlining the film’s joyous and upbeat atmosphere, even during the darker and less joyous moments.
Most films nowadays are getting slightly darker, and that’s beginning to carry across to children’s films too. A blatant example of this was in 2009 with The Princess and The Frog, which some found quite surprising considering the fact that it’s main target audience consisted of young children. However, it is not quite to the same extent in Finding Dory as there are only dark moments and slight themes, however they are still noticeable and may take you by surprise.
For many years now, Disney (especially with the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and Pixar are known for including Easter-Eggs and references within their films, some are fairly obvious and right in-front of you, whereas some require a little more searching and knowledge. This tradition is continued throughout Finding Dory including their most famous Easter-Eggs, references to their other films, characters, actors and Pixar responding to a humorous tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the Pixar universe is linked to another entirely different film franchise.
On the release of Finding Nemo, the CGI was applauded for it’s incredible detail and beauty. And once more, the studio outdoes itself. Using the same graphics would have been perfectly fine and would still stand up against modern animations, but instead they developed it further, combining it with a diverse colour palette, consisting primarily of the peaceful deep blue of the ocean.
One thing that I was concerned with was the level of humour and whether it would deliver in the way that Disney and Pixar know how, or if it would miss and hinder the overall feel. I can happily say that it delivered perfectly, hitting with joke after joke, but without the humour overload. Considering the emotive baseline of this film and the sympathetic engagement between the audience and Dory, too many jokes can damage the overall purpose, however they managed to fill it with so much humour in all the right places, so you’re going to laugh and cry by the time the credits are rolling.
Overall, Finding Dory is a delightful and charming animated flick that’s enjoyable for children and adults alike. Despite certain levels of dark themes, it’s still suitable for all ages, and is perfectly levelled out by the humour and loveable atmosphere you can’t help but adore.
8.5/10
P.S. Make sure to stay until the ends of the credits for what is easily one of Disney’s best after credit scenes!
Here’s the trailer to get you into the mood:
nerdscreen 