What would Dory do?
(This
review contains minor spoilers!)
I consider Finding Nemo to be one of
the most important movies I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s the first one I can
vividly remember seeing in the movie theatre, it’s my favourite movie by Pixar,
and it was one of the first to get me really excited about the possibilities of
film. It’s not just me, either. Nearly everyone agrees that Finding Nemo is hilarious,
heartbreaking, emotional, scary, and just darn beautiful, almost all at once. I
personally have called it the Lord of the Rings of CGI animation more than
once, and I stand by this statement.
If Nemo is akin to Lord of the Rings,
I’d have to say that Finding Dory is akin to The Hobbit movies. Not bad by any
means, and a lot of fun, but it pales in comparison to its legendary
predecessor.
One thing Dory does equally as good as
Nemo is just how powerful it can be at times. In preparation for seeing this
movie, I rewatched the original for what must be the thousandth time. Looking
at it again, I noticed that Dory is very enigmatic character. She just kind of
shows up out of the blue (pun very much intended), and nothing about her is
really explained. She has short-term memory loss, can inexplicably read, and is
more than happy to help Marlin on his quest to find his son.
Right off the bat, this movie answers
the question as to where she came from, and does it in a very emotional,
heartbreaking way that I won’t spoil. The way the movie explains her past, and
how she came to see the boat and find Marlin is all told in expert Pixar style.
It’s an opening up there with the likes of Toy Story 3, Up, and the original
Finding Nemo with how much it makes you feel for the main character.
Unfortunately, aside from Dory’s past,
there isn’t a lot to be excited about in the first half of the movie. It moves
at a snail’s pace, with none of the scale or danger of Finding Nemo present.
Aside from a brief chase sequence, you never feel that Dory, Marlin, or even
the vulnerable Nemo is in any danger. Nothing like the sharks, anglerfish, or
jellyfish from the original are present here. Instead, the movie focuses more
on the mystery of who exactly Dory is and where she came from. While at times
it works, especially when the curtain around her past is pulled back a little
more, it often feels like the movie is biding its time, waiting to get to the
good stuff.
But make no mistake: When Finding Dory
gets good, it gets really good. Once
the new characters and settings have finished being introduced, the movie is
allowed to stand on its own, and it really shows what it’s capable of. While
the original’s animation still very much holds up today, the new movie really
feels like an underwater environment, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Thomas
Newman, the composer for the original movie, returns as well, and he gives the
soundtrack the exact same light, airy feel that matches the underwater environment
perfectly. While none of the tracks are as memorable as “Nemo Egg”, they’re all
exceptional in their own right, and the movie wouldn’t be the same without
them. The characters, especially Dory, have lots of really sweet moments
interacting with each other, and the climax is so hilariously absurd that it’s
great.
Speaking of characters, Finding Dory
eschews most of the cast of the original, save for the original trio, Mr. Ray,
a quick cameo by Crush and Squirt, and a final surprise at the very last second
(stay after the credits!), for a group of new characters. The best of these is
easily Hank the octopus, a lovable grump who wants nothing more than to be
freed from quarantine and sent to an aquarium. The animators have a lot of fun
using Hank’s camouflage abilities and bending him into a variety of shapes.
When he’s onscreen, you can’t help but keep an eye on him, he’s so much fun to
watch.
The other characters aren’t quite as
entertaining, but still lovable and fun in their own way. Destiny the whale
shark and Bailey the beluga are neighbors who use their whale-speak and
echolocation abilities to communicate with Dory and help her make her way
through the aquarium. While they’re both good characters, I can’t help but feel
that a little more could’ve been done with them. They have a big part in the climax,
but it doesn’t exactly feel earned, as they take a backseat for two-thirds of
the movie.
There’s also a pair of sea lions that
I believe we could’ve done without. Their entire joke is keeping a goofy
sea lion off their rock by barking at it. That’s it. And the movie thinks that
doing it over and over again will make it funnier. Granted, they move the plot
along by calling a bird to help Marlin and Nemo, but they spend way too much
time onscreen without purpose. It feels like they were trying too hard to top
the gang of sharks or pelicans from the original, but it didn’t exactly work.
An issue I have with these new
characters is that their decisions are sort of built around the necessity of
the plot. Bailey the beluga is introduced by explaining that his echolocation
is broken, but the next time we see him, they ask him to use it, and after a
brief moment of uncertainty, it’s fixed. Another character makes a split-second
turn towards the end of the movie too, going against something they said at the
very beginning with no real reason for the change.
Despite the pacing issues, Finding
Dory is very much an enjoyable movie, especially for fans of the original.
Everything you loved about Dory is here, with even more depth added, plus
Marlin and Nemo are their same loveable selves too. While the story may
flounder at times (yuk yuk), it’s full of heart, and you really feel for Dory
in a way you never did in Finding Nemo. I’d say if you’re like me and you love
the first film, you’ll probably like Finding Dory too.
I feel I should also talk about the
short film attached to this movie, a cute story about a little bird named
Piper. The visuals are some of the most realistic I’ve ever seen Pixar do,
especially since they often put extra effort into making their environments
look less realistic and more befitting the tone of the movie. Nevertheless,
Piper looks absolutely gorgeous. You can see every little grain of sand on the
beach, and each and every one of Piper’s feathers is drawn in detail.
The story is a cute one too. Piper is
a baby bird, and as such needs to learn how to find food. However, after a
nasty experience being crashed down on by a wave, he’s terrified of even being
near the water. What follows is a really cute story of how Piper overcomes his
fear, and the creative way he does it. While it’s not as great as last year’s
Lava was, it’s a cute short that should by no means be missed.
FINAL SCORE
7/10
Good
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