FINDING DORY (U)
HOW can you remember you have a family if you have short-term memory loss?
That question is the wind beneath the water wings of Pixar’s joyous computer-animated sequel, which revisits the colourful characters 13 years after worrywart clownfish Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) was reunited with his beloved son, Nemo.
Their forgetful pal, Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), the uproarious comic relief of the first film, is promoted to head of the school for directors Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane’s journey of self-fishcovery that once again abandons the safety of the reef for perilous waters.
In almost every aspect, Finding Dory is the emotional and comical equal of its predecessor, dazzling the senses with stunningly realistic visuals and Thomas Newman’s buoyant orchestral score.
The script effortlessly tugs heartstrings in between cute verbal and sight gags, including a running joke about the voice of an A-list Hollywood actress, whose dulcet tones become a shimmering beacon of hope in the film’s darkest moments.
An adorable animated short entitled Piper precedes and complements the main feature, chronicling the fortunes of a sandpiper hatchling as it learns to forage for food at the water’s edge. Tissues at the ready... Dory is the next-shell neighbour of Marlin and his young son, Nemo (Hayden Rolence) on the Great Barrier Reef. During a field trip to witness the stingray migration, the loveable blue tang experiences a rush of fragmented memories of her parents Charlie (Eugene Levy) and Jenny (Diane Keaton).
“I miss ‘em”, Dory tells Marlin and the plucky fish embark on an epic quest to California to reunite the forgetful daughter with her loved ones.
Initially, the travellers ride strong currents with sea turtle Crush (Andrew Stanton) and his bodacious brethren, but when they eventually arrive at the Marine Life Institute, Dory is separated from her pals.
She languishes in quarantine with a grouchy septopus called Hank (Ed O’Neill), who possesses remarkable powers of camouflage.
Meanwhile, Marlin and Nemo abide by Dory’s mantra – “Just keeping swimming” – and enlist help from wise-cracking sea lions Fluke (Idris Elba) and Rudder (Dominic West), near-sighted whale shark Destiny (Kaitlin Olson) and a beluga whale called Bailey (Ty Burrell), who has lost his echo location as the result of a concussion.
“I hit my head very hard. Do you see how swollen it is?” laments Bailey.
“Your head is supposed to be big,” retorts Destiny, “You’re a beluga!”
Finding Dory mines the central character’s one-joke disability for gentle laughs without meanness or obviously treading water.
Set pieces including a frenetic chase involving a fearsome predator of the sea are nimbly executed and the introduction of O’Neill’s cranky cephalopod is a master stroke.
DeGeneres’ vocal performance exudes warmth and innocence, compelling us to root for her through a couple of the film’s outlandish narrative detours. Running Time 103 mins Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
SHE’s long campaigned for a sequel to the Oscarwinning “Finding Nemo”, but even Ellen DeGeneres never imagined when it did eventually happen, she’d be the main character.
“It really just became content for my show,” the 58-year-old voice of Dory in the 2003 original, says of her 13-yearlong crusade. “Every sequel that came out for every other movie, it was just like, ‘Oh my God, are you kidding me?’ And then it just became a running joke.”
Teasing, she adds: “He ruined it,” referring to director and Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton. “My joke is over, because he did make a sequel. Now I have no more jokes.”
But if anyone can anticipate their voice being heard, it’s multi-Emmy-winning DeGeneres, with a collective total of 120m social media followers.
That’s not always been the case, though. Before landing her hit talk show, just a few months after “Finding Nemo” opened in cinemas, the Louisiana-born host, comedian, actress and writer hadn’t worked in three years.
“I had no job offers at the time,” she recalls, quick to credit Stanton for giving her a valuable platform with Pixar.
“Finding Nemo”, she says, “certainly saved my life in many ways”.
“I don’t know if Andrew was even aware of my situation; he probably didn’t realise I wasn’t working and I wasn’t desirable.
“If he knew I wasn’t desirable, he may not have asked for me,” she teases. “People would have said, ‘Why do you want her?’”
Far from just good timing, DeGeneres shone as the upbeat, friendly blue fish, who captured the audience’s heart with her short-term memory loss and quirky lines (“Just keep swimming!”), and deserves to take centre sea in its 3D computer-animated follow-up.
A tale of self-acceptance, the movie catches up with Dory one year on, and finds her living happily in the reef with Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence). The tide turns, however, when she suddenly remembers she has a family, and embarks on a life-changing adventure across the ocean in a bid to find them.
Enlisting the help of her friends and three of California’s prestigious Marine Life Institute’s (MLI) most intriguing residents – Hank (Ed O’Neill), a cantankerous octopus who frequently gives employees the slip; Bailey (Ty Burrell), a beluga whale convinced his biological sonar skills are on the fritz; and near-sighted whale shark Destiny (Kaitlin Olson) – Dory discovers the magic within flaws, friendships and family.
“It’s amazing to me that Dory has resonated with people so much,” muses DeGeneres.
DeGeneres says: “Dory was such a big part of “Finding Nemo” it makes sense people might wonder about her journey. We want to see how it worked out for her.
“She’s spontaneous, non-judgemental, and no matter what mood somebody else is in, she doesn’t take it personally. It’s what I say on my show every day: be kind to one another. That’s what Dory does. ding Dory opens in cinemas tomorrow.
It’s amazing that Dory resonated with people so much