Finding Dory might be forgetful, but it’s not the least bit forgettable.
FINDING NEMO SEQUEL FOCUSES ON A FORGETFUL FISH WHO IS ALSO FORGETFUL
As an encapsulation of Disney/ Pixar’s overriding message of personal empowerment — for toys, cars, rats, robots, what-havey-ou — it doesn’t get much more succinct than when Dory, the forgetful regal-blue fish at the centre of this animated sequel, asks herself: “What would Dory do?” Just imagine if Jesus had worked that way!
Dory’s Dory- focused behaviour is in aid of finding her parents, whom she starts remembering in a series of flashbacks, not long after the events of Finding Nemo. That film was released in 2003; Finding Dory takes place just a few months later, with Nemo still, conveniently, a charming youngster.
But this time it’s Dory ( Ellen DeGeneres) driving the plot. Recalling that her parents came from “the jewel of Morro Bay,” she hightails it to the California coast, with Nemo and his skittish dad, Marlin ( Albert Brooks), coming along to help. ( The film should really be called Dory Finding.)
The trip leads them to the Marine Life Institute, but leaves Dory uncertain whether her folks are inside this aquarium or merely former residents.
She manages to get in while Marlin and Nemo are stranded ( if that’s the right word) in the ocean outside; co- directors Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane now have to steer Dory both to her parents and back to her friends.
Pixar has had a checkered past with sequels. The Toy Story trilogy, with a fourth tentatively due out in 2018, suggests the studio can do no wrong; Cars 2 begs to differ; and with WALL- E and Up they wisely left well enough alone. Finding Dory lands somewhere in the middle. It is decidedly not the equal of Finding Nemo, but it’s still a strong tale (or tail).
It works best with what it knows well. Dory’s perennially forgetful, apologetic, cheery (and did I mention forgetful) personality grates on those around her, but no one can stay mad at such an upbeat character for long. Also, she’s very forgetful.
Her chief foil is an octopus named Hank, voiced by Ed O’Neill, although his character is also the most problematic. When Hank and Dory first meet in the aquarium’s quarantine area, his one thought is escape. He’s a mercenary; a real iCephalopod.
Hank will eventually prove to have not just one heart of gold but three, although the writers — Stanton, Victoria Strouse and Bob Peterson — have a difficult time making this transformation believable. Science may not have proven these creatures intelligent enough to ask “what’s my motivation?” but discerning viewers demand it.
The other newcomers have even less personality. Destiny ( Kaitlin Olson) is a nearsighted whale shark, while Bailey ( Ty Burrell) is a beluga with similarly challenged echolocation skills. They and a hodgepodge of other animals — sea lions, a loon, some Finding Nemo character cameos — try to help Dory complete her mission.
There isn’t much human interaction ( until a scene near the end that feels a bit too surreal for my liking) but Sigourney Weaver does a good job as herself, providing the voice of the aquarium’s educational soundtrack, a pro-ecology message that thankfully never gets too strident.
Finding Dory is also gorgeous to behold; an early press screening was in 2D, but I’d recommend springing for the glasses and the full “fish-tank” effect. And do stay for the credits, which feature a beautiful slow pan of underwater life, topped with a final silly scene.
Kids should enjoy the frantic pace of the movie, but adult fans of Nemo ( AFONs?) may grumble about diminishing returns. That also goes for Piper, the animated short that precedes the feature. For the first time in a while, neither the short nor the movie has had me embarrassedly choking back tears; an experience I’ ve come to half- dread, half- demand from Pixar’s well- meaning, manipulative creative team. ΩΩΩ
NO ONE CAN STAY MAD AT SUCH AN UPBEAT CHARACTER FOR LONG.