Finding Dory

Back to the pond for Pixar, where we find things largely unchanged from the end of 2003's Finding Nemo. As the continually-forgetful blue tang Dory has a sudden enduring flash of her childhood, a rush of recall, she gathers the clownfish for one more globe-spanning adventure. The setup is a little soft, lingering too long in the shadow of the first film, but eventually we break free of that sentiment and forge a new (if similar) identity for the sequel. The closed-in landscape of an aquatic themed zoo/amusement park feels a bit claustrophobic at first glance, but as hijinx ensue and we learn more of Dory's early years, it all fleshes out nicely. No shortage of colorful new characters there, literally and figuratively, not the least of which is Ed O'Neill's escape artist "septipus" (having lost a tentacle in the touch tank), who treads dangerously close to becoming a deus ex machina with his versatility. O'Neill brings his usual disgruntled pessimism to the role, though, and some genuinely clever sight gags using the creature's natural assets go a long way to smoothing that over. He's overly convenient, but we're always glad to see him again. Witty and fast-paced, with a good mix of gags for the adults and their kids, plus a potent dose of the studio's famed poignancy. I laughed, I misted up, but I never quite fooled myself into thinking it was superior to the first.

A regal blue tang embarks on a journey to find her parents.

'Finding Dory' is an enjoyable sequel with some memorable moments.

The plot is quite heartwarming as we follow Dory in search of her parents and it is this premise that carries a film with little else to say.

As nice as it is to see these characters again, I find it a stretch to stay interested for 97 minutes. There is more of an emphasis on action-oriented visuals than was the case in 'Finding Nemo' and it feels like some of the spectacle is there to pad the movie out. Also Marlin and Nemo seem mostly to be along for the ride this time.

That being said there are some standout moments, mostly involving Dory and her parents. There is one spectacular slow motion sequence that is very well done and makes good use of a popular song.

Visually, as with most Pixar movies it is very impressive. The character designs and underwater backdrops are as fabulous as the original.

I think it was great to see Dory side and more about her life. It was creative and overall it was good.

Right from the start I could easily tell why Finding Dory isn't the most appreciated. It wasn't as brilliantly written as Finding Nemo was and in the opening, it immediately showed your throat with the main plot about Dory's parents and all.

I must admit it wasn't a bad film at all. It definitely had a ton of great things going on, it was still enjoyable and I liked some of the new characters introduced. Look if this was a standalone film or if Finding Nemo was around the same quality, my review would have been normal but I just have to compare it with the superior original

What happened with the insanely brilliant ways the first was written in? Don't get me wrong, Finding Dory still had some clever ways to get the plot going but it definitely didn't have the Pixar magic for me, I never laughed during this film. One thing to add that severely affected my experience was Dory's short-term memory loss. I know people with it suffer like she does but Dory just experiences it way too many times, in Finding Nemo it was alright because they had some comedy in them plus it was mainly focused on Marlin and Nemo. But as I said I didn't find it funny so each time she would experience her short-term memory loss, I would get frustrated because it genuinely gets on my nerves. If the writers didn't show it into your face that Dory has it, I would have been in a completely different mood

But as I said Finding Dory is still good film, it was entertaining, fun and overall a fun experience but it was lacking

Rating: 7.0/10.

This is a really good sequel. Taking characters from the first one and putting new ones in there as well, it never gets boring or seems to repetitive. And you don't even have to be Dory, I mean forgetful, for this to work for you. Yes it does make sense to watch the first one (Finding Nemo) then, although I reckon you could watch it and enjoy it as a standalone too.

The characters and their traits are strong and there are a lot of side jokes built in to this too. Humans are being treated like extras and we wouldn't have the time to deal with them anyway. That is apart from one major voice - but it's being highlighted too as if one of the writers or Ellen herself might have a crush there. But you can't blame them for that. On the contrary you can congratulate everyone involved for a really good movie