Alla ricerca di Dory

'Finding Nemo' to me has always been one of Pixar's best, colourful, imaginative, hilarious and poignant with great characters (who cannot love Bruce the shark, plus Dory speaking whale is one of Pixar's funniest moments).

Pixar have been hit and miss since 'Up', with some great films like 'Toy Story 3' and 'Inside Out' (which are two of my favourites from the studio) and some disappointments like 'Cars 2' and 'The Good Dinosaur' (don't hate them as much as many others do though, also didn't think 'Brave' was that bad, though it was not the best animated film that year, and liked 'Monsters University'). While it is not as good as 'Finding Nemo', 'Finding Dory' is a worthy sequel and one of their better efforts since 'Up'.

The film does meander in places with occasional draggy pacing and a couple of rather too convenient plot devices, and Dory's memory loss shtick does get repetitive quickly that it does grate too early on. However, the animation is wonderful with an even richer colour palette perhaps than 'Finding Nemo' and matches that film in meticulous detail and visual imagination. The music score is rousing, whimsical and nuanced.

Where Pixar has always excelled at its best is the balance and execution of humour and pathos. Humour and pathos are balanced deftly in 'Finding Dory', with the humour hilarious and in abundance and the pathos bringing genuine tears and emotional power. The story is flawed and doesn't have the imagination or originality of 'Finding Nemo', but the energy, humour and emotion shine through more than brightly and one does relate to Dory in her quest, one that anybody can relate to if in her situation.

Good characters always help and actually are crucial in making a film work. 'Finding Dory' has them, not just Dory, who has lost none of her comic timing but moves the viewer as well, or Marlin and Nemo who bring sweetness and poignancy to the story, but also the scene stealing seals and gleefully entertaining Hank who provides many great moments. One does miss Bruce though. The voice acting is terrific, with Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks and Ed O'Neill being particularly spot on.

To conclude, 'Finding Nemo' is a great film, this reviewer found 'Finding Dory' to be a worthy sequel. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Everyone's favourite forgetful fish, Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), is back on the big screen a whopping 13 years after joining Marlin (Albert Brooks) on a quest to find his missing clownfish son. This time, however, Dory takes centre stage. Shifting the focus from Nemo to Dory for this belated follow-up is a no-brainer; it allows Pixar to concoct a new ocean-spanning adventure without feeling too repetitive, whilst cleverly bringing the broader plot full-circle by having the child now looking for the parents. Even with the huge gap between movies, there are still obstacles to be circumvented in order to avoid sequelitis. Most of these are handled with the intelligence and elegance we have come to expect from Pixar, though some hurdles prove to be too big. The story goes to very different places from both a narrative and location perspective, but the messages behind the film – don't judge a book by its cover, spontaneity can be liberating, you can do anything if you try hard enough, etc – are all too familiar. With glorious cutting-edge animation, a string of creative sequences and a barrel-full of laughs, there won't be a single audience member, regardless of age, that'll be bored; yet there's also a lack of truly memorable moments that stop this from being a classic like its predecessor. It goes without saying that Dory is the star of the show, although the range of hilarious supporting characters is impressive. Ed O'Neill's cantankerous, camouflaging octopus Hank and Ty Burrell's self-doubting beluga whale Bailey shine brightest. It might not be in the top echelon of Pixar outings, but Finding Dory is a charming, amusing and thoughtful family flick worth visiting the cinema for.

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 may be one of the few people out there that doesn't love Finding Nemo, it was ok but it didn't really do anything for me. So, going into Finding Dory I had no real expectations.

First and foremost, it is GORGEOUS. The colors are striking, the blue tones of the water are realistic at times mesmerizing and the movements of the various creatures are realistic and fluid.

Most importantly though is the story. Dory's journey is one of self discovery, of living with a disability and all of the hurdles that creates in your life. It's about the way it makes others look at you and how she overcomes that. Not with some miracle cure that instantly solves everything or erases the issue altogether in the end, but with honest to goodness character growth.

As an aside, I had avoided seeing this one until I had finally seen Finding Nemo and while I would recommend seeing Nemo, Finding Dory does stand alone as it's own film.

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