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Review: Finding Dory More Than Justifies its Existence

By Christopher Ortiz · June 21, 2016

It’s too easy for sequels to mimic their predecessor because it’s difficult to escape their shadow, especially if that predecessor happens to be Finding Nemo. Thankfully, Pixar and company were smart enough to take the time to give Finding Dory the worthy follow-up it deserved to be. With an emotional storyline and nuanced performances, Dory is one of the best animated films of the year and while it admittedly doesn’t reach the dramatic heights of its predecessor, it nevertheless sends a strong message about a potent subject: mental illness.
 
While Finding Nemo was literally about finding Nemo by crossing an unpredictable ocean, Finding Dory is about finding Dory's long-long parents, believed to be held in a sea-world-type fish rehabilitation center. But ultimately, it’s about our beloved Dory finding herself. Because of her short-term memory loss, she remembers almost nothing about her past except that she obviously has parents, and therefore doesn’t know herself to a large degree until some clues come bonking on her head. She spends a good deal of time in the third act discovering the best and worst parts of herself in scenes that – while heavy-handed at times so the children in the audience can understand – tug at the heartstrings a great deal.
 
To save itself from feeling like a retread of its predecessor, Finding Dory breezes through the cross-ocean trek in minutes before the real search begins, with the help of some “gnarly” characters we’ve met before. It was a smart move because much of Dory’s past exists within that establishment, giving her a standalone adventure that includes the voices of Idris Elba, Albert Brooks, Signourney Weaver, and Modern Family’s Ed O’Neill and Ty Burrell.
 
The rehab center, where most of the action takes place, appropriately feels like its own colorful world full of surprises in the eyes of the contagiously-optimistic Dory and, of course, a death trap in the eyes of the over-overprotective Marlin. Dory must swim through the pipelines and avoid human traffic everywhere, but she thankfully has helping hand in the world-weary Hank the septapus (he lost one of his eight tentacles in the ocean). Hank (Ed O’Neill) is an awesome, stunt-pulling chameleon-like fish who just wants to be transferred to a life of solitude because he fears the ocean after some traumatic experiences.
 
Their chemistry is solid, with witty and heartfelt moments in abundance, but we never learn about this mysterious trauma he carries, and it’s a backstory the film should have used to strengthen its theme on how critical it is to let positive memories drive you forward rather than letting your negative memories define you – as Hank does. The film says it but never shows it, so many may not be too convinced by his actions in the last act. He had the chops add another level of depth to the film, but the filmmakers wanted to keep a tighter focus on Dory’s story first and foremost, which saves Finding Dory from feeling too familiar, but also makes it feel as though something’s missing.
 
Nevertheless, Ed O’Neill’s world-weary performance renders Hank a scene-stealer every time he shows up. With his mouth rarely seen given its place at the bottom of his body, his eyes do plenty of talking, and the amount of nuance in his performance shows just how far animation has come in revealing a character’s true intentions. A Finding Hank would be a very welcome threequel.
 
Despite the missing piece in his character, Finding Dory compensates by not overextending itself with unnecessary humor or subplots like many sequels. This is mostly thanks to the focus on a single meaningful arc for Dory rather than cashing in by retreading moments from the first film. While she's always been a scene-stealing character, placing her in the spotlight this time scores a win for female protagonists as well as the depiction of mental illness in film. Sporadic memory bursts believably act as flashbacks that give her clues to her parents’ potential whereabouts and keep the plot moving in a fast pace akin to other Pixar films, and they always feel naturally provoked and appropriately-emotional.
 
There are some tear-jerking moments in the film’s third act, albeit delivered somewhat heavy-handedly at times so that the younger members of the audience can understand, but the film deserves applause nonetheless for finding a way to challenge Dory’s contagious spontaneity and optimism by revealing her biggest demons. It’s a demanding job for any actress, but Ellen DeGeneres pulls it off wonderfully. She’s at her best ever here, delivering the required innocence, determination and even pathos in spades.
 
When all is said and done, this film exhibits a life-affirming message about being yourself, which can be especially difficult for those living with any sort of mental illness and who inevitably feel disadvantaged because of it. Thanks to Pixar, Dory may be a positive role model to millions after this film’s theatrical run.
 
Finding Dory is a thought-provoking standalone sequel with a sweet message and that irresistible Pixar charm of beautiful animation, a funny supporting cast and an action-packed plot. It leaves a considerable plot hole concerning Hank the octopus, but if that was intentional for another sequel down the road, then there’s no doubt it will be a welcome and beautiful threequel – so long as it stays focused on what Pixar does best.