Pixar is in an interesting period of its development. Despite churning out some of the most beloved family movies of the last two decades, the studio is still relatively young when compared to other animation or film giants. But its youth does not discount it from being able to cash in on its audience’s nostalgia value. Doing so would be dangerous considering that two of Pixar’s three distinguishable flops were sequels, but never before have they attempted a sequel so long-awaited as "Finding Dory".
Anyone who saw the first movie, and so long as you were born before 2005 you have, knows that Ellen DeGeneres plays Dory, a blue tang fish with severe short term memory loss and a sunny disposition. Though a comedic partner in 2003’s "Finding Nemo", she is put front and center as she abruptly remembers details from her past that could lead her to her long-lost parents. She enlists the help of her clown fish friend Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his son Nemo (Hayden Rolence) to cross the entirety of the Pacific Ocean and infiltrate the Marine Life Institute in California. However, they are separated after a spat leaving Dory to wander the institute with a despondent octopus named Hank (Ed O’Neill), a near-sighted whale shark called Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), and a beluga whale in denial named Bailey (Ty Burrell). Through various twists and turns, Dory’s limited memory reunites her and separates her from her old life climaxing in an action and humor-filled finale that feels like George Miller directing Barney the Dinosaur.
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Unlike most Pixar movies, the story is this movie’s weakest link. It is overly similar to its predecessor and Marlin, previously the protagonist, is thoroughly unlikable due to his constant complaining. His character ark is nearly identical to the one we saw in 2003, only with worse pacing. Across the film, individual story beats lose so much weight because they are rushed or played for the wrong tone. Moments of great revelation are rarely allowed to settle before moving on to the next joke or action set piece.
However, if Pixar has lost its touch for good writing, it has made up for it in spades with improved animation. "Finding Nemo" was visually stunning with its depiction of the open ocean being vivid to the point of fully crossing the uncanny valley, but here their animators are working with a tighter and more limited space, which allow for quicker and more detailed animation. During slow moments in the story, it is easy to appreciate the practiced bagginess of an octopus’s skin or the detailed feathering of a kelp leaf. The environment looks great, the characters look real in a cartoonish way, and the water looks downright inviting.
If there is any deciding factor between the faltering story and the stellar animation, it is in the voice performances. Though his character hasn’t evolved at all, Brooks puts the same genuine paternal energy into his performance and it is a miracle that the casting director could find Rolence, a kid who can so perfectly emulate the same performance that we got thirteen years ago that I had to IMDB it to make sure it wasn’t the same guy. O’Neill, Olson, and Burrell all sound like they’re doing this for more than a paycheck and cameos from the likes of Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Idris Elba, Dominique West, and Sigourney Weaver fill in whatever cracks are left visible.
But make no mistake, this movie belongs to Ellen. Dory was a comedic side character, one not meant to carry an entire movie on her own. Only an energized and passionate actor could bring her full emotional potential to the surface and only a bubbly sprite of a personality could keep the atmosphere light and funny. DeGeneres is both and she wraps up every scene she’s in with a tight, loving hug. The only voice actor that could possibly match her in terms of emotional power would be young Sloane Murray who plays a young Dory in frequent flashbacks. And even then, Murray has the advantage of being one of the most adorable little creatures ever to be animated. Seriously, you should buy a ticket just to see how cute Dory was as a guppy.
Overall, "Finding Dory" will probably not go down as one of Pixar’s greatest triumphs, but considering it's competing with the likes of "Inside Out" and "Up", I don’t think that’s an insult. It’s a good movie with a poorly paced script and a disjointed story, but it’s made with the same passion and excitement that we’ve come to expect from Pixar. There are jokes for all ages, animation so artistic it belongs in a museum, and Ellen in one of her best roles where she’s not hosting an awards show or dancing to a late-eighties synth beat. This might be one to bring the family to, but it’s certainly not one to miss. 4/5.
