In 2003, one of the most iconic Pixar films, Finding Nemo was released. The film was extremely successful- successful enough to spur the 2013 announcement of the sequel, Finding Dory, to be released in 2016. The film was finally released last week and I went to see it, and to say it was amazing would be an understatement.
One of the opening scenes definitely pulled at the heart strings once it was realized that I was watching the exact scene from Nemo where Marlin meets Dory. We are then fast forwarded one year to see that Marlin and Nemo are happily living at home in their anemone with their new, forgetful friend Dory living right next to them. From here on out through the film, Dory shows signs of remembering her past, but more importantly, her family. The film, similar to the original, goes on to tell the tale of finding Dory's parents. Pixar released one of the earlier clips in the film of the blue tang as a baby, and let's just say she was a hit.
The film draws several parallels to its predecessor. For one, the once baby turtle, Crush, is now all grown up. He is seen when Marlin tells Dory and Nemo that he "knows a guy" to catch the California current. The film also mirrors it's original when Marlin and Nemo take on a "What Would Dory Do?" attitude and they bounce on the water fountains to get to the other side of the park. If you recall in Finding Nemo, it was Dory's idea to bounce on the jellyfish to get to their next destination.
One of the major topics the media seems to be touching on after the release of this film is how Pixar "mainstreams" special needs children through this sequel. Dory suffers from short-term memory loss, a line you can hear consistently throughout the movie, as her parents taught her to recite it. It was only bound to happen in due time, that Dory would get lost or seek help for her lack of memory.
Some compare Dory's story, to that of a young child with Autism, or an older person with Alzheimers (wbur.org). Her wandering is not only associated with memory loss problems, but strikes close to home for many other families. The film is mainly set in what is called the "Marine Life Institute," and many sick fish with what could be considered "special needs" live here. Two dead-ringers for this second category are Becky the bird and Gerald the sea lion. The two characters appear and behave differently from those of the same species, but in the end they are depicted as coming out on top. Becky helped Marlin and Nemo get back to the ocean and Gerald was finally able to rest on the rock (watch the movie, really just do it!)
As a special education major I found this movie to be spectacular. These two characters, while minor, can make a difference. They appear initially to be the underdogs, but come out on top helping to save the day, or overcoming their own battles. Many viewers saw the characters as inherent jokes, stating that they were too easy to laugh at. I however, see them as heroes.
The film as a whole has a nostalgic sense to it. While watching it, I had clear memories of playing my Finding Nemo- The Video Game, on my PlayStation 2 with my brother. As I looked around the theater, I saw younger children enjoying the film, but it was their parents, grandparents, and older siblings of whom were on the edge of their seats. The icing on the cake, however, was the soundtrack, which featured Nat King Cole's Unforgettable, performed by Sia.
