Finding Dory
Published 2016-12-09
Film info
- Title Finding Dory
- Directors Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
- Year 2016
- Run time 1hr 37m
- Genres Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family
- Tagline An unforgettable journey she probably won't remember
- Cast Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Idris Elba, Kate McKinnon
Disney Pixar welcomes back everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang Dory, who’s living happily in the reef with Nemo and Marlin. When Dory suddenly remembers that she has a family out there who may be looking for her, the trio take off on a life-changing adventure across the ocean to California’s Marine Life Institute. In an effort to find her parents, Dory enlists the help of Hank, a cantankerous octopus; Bailey, a beluga whale who’s convinced his biological sonar skills are on the fritz; and Destiny, a nearsighted whale shark. Navigating the complex inner workings of the MLI, Dory and her friends discover the magic within their flaws, friendships and family.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:08 | Oh god, baby Dory is adorable. It’s like Monsters University all over again. |
| 4:28 | “Short term remembery loss.” |
| 7:56 | That’s pretty much how I have to wake Mr C up. Endless disruption. |
| 10:20 | That fish is just like Mater! |
| 13:22 | “Don’t be such a Dory, Dory.” |
| 19:14 | Loving the container shipwreck, but oof that’s a lot of stuff people didn’t get delivered. |
| 21:42 | Sigourney Weaver though! |
| 30:34 | The octopus is amazing, loving the changing colours and stuff. |
| 34:55 | “Ill-defined and roundish.” |
| 40:58 | Yay, the gift shop! |
| 43:49 | I always knew the touch pools were awful. |
| 46:47 | What would Dory do? WWDD? |
| 56:23 | “Don’t bail on me Bailey.” |
| 1:05:18 | Aww, “my them.” |
| 1:08:12 | Shell maps are very pretty. |
| 1:11:46 | The Sigourney Weaver Guidance System. |
| 1:14:33 | Bailey is hilarious. |
| 1:19:37 | Oh god, an octopus on your windscreen would be terrifying! “Suck it bipeds.” |
| 1:27:48 | The water animation is absolutely incredible. |
Thoughts
I am, for the most part, always nervous about watching Pixar sequels these days, but this one delivered all the good stuff and was stunning to look at. Following Dory is an inspired choice, as she was the most popular character from the original film, although I think this sequel suffered from trying to get into the story.
It felt like a lot of effort trying to wrangle the story into place, from the adorable baby Dory, through a montage, through where Finding Nemo took place, then a year later, then another search. Once they got to the park, in fact once we heard the soothing tones of Sigourney Weaver (so deliciously random), then it was brilliant, but I felt like it took a long time to get there.
Interestingly, I thought the secondary characters really outshone the main ones in this film, just as they did in Finding Nemo. Hank the Octopus, and the combination of Destiny and Bailey, whose sonar efforts had us in hysterics, were all brilliant and deserving in spin offs of their own.
A wonderful sequel, a delight to behold with so many heartwrenching scenes that ninety minutes felt like forever, but lots of great moments and funny lines that meant the ninety minutes felt too short.
Rating: 4 / 5
