Review of Finding Dory (2016) by Gabe A — 16 Aug 2016

On a scale of Toy Story 2 and 3 to Cars 2 and Monsters University; Finding Dory sits nicely in the middle in terms of quality when it comes to Pixar sequels. While quite choppy and unevenly paced to start, Finding Dory finds its footing and sea legs soon enough (I'm so witty.

..). One thing Finding Dory improves upon Finding Nemo is it's humour. This is thanks to a wide selection of new, funny and memorable characters that provide genuine laugh out loud moments that liven up proceedings.

Most notable are the roles of Hank the cantankerous octopus played by Modern Family's Ed O'Neil and Idris Elba and Dominic West who play a pair of cockney Sea Lions who steal every scene they're in.

That being said, the returning cast of Nemo, Marlin and Dory are as great as they've ever been and seeing them on screen feels like a warm hug from friends or relatives you haven't seen in a long time.

Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy are equally as great and star as Dory's parents that appear in flashbacks throughout the film that would make even those of stern hearts dredge up a tear or two. The one thing I feared most about the film was IF Dory was a strong enough character to base an entire feature film upon and luckily I was proved wrong.

Her story of reconnection with her parents is endearing and the exploration of her philosophy as a character was just as captivating. In conclusion, while I feel that Finding Dory fails to recapture the magic and mystification of the ocean as its predecessor did so successfully, the film serves instead as a fun romp with old and new friends alike combined with a genuinely heartfelt narrative and message that does the characters and soul of the franchise justice.