It is without a doubt that “Finding Dory” has expectations to meet and Disney fans to please following the highly successful 2003 hit animated film, “Finding Nemo”. By default, like any other movie sequel, it will get compared to its predecessor.
“Is it as good as ‘Finding Nemo’?” “Do I need to re-watch ‘Finding Nemo’ before watching ‘Finding Dory’?” “Which one will I like better?”
Let’s get one thing straight – “Finding Dory” is not a cash-in sequel that was made for the sake of it being made. In fact, it’s an entirely new story altogether albeit with cameo appearances from the well-loved “Finding Nemo” characters e.g. Marlin, Nemo, Crush. Something that the loyal as well as the new generation of film fans will definitely appreciate.
The synopsis is as follows:
“The friendly-but-forgetful Pacific regal blue tang fish, Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), suddenly recalls her childhood memories, remembering something about the jewel of Morro Bay, California. She decides to embark on a quest to reunite with her mother (voiced by Diane Keaton) and father (voiced by Eugene Levy) with help from Nemo and Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks). Dory then arrives at the Monterey Marine Life Institute, where she meets Bailey (voiced by Ty Burrell), a white beluga whale; Destiny (voiced by Kaitlin Olson), a whale shark; and Hank (voiced by Ed O’Neill) an octopus, who becomes her guide. And everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.”
The storyline for “Finding Dory” takes place 6 months after the events of “Finding Nemo” even though 13 years have passed in real time since the prequel premiered.
It picks up quickly and seamlessly as soon as the movie starts, reintroducing the characters to the audience with focus on the well-loved but absent-minded blue tang fish.
While Dory in “Finding Nemo” seemed underdeveloped – and understandably so because she wasn’t the main character – fans will be pleasantly surprised to find that the filmmakers have put in a lot of effort in really developing Dory’s character, complete with her own backstory.
Of course, she continues to deal with the fact that she has short-term memory loss (something that she will constantly repeat throughout the entire film), but she will also gain a new dimension to her character when she starts getting split-second flashes of her life before Marlin and Nemo e.g. her parents (Charlie and Jenny), her childhood, and memories of where she grew up.
Fans will get to see Dory’s parents doting on her when she was a big-eyed blue tang fish toddler with a babyish gurgle. For the first time, fans will also discover that Dory’s parents tried really hard to train their child to deal with her disability. And hearts will collectively break at the sight of baby Dory’s crestfallen face each time she fails a task.
These flashbacks are endearing, but they will come and go, because Dory just can’t seem to remember anything for more than 10 seconds. Frustration will set in but you will find yourself subconsciously cheering Dory on whenever she tries to anchor her flashbacks down long enough for her to figure out where to find her parents and how to go home.
“Finding Dory” is also a reintroduction to the dazzling undersea world as Dory and her friends hit the currents again to get to “the Jewel of Morro Bay, California” (the Monterey Marine Life Institute). And at that point, the audience will get to meet the wacky supporting characters voiced by Idris Elba, Dominic West, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, and Sigourney Weaver (somewhat).
By the way, we gotta say that Kaitlin Olson’s character, Destiny the whale shark, could very well be our other favourite character in “Finding Dory”.
The animation is literally out of this world, what with it being an oceanic adventure. Not a fin was out of place under director Andrew Stanton’s (who also worked on “Finding Nemo”) guidance. With gorgeous scenes that pop out at you and ample dosages of wit, charm, and humour, “Finding Dory” is thoroughly satisfying and worth the wait. And fans will lap this up happily 🙂
We’ll leave you now with the latest trailer for “Finding Dory”. Enjoy:
“Finding Dory” will be released in Malaysia on 16th June 2016.
Meanwhile, don’t forget to arm yourself with these fun facts about “Finding Dory” before watching the movie!
For more information on “Finding Dory”, visit the movie’s official website or Facebook page.
