The follow-up to Pixar's hugely successful
Finding Nemo (2003) has been anticipated for 13 years with
Finding Dory winning our high praise. The storyline captivated us from the very beginning with beautiful imagery and lighting queues that transported us down into the sea alongside the characters. The film slightly mirrors
Finding Nemo with Dory taking on the "lost child" role as she searches for her parents, Charlie and Jenny. Though Dory's usual short-term memory still plagues her, it's the memory flashes of her past that really get the story going. With the film primarily taking place a year after
Finding Nemo (with the exception of Dory's flashbacks), Marlin and Nemo assume the side-kick role as they help Dory venture through the Marine Life Institute in California meeting a new cast of unforgettable characters along the way.
(Spoilers below.)
We were thrilled that the film felt wholly original despite having familiar characters and similar story elements. The fast-paced editing and wonderful direction by Andrew Stanton (and co-Director, Angus MacLane) hooks you so intensely that you can't look away for even a moment without missing something. Of course the visuals were equally stunning — the work the team put into making us feel as if we were in an real aquarium absolutely paid off. The feel, the lighting, the colors — everything felt true-to-life and allowed the audience to become even more immersed in the film.
Immersion into the story was also intensified by Thomas Newman's dark, delicate and action-packed score. (
Read our entire review of the Finding Dory score/soundtrack.) The writing and vocal cast were also superb as well — it was great hearing the quick-hitting and witty vocal pacing (similar to many of Pixar's classic films).
VOCAL CAST
The vocal cast within the film proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the heartwarming storyline with our emotions reeling from young Dory (voiced by Sloane Murray). The innocence and vulnerability behind young Dory imprinted on our hearts and had us rooting for her in a much different way than in
Finding Nemo. Speaking of Dory, Ellen DeGeneres' performance is brilliant and she delivers her most emotional work to date — we're still not sure how she pulled off some of the subtle vocal nuances she did when reuniting with her parents, or in other moments of introspection.
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