Finding Dory
Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
Stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill
Duration: 97 mins
Class: U
KRS Releasing Ltd

Nothing much else needs to be said about the humungous success Pixar deservedly enjoyed with 2003’s Finding Nemo, a movie that was ground-breaking not only in terms of story and character – typical of a Pixar movie, of course – but also in its superlative animation of its ocean-scape and marine inhabitants.

The film went on to gross €900 million worldwide and Nemo, the little clownfish with a tiny right fin; his overprotective father Marlin; and their forgetful friend, a royal blue tang named Dory, continue to be beloved of fans of all ages.

That a sequel would come about was always apparent, helped undoubtedly by comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who voiced Dory, and who has campaigned tirelessly and hilariously for a continuation to the story. And, in April 2013, to her – and millions of others’ – delight, in April 2013 Pixar/Disney declared that a follow-up was to be made and would deal with Dory’s story. And it has finally swum up to our shores.

As the movie opens – following a delightful short film about a baby sandpiper’s first steps towards the water – we find Dory, Marlin and Nemo, around a year after the events chronicled in the first film, living contentedly in the depths of the reef they call home.

Dory, who of course suffers from short-term memory loss, one day suddenly recalls that she has a father and mother out there somewhere and, with her memories of her parents swimming in and out of her mind, she sets out determinedly to find them. Technology has made remarkable advancements in the 13 years since Nemo was released, and Pixar have once again made the most of it.

Thanks to Ellen Degeneres’s impeccable portrayal, Dory will go down in the annals of animated history

The animation of the backdrops are once more superlatively capturing the unbelievable colours and palpable texture of each individual fish and sea-faring character and the surrounding flora and fauna, while generating facial expressions and body movements for the characters that are astonishingly well-rendered and realistic.

Kudos, however, to the team for keeping the same look and feel we’ve come to know and love from Nemo, so it’s a world we are happily familiar with from the first shots; as of course we are with the characters.

Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) are pretty much supporting characters this time round. The ensemble includes Ed O’Neill (from TV’s Modern Family), who lends his voice to grumpy old octopus – or septopus – Hank, who grudgingly offers to help Dory in her quest. More humour and superb characterisation come from Kaitlin Olson, as short-sighted whale shark Destiny, while sitcom Modern Family fans will recognise Ty Burrell as beluga whale Bailey.

Dory’s parents Charlie and Jenny are given voice by Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton, and do listen out for Idris Elba’s smooth tones as sea lion, rounded off by a rather splendidly funny cameo from Sigourney Weaver.

It is, however, DeGeneres’ film through and through. Finding Dory is a story of searching for one’s identity; of family and of never giving up in the face of adversity. This tiny, colourful fish summons the courage to access those deeply-embedded memories she has ignored up to now. As the story unfolds, we learn that her perennial and infectiously optimistic outlook on life hides a deep fear of not knowing who she is, where her parents are, and what the future holds for her.

While the script by Andrew Stanton (who co-directs) and Victoria Strouse tackles these oh-so-human issues with dollops of heart and humour, DeGeneres brings them to life following the sterling voice work she accomplished in Nemo by adding depth, grit and, yes, complexity to this character who invites us to swim with her in the ocean of heartfelt emotions that the film offers.

Degeneres uses her voice to channel the conflicting and contrasting emotions of terror, bravery, love, laughter and humour with complete dedication and dexterity, nailing the serious and sad moments with the same skill as the hilarious ones – of which, needless to say, there are many. Dory always was an inspirational character – her ‘just keep swimming’ mantra will never get old.

And, thanks to Degeneres’ impeccable portrayal, she’ll go down in annals of animated history. Not bad for a character that was initially there for comic relief.

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