RogerEbert.com wrote: “Wisely, the film takes full advantage of what was Finding Nemo’s greatest asset – besides its lushly multi-hued underwater inhabitants and plant life: Ellen DeGeneres’ buoyant spirit and child-like glee as she vocally gave life to Dory”.
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While “Nemo” was about an overprotective father learning that he can not protect his son from everything, “Dory” is about an adorable and silly fish reclaiming something that she didn’t even know she’d lost. Directed by Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”, “WALL•E”) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer “WALL•E”).
A flashback of Dory’s childhood follows. So she, Marlin and Nemo journey to a California aquarium called the Marine Life Institute, where they’re accidentally separated.
In “Finding Dory”, Pixar’s animation team has outdone itself once again.
The trip across the Pacific goes in a flash.
The dubbing took two days for both stars, and turned out be quite a challenge. Here Pixar introduces Hank the octopus (voiced by Ed O’Neill at his world-weary best), who acts as Dory’s curmudgeonly, crafty man-on-the-inside who helps her get what she wants, all the while plotting his own exit from the facility. Pixar gets this. In “Up” and their new “Finding Dory” they get the heavy stuff out of the way first, so we the viewers can relax and enjoy the thrills and yuks they have in store.
Joseph’s collection features striking shots of Clownfish (Nemo and Marlin), Blue Tangs (Dory), anemones (Nemo’s home), and other new fish friends including a Dart Fish with brilliant red “afterburners on”, and an inquisitive Yellow Tang whose raised fin feels distinctly like a friendly greeting.
“At a certain point, it will probably strike you that the title of ‘Finding Dory’ seems like a misnomer (albeit a catchy one), since the story is all about Dory trying to find Charlie and Jenny”.
“Of course, there’s never any real doubt that Dory will find her way back into the loving embrace of her parents’ fins”. “Piper”, Alan Barillaro’s six-minute short that precedes the film, is about a baby sandpiper learning to feed, scampering in an out of the surf.
Kids (of all ages) will love it if they love the rest of Pixar’s oeuvre, and that means most of us. In the 13 years from “Finding Nemo” to last year’s clunky but gorgeously animated “The Good Dinosaur”, Pixar – all the while making us tear up – has effectively mastered water.
DeGeneres’ comments come weeks after a trailer was released showing what appeared to be the first same-sex couple in a Disney film.
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Destiny, a whale shark, and Bailey, a beluga whale, in “Finding Dory”.
