User reviews

Back to the pond for Pixar, where we find things largely unchanged from the end of 2003's Finding Nemo. As the continually-forgetful blue tang Dory has a sudden enduring flash of her childhood, a rush of recall, she gathers the clownfish for one more globe-spanning adventure. The setup is a little soft, lingering too long in the shadow of the first film, but eventually we break free of that sentiment and forge a new (if similar) identity for the sequel. The closed-in landscape of an aquatic themed zoo/amusement park feels a bit claustrophobic at first glance, but as hijinx ensue and we learn more of Dory's early years, it all fleshes out nicely. No shortage of colorful new characters there, literally and figuratively, not the least of which is Ed O'Neill's escape artist "septipus" (having lost a tentacle in the touch tank), who treads dangerously close to becoming a deus ex machina with his versatility. O'Neill brings his usual disgruntled pessimism to the role, though, and some genuinely clever sight gags using the creature's natural assets go a long way to smoothing that over. He's overly convenient, but we're always glad to see him again. Witty and fast-paced, with a good mix of gags for the adults and their kids, plus a potent dose of the studio's famed poignancy. I laughed, I misted up, but I never quite fooled myself into thinking it was superior to the first.

This is a really good sequel. Taking characters from the first one and putting new ones in there as well, it never gets boring or seems to repetitive. And you don't even have to be Dory, I mean forgetful, for this to work for you. Yes it does make sense to watch the first one (Finding Nemo) then, although I reckon you could watch it and enjoy it as a standalone too.

The characters and their traits are strong and there are a lot of side jokes built in to this too. Humans are being treated like extras and we wouldn't have the time to deal with them anyway. That is apart from one major voice - but it's being highlighted too as if one of the writers or Ellen herself might have a crush there. But you can't blame them for that. On the contrary you can congratulate everyone involved for a really good movie

Right from the start I could easily tell why Finding Dory isn't the most appreciated. It wasn't as brilliantly written as Finding Nemo was and in the opening, it immediately showed your throat with the main plot about Dory's parents and all.

I must admit it wasn't a bad film at all. It definitely had a ton of great things going on, it was still enjoyable and I liked some of the new characters introduced. Look if this was a standalone film or if Finding Nemo was around the same quality, my review would have been normal but I just have to compare it with the superior original

What happened with the insanely brilliant ways the first was written in? Don't get me wrong, Finding Dory still had some clever ways to get the plot going but it definitely didn't have the Pixar magic for me, I never laughed during this film. One thing to add that severely affected my experience was Dory's short-term memory loss. I know people with it suffer like she does but Dory just experiences it way too many times, in Finding Nemo it was alright because they had some comedy in them plus it was mainly focused on Marlin and Nemo. But as I said I didn't find it funny so each time she would experience her short-term memory loss, I would get frustrated because it genuinely gets on my nerves. If the writers didn't show it into your face that Dory has it, I would have been in a completely different mood

But as I said Finding Dory is still good film, it was entertaining, fun and overall a fun experience but it was lacking

Rating: 7.0/10.

I think it was great to see Dory side and more about her life. It was creative and overall it was good.

The story was beautifully executed, it was well paced, the new characters kept the story fresh and the film was somewhat educational. Perhaps not as emotionally charged as the first, but not many sequels can achieve such a high quality level in terms of depth in all its characters and minor details. Only Pixar can make you feel empathetic towards a fish.

A regal blue tang embarks on a journey to find her parents.

'Finding Dory' is an enjoyable sequel with some memorable moments.

The plot is quite heartwarming as we follow Dory in search of her parents and it is this premise that carries a film with little else to say.

As nice as it is to see these characters again, I find it a stretch to stay interested for 97 minutes. There is more of an emphasis on action-oriented visuals than was the case in 'Finding Nemo' and it feels like some of the spectacle is there to pad the movie out. Also Marlin and Nemo seem mostly to be along for the ride this time.

That being said there are some standout moments, mostly involving Dory and her parents. There is one spectacular slow motion sequence that is very well done and makes good use of a popular song.

Visually, as with most Pixar movies it is very impressive. The character designs and underwater backdrops are as fabulous as the original.

Very nice film and the character of Dory is so beautifully portrayed. A great sequel to Finding Nemo.

I may be one of the few people out there that doesn't love Finding Nemo, it was ok but it didn't really do anything for me. So, going into Finding Dory I had no real expectations.

First and foremost, it is GORGEOUS. The colors are striking, the blue tones of the water are realistic at times mesmerizing and the movements of the various creatures are realistic and fluid.

Most importantly though is the story. Dory's journey is one of self discovery, of living with a disability and all of the hurdles that creates in your life. It's about the way it makes others look at you and how she overcomes that. Not with some miracle cure that instantly solves everything or erases the issue altogether in the end, but with honest to goodness character growth.

As an aside, I had avoided seeing this one until I had finally seen Finding Nemo and while I would recommend seeing Nemo, Finding Dory does stand alone as it's own film.

Everyone's favourite forgetful fish, Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), is back on the big screen a whopping 13 years after joining Marlin (Albert Brooks) on a quest to find his missing clownfish son. This time, however, Dory takes centre stage. Shifting the focus from Nemo to Dory for this belated follow-up is a no-brainer; it allows Pixar to concoct a new ocean-spanning adventure without feeling too repetitive, whilst cleverly bringing the broader plot full-circle by having the child now looking for the parents. Even with the huge gap between movies, there are still obstacles to be circumvented in order to avoid sequelitis. Most of these are handled with the intelligence and elegance we have come to expect from Pixar, though some hurdles prove to be too big. The story goes to very different places from both a narrative and location perspective, but the messages behind the film – don't judge a book by its cover, spontaneity can be liberating, you can do anything if you try hard enough, etc – are all too familiar. With glorious cutting-edge animation, a string of creative sequences and a barrel-full of laughs, there won't be a single audience member, regardless of age, that'll be bored; yet there's also a lack of truly memorable moments that stop this from being a classic like its predecessor. It goes without saying that Dory is the star of the show, although the range of hilarious supporting characters is impressive. Ed O'Neill's cantankerous, camouflaging octopus Hank and Ty Burrell's self-doubting beluga whale Bailey shine brightest. It might not be in the top echelon of Pixar outings, but Finding Dory is a charming, amusing and thoughtful family flick worth visiting the cinema for.

I have to admit that I was among many who rolled their eyes when a sequel to Finding Nemo was announced. I really didn't think there was anything else that could be done with that story. WRONG! It was honestly a million times better than I ever could have expected. I definitely loved it more than the original Finding Nemo. Dory was a fan favorite in the original film and the sequel delivers more of Ellen's whimsical portrayal of the forgetful little fish.

I am a sucker for backstory (main reason I love the Star Wars prequels) and I absolutely loved the direction they took this film in. Fun for the whole family. Laughs, lessons, tons of heart. Who could ask for more? The voice acting cast was tremendous, particularly Ellen, of course. They really know how to pull you into this undersea world. I really wouldn't have changed anything about it. A truly delightful movie.

I thought it would be one of the best second part ever made, but to my surprise it turned to be a standard bad second part.

Where is the hilarious Dory and the amazingly essential funny characters like the fish tank ones in the first movie. I just found a basic line trying to make a good story. And a boring story trying to not cross the line of disgusting. Characters that have my barely passing grade. But my predictions for this movies were so high that the failure was bigger, just like, I hoped, for all the ones who saw it 13 years ago.

See it if you want to know what happens with Dory's family at any cost, but if you just have a low curiosity, just don't see it. I recommend you to see finding Nemo again.

Please don't even think to make a third movie in 13 years.

I've never been into animation and my comments probably reflect it. Not for any silly quibbles about real cinema versus not, kiddie versus adult; it's simply that the real world that threads itself around us is too marvelous and fantastical, too full of myriad possible worlds to envision, to forego the opportunity. Okay, but this leaves me free to observe these few things here.

It really has taken a quantum leap the last decade in trying to replicate our world after that business with dead eyes was over. Is there anything more extraordinary than texture and light falling a certain way? An audience of Disney's time would have been baffled by what kind of reality this film shows.

The most fantastical quality of reality is that I can open the door and go wherever. The thinking mind will hold me back nine times out of ten, but the fact that our lives play out against the possibility is behind any life worth being lived. Spontaneity. It lies at the bottom of all the other structures we observe around us and at the bottom of almost every great film I know of.

Pixar's main structure in building world - and what sets them apart from previous studios - is finding a small corner of our own world to animate, say toys in the attic, we can then have the delight of secret lives right under our feet. The more ordinary and familiar this corner is, the more often we can imagine passing through it, the better. It's the difference between Toy Story and Cars. It lets them filter in the following way; the larger surrounding human world retains its quality of callous indifference as we think of it ourselves, our gaze is directed to the magical world-within where fragile beings have to struggle with predicaments like ours.

The primary thing to note in tandem with this is how the rest has been engineered around spontaneous expression. Pixar are something of a master in how things flow, how walls can be moved around to facilitate experience. It's all about turbulent motion that zig zags over barriers; through ocean streams, a bird flying us overhead, through tubes inside the marine park, hijacking a truck. Things magically work out, even when our heroes don't land in the right place, they do.

And you'll see this in the story about a narrator who continuously forgets, has no plan about how she's going to accomplish what she wants other than the urge to find her parents, but makes her way by rubbing against limits of where she finds herself, spontaneously opening ways.

The sequel is good, its rewatchable but it's nothing special, it is just another sequel for a great movie.

The continuations in the Pixar universe have always generated reflections and debates about the creative power of the studio. On the one hand, sequences such as Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010) are praised almost unanimously for maintaining the excellence of the original, on the other, Monsters University (2013) and, mainly, Cars 2 (2011) are seen by many as oscillating points in the production company's acclaimed filmography. For these reasons, and also for the thirteen years between productions, Finding Dory, continuation of the absolute success Finding Nemo (2003), arrives wrapped in a colossal expectation.

Now in Finding Dory, she takes center stage for her own story, where this specialty is converted from humor to drama, and the immensity of the ocean is reduced to an oceanarium (more controlled environment) to be proportional to the difficulty of the character's mission. She can remember nothing, but she has flashes of memories with her parents, and now that she knows, she needs to find them. In this sequence of the epoch-making feature, the spectator has the feeling that he is missing the loved ones, such as the goldfish Dory, who is now the main protagonist of the story. Thus, the work is an incredible work of nostalgia, which fills its audience with grace just because it reminds them of such a remarkable universe.

Director Andrew Stanton returns, this time alongside Angus MacLane, to lead the plot that takes place a year after the events of the first film. Here the little blue fish Dory, who suffers from a recent memory loss problem, begins to gain insights with fragments of memories of her past alongside her parents. With some clues and a lot of disposition, she sets out on a journey to meet her family again, with the clown fish Marlin and her son Nemo as a company. Along the way, Dory gets lost from his friends, ending up at the California Marine Life Institute. The situation of the previous film is reversed, and now the duo Nemo and Marlin are leaving in search of their demoralized companion.

Right in the opening scene, the feature opens up its emotional bias, featuring Dory's first flashback. The design of the young version of the character - with his kind and gigantic eyes - receiving the affection of his parents is the first letter presented by Stanton and MacLane to win over the audience and becomes the joker of the filmmakers, as it is repeated several times throughout the narrative. The repetition, incidentally, is one of the keywords of Finding Dory. Something that makes sense due to the protagonist's condition in relation to her memory, but that also ends up serving as an acceptable pretext for the script to revisit a good part of the elements that contributed to Finding Nemo's success.

The new feature bets heavily on the affective memory of the audience and their pleasure in recognizing what is familiar to them, such as the riddle of location / address that serves as a guide for searches in films (formerly "P. Sherman 42, Wallaby Way, Sydney", Now "The Jewel of Monterey, California"). The sequel also strives to make ingenious connections with Dory's past and reveal the origin of some of his trademarks: knowledge in "whale" and the motto "Keep swimming, keep swimming", for example. Some supporting characters also return in small appearances, such as Uncle Stingray and Crush, the surfing turtle. Beside these well-known figures we have a series of new characters, many serving as comic reliefs, such as the trio of sea lions and the mad bird Becky.

Others are more important, such as the dubious Hank octopus, the whale shark with vision problems Destiny and the beluga whale Bailey. Although everyone has their dramatic roles in the story, especially Hank, these characters serve much more as tools to facilitate the actions of the protagonists. The filmmakers seek to explore the real biological peculiarities of animals - the mobility and camouflage capacity of octopuses, the echolocation of belugas 'sonar' - transforming them almost into superpowers, which work well in the busiest scenes, including a grand road chase. But, even though it is an interesting idea and inserted in a fanciful context, its exaggeration often ends up sounding like a simple crutch to sustain the weaknesses of the script.

The narrative structure adopted by Stanton and his team, despite being linear, fits flashbacks from Dory's childhood that are triggered by events in the present. Thus, the protagonist's disability and how she deals with her condition end up playing a fundamental role in the progress of the story, in a great view of the filmmakers. Although the central theme of the work is "the family", the main lesson here is how to deal with your own limitations. It is not for nothing that a good part of the new characters, like the grouchy octopus Hank (Ed O'Neill), the whale shark Destiny (Kaitlin Olson) or the beluga whale Bailey (Ty Burrell) have physical problems that need to be overcome in the course of of the adventure. The message of resilience is placed in an organic way inside the tape, which never loses sight of the main objective of the protagonist - something quite ironic, considering Dory's peculiar condition.

The film makes it very clear throughout the narrative that Dory is unable to do anything because of his short memory. She may find it more difficult to perform some tasks that are simple for other people, but she is much more than a forgotten fish. The impulsiveness, positivity and ability to find solutions in complicated situations of the character work so well that at certain times we can even say that she forgot that that was an impossible task. That's what made her find Nemo together with Marlin and that's what is highlighted in Finding Dory.

All this dramatic part is worked in a subtextual way, with the film never neglecting the good agile and accurate gags and jokes that marked the first film. Not that the script is perfect. Some of the subplots are quite predictable and the script suffers trying to find a role for Marlin and Nemo. However, every time the film focuses on the title character, all of that is left out. Dory remains adorable and charismatic, with an almost unshakable optimism and the contrast of his cheerful personality, not only with Hank's traumatic grumpy - who ends up being his main partner for much of the feature - but with his own loss past, makes her a really interesting heroine.

Looking for Dory is exactly about longing and this need to find those who make us feel at home, regardless of what happened in the past or how long it has been since we last met. Thus, Finding Dory provides a simple feeling in its viewer, uniting in an exemplary way the feelings of his audience with those of the characters on the scene, a film that comes to be very enchanting because of that. And if Finding Dory expands the universe seen in Nemo, Stanton and his team still demonstrate an enormous creative capacity, both in putting their range of characters in unusual situations, such as the hand pool that is filmed as if it were a natural catastrophe - but in In fact, it is a tank in which the children of the institute can interact with animals - but also in the creation and continuation of their visual identity, often creating sequences with an aesthetic precision that will fill the eyes of any film buff. One is the moment when Nemo, Marlin and Dory are chased by a giant squid; the visual construction of the suspense scene is incredible, showing that Pixar's excellent films go beyond great scripts.

As it could not be otherwise, the visual part of the production is impeccable. It is not difficult to recognize the aesthetic richness achieved by the work of the Pixar team: the characters are expressive without having to be excessively anthropomorphized; Marine Institute always brings a pleasant surprise to each new environment; the color palette is rich and intense (it is a pleasure to see how, for example, Dory, Marlin and Nemo change colors appropriately depending on the light - or lack of - that is seen in each place); and the quality of the animation is what we might expect from the studio (note, for example, how the movements of Dory's fins look like anxious beats on the head as she struggles to remember something). More efficient is also the montage: If in Finding Nemo the narrative sounded episodic, relying excessively on fades to jump from one character to another, here these transitions are made in a much more fluid (pardon the pun) and organic way. On the other hand, the excessive reliance on the convenient flashbacks that bring back the heroine's memories when they are most needed is a little disappointing. To top it off, if the animals' actions were relatively plausible in the first feature, however extreme they may be, here the script abandons any attempt to solve the problems with the minimum of verisimilitude - and the climax of the projection, in particular, is too absurd, no fitting the logic established in Nemo.

The essence of Pixar's formula is the balance between humor and emotion, and the film manages to achieve it satisfactorily. There are some inspired jokes and puns, the graphic quality of the animation fills the eyes and the drama of loss and the importance of the family has an undeniable appeal. What is missing for Finding Dory is the spark of genius that makes the masterpieces of the studio manage to escape precisely from the facilities previously exposed. Some moments of animation approach this level, such as the emotional climax of Dory or the great sequence in the aquarium of the children's wing of the marine park. But even these scenes do not dazzle the opening minutes of Up (2009) or the culinary critic's scene in Ratatouille (2007), just to mention two examples. Anyway, this probably won't hinder Find Dory's success, because the audience's affection for the universe of Nemo, Marlin and Dory makes them enter the field with the game already won.

'Finding Nemo' to me has always been one of Pixar's best, colourful, imaginative, hilarious and poignant with great characters (who cannot love Bruce the shark, plus Dory speaking whale is one of Pixar's funniest moments).

Pixar have been hit and miss since 'Up', with some great films like 'Toy Story 3' and 'Inside Out' (which are two of my favourites from the studio) and some disappointments like 'Cars 2' and 'The Good Dinosaur' (don't hate them as much as many others do though, also didn't think 'Brave' was that bad, though it was not the best animated film that year, and liked 'Monsters University'). While it is not as good as 'Finding Nemo', 'Finding Dory' is a worthy sequel and one of their better efforts since 'Up'.

The film does meander in places with occasional draggy pacing and a couple of rather too convenient plot devices, and Dory's memory loss shtick does get repetitive quickly that it does grate too early on. However, the animation is wonderful with an even richer colour palette perhaps than 'Finding Nemo' and matches that film in meticulous detail and visual imagination. The music score is rousing, whimsical and nuanced.

Where Pixar has always excelled at its best is the balance and execution of humour and pathos. Humour and pathos are balanced deftly in 'Finding Dory', with the humour hilarious and in abundance and the pathos bringing genuine tears and emotional power. The story is flawed and doesn't have the imagination or originality of 'Finding Nemo', but the energy, humour and emotion shine through more than brightly and one does relate to Dory in her quest, one that anybody can relate to if in her situation.

Good characters always help and actually are crucial in making a film work. 'Finding Dory' has them, not just Dory, who has lost none of her comic timing but moves the viewer as well, or Marlin and Nemo who bring sweetness and poignancy to the story, but also the scene stealing seals and gleefully entertaining Hank who provides many great moments. One does miss Bruce though. The voice acting is terrific, with Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks and Ed O'Neill being particularly spot on.

To conclude, 'Finding Nemo' is a great film, this reviewer found 'Finding Dory' to be a worthy sequel. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This has been made almost a generation after the first, "Finding Nemo", outing for this annoyingly forgetful fish so it's not really fair total it a sequel. It's really a whole new concept that sees "Dory" out on a school trip where she gets a bit of rather unpleasant déjà-vu. This brings to mind the incident that led to her separation from her mum and dad. Determined to see if she can track them down, she enlists the help of "Nemo" and his dad "Marlin" and embarks on a series of fun adventures that introduces us to the engaging septopus "Hank" along the way. The story is quite a poignant little one, here. The young fish gradually discovers enough mnemonics to help them all inch towards their goal, and there is enough in the dialogue to satisfy younger audiences - though not so much for the oldies. I am afraid I still find this particular tang fish a bit irritating, but this is still quite an enjoyable and vividly colourful family comedy with messages of loyalty, determination and perseverance featuring strongly but delicately throughout. It gets perilously close to cheesy at times, but is still worth pitching up to a cinema to appreciate on a big screen.

"Finding Dory" has a lot to live up to. "Finding Nemo" was a huge hit both financially and critically. It was the number one selling DVD of all time and was nominated 4 Oscars. After 13 years of anticipation "Finding Dory" didn't make much of a splash. It did fine at the box office, but went without an Oscar nomination, a rarity given the usual caliber of Pixar films. So, the overall reception was sub-par compared to its predecessor. The question remains, how's the movie? It's sub-par by Pixar standards but in general it's OK.

I will be comparing this film to "Finding Nemo" quite a bit to help demonstrate my problems with this film. In "Finding Nemo" the main focus is divided into two main stories: Nemo's adventure and Marlin's adventure. Both adventures are entertaining and move the story forward. In this film, they likewise break up the team into two separate groups. But this time, one group seems to make no tangible progress, making every time they cut to their story feel like filler. The original film got nominated for best original screenplay partly because of how tightly written it was, no scene seemed unnecessary and no line of dialogue felt wasted. This film feels like it is trying its best to stretch its runtime. Where the first film gives the audience a variety of settings throughout the depths of the ocean, this movie mainly takes place all in one location. It takes place in real life location: "California's Marine Life Institute", they spend enough time there it feels like a big budget commercial for the place.

In the first film, Dory's "short term memory loss" was written off more for laughs than anything else. This film treads in dangerous waters reframing that gimmick as a legitimate mental disability. The movie tackles a lot of themes surrounding mental health. There are some people who could find this offensive, but I feel that the film's heart is in the right place.

Sadly, the movie feels forgettable. It follows a lot of the same sequel beats that a Dreamworks sequel would hit. We have a main character, now let's reunite them with their estranged parents. It worked in "Shrek 2", "How to Train your Dragon 2", "Madagascar 2" and "Kung Fu Panda 3" why not this film? It's finale also just feels like cheating. Where the first film set up all its final beats seamlessly, this one feels contrived.

But I will say that the kids I watched it with absolutely loved it. They laughed a lot throughout the movie. And I will give credit to when it hits its emotional climax, it does really work, it is a very sweet scene. Perhaps I am comparing it too much to a film it will never live up to.

It has its faults, but its emotional finale makes it worth a watch. If you are watching and not enjoying it, just keep watching, just keep watching watching watching. There is some joy to be found.

30 June 2016. "Find Dory" stands out because of the of difficulty of developing a script that focuses primarily on a character who has short-term and long term memory loss. In some ways, like the challenging script of "50 First Dates" (2004) where Drew Barrymore plays Lucy Whitmore, a human who also suffers from memory loss, in a live action comedy, the ability to maintain interest and a delicate balance of respect for such characters is definitely not easy to accomplish. Nevertheless in both instances, both comedies accomplish a continuing series of fumbles and ironic come backs that offer both humor and sympathy for their female characters. "Finding Dory" offers up some great comic lines, a fast and involving pace with captivating and emotive interest. More involving with its extensive character portrayal more so than the classic "The Incredibles" (2004) as a close collection of family members, the audience gets to experience a more personal, intimate voyage much like those found in the animated dog move "Bolt" (2008), the lonely sci fi robotic waste collector "Wall*e (2008), even the live musical drama "Moulin Rouge" (2001), the lonely adventure of a woman in "Wild" (2014) or the personal blacker demons of "Black Swan" (2010).

Except for a rather abrupt and not fully developed scene regarding Dory's parents later in the movie which doesn't come across as smoothly, this animated film stands out for its compelling interesting pacing and engaging comedy revolving around a rather peculiar but very likable lead character.

The movie itself was in my opinion disappointing. Maybe it's just me being grown up (which I doubt) but the movie was just lacking so much. Didn't laugh or even smile once throughout the movie. It was just meh i didn't feel like there was any humor in the movie and there wasn't any exciting parts either. After more than 10 years from finding Nemo to this it's just disappointing. I'm not saying it's bad, i'm just saying it's not as good as expected. There wasn't any part where i felt danger or where i felt that dory getting lost was actually important at all Music didn't make me feel anything through the whole movie. Animation could've been better as well. Could probably still be a good movie for kids but for people who already watched finding Nemo and who watches lots of movies its just not worth the money

"Finding Dory" is more of the same...which will no doubt thrill children and audiences of the original, "Finding Nemo". But, for folks like me who are NOT big fans of sequels, there also is more of the same.

The film is set before, during and mostly after the adventures that Nemo and his father went through in the previous film. Oddly, while Dory has no attention span and not real memory, she inexplicably kinda remembers her early life and goes off in search of her parents. Nemo and Dad go along to help and a bunch of new friends help Dory to achieve her dream.

The film is a lazy product...a sequel which is enjoyable but introduces nothing substantially new. There's nothing offensive about it at all but I cannot understand folks being excited about it because the film is mostly by the numbers and takes few chances. Worth seeing if you want to see a CGI film (and the 3D looks nice) and don't mind an incredibly familiar cast.