More than a decade ago Americans everywhere lunged into the depths of the ocean and became virtual divers and explorers of the deep sea all because of an animated movie set in Sydney Australia.
“Finding Nemo” became an instant classic when released in theaters 13 years ago. This year also marks the return of our fishy friends from the reef in “Finding Dory.” It was released June 17 and received loud and positive reviews from critics around the country as viewers were invited back into the world of Nemo, Marlin, Dory and other aquatic friends new and old.
“Finding Dory” is no longer playing in theaters on the Palouse, but if for some reason someone happened to miss the cinematic magic they can expect to see it on store shelves, on rental stands and streaming services soon.
The storyline of “Finding Dory” begins right after the close of the first movie. Dory lives with Nemo and Marlin in the reef, when suddenly she finds herself remembering one of the most important things to a fish, her parents. And so, the adventure begins.
The movie follows Dory as she searches for her parents, transitioning between past and present as Dory struggles to remember her origins, in new and old locations, occasionally flashing back to events from Finding Nemo. The story reintroduces fan favorites to assist Dory in her search along with the help of new characters equally as vibrant and interesting.
“Finding Dory” is visually stunning, as was “Finding Nemo” at its release. The two movies look strikingly similar in animation quality and detail. Both movies look as if they were made one right after the other. This is less of a statement about “Finding Dory” and more a comment on how truly revolutionary “Finding Nemo’s” animation was. Thirteen years later “Finding Nemo” still looks stunning alongside it’s sequel, which only borrows and improves upon the 2003 cult classic.
The similarity in animation serves another purpose for the movie. It has been 13 years since we explored the expanse of the sea with Dory and friends, and to viewer’s delight, not much has changed. The world feels the same as it once did, a smart move on Disney Pixar’s part. When making sequels, movie studios must ask themselves what do we need to fix from the last movie to make the new story better, a difficult decision. Writer/director of the movie, Andrew Stanton and his team made the right call by only making small improvements that easily go unnoticed by viewers not searching for them, retaining the impressive quality of their first installment.
The story itself is as moving as it’s predecessor. Even emotionally hardened viewers were succumbed to tears in 2003 and again in 2016. The same hardened individuals can achieve that soft cinematic catharsis they experienced with Dory, Nemo and Marlin.
It is a story about finding love in the one place where we know we can find it, with family. It is a shared experience people hope to find and for an hour and 37 minutes viewers can experience that deep longing, with both the woe and joy that comes along for the ride — or in this case along for the swim.
Kevin Neighbors
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