A Pixar Animation Studios Film
Story by Andrew Stanton
Screenplay Written by Andrew Stanton & Victoria Strouse
Directed by Andrew Stanton Co-Directed by Angus MacLane
**1/2 (two and a half stars)
RATED PG
I am thinking that I just now have to resign myself that Pixar as I knew and loved it is gone.
Dear readers, if you have been regulars followers of this blogsite, then you have been able to chart the evolution of my reviews of films released under the Pixar banner over the previous six years. Through that charting, you will be able to regard the decline in my favorable feelings towards these films as well as my overall distaste at the obvious pandering to commercialism these exceptionally talented filmmakers and animators have taken at the expense of the artistic quality. These creative individuals created the gold standard for American animated feature films for so long that it just still disheartens me that they have seemingly tossed it all aside for the easy money via subpar sequels and prequels making an outstanding feature like "Inside Out" (2015) the rarity when a film like that was once the norm for them.
The prospect of "Finding Dory" certainly did not hold any sense of appeal for me. Partially because it is arriving 13 years after the wonderful, groundbreaking original "Finding Nemo" (2003), but mostly because this film is ushering n a new wave of more Pixar sequels that we'll be seeing over the next few years including the likes of the unrequested "Cars 3" and, let's face it, the wholly unnecessary "Toy Story 4." For me, "Finding Dory" sits somewhere in the middle. It doesn't approach the ingenuity and depth of "Toy Story 2" (1999) but it is also not an unimaginative time waster like "Monsters University" (2013). While it certainly won't upend or match the heights met with "Finding Nemo," this new film is mildly diverting, finding its compelling groove in fits and starts and anchored terrifically by a wonderfully rich and empathetic performance by Ellen DeGeneres as our forgetful heroine.
Opening one year after the events of the first film, the perpetually amnesiac Pacific regal blue tank Dory (again voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) is subjected to a series of flashbacks, fragmented memories and dreams concerning her life long before her meeting with worry-wort Clownfish Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) and his son Nemo (now voiced by Hayden Rolence). Her memories now fully triggered inspire her to search for her long lost parents Charlie (voiced by Eugene Levy) and Jenny (voiced by Diane Keaton), whom she has not seen since her childhood.
Dory's odyssey, during which she is often aided and/or pursued by Marlin and Nemo, takes her in and out of the ocean and often inside of the Marine Life Institute where she is tentatively befriended by Hank (voiced by Ed O'Neil), a cantankerous, seven tentacled octopus who is fearful of ocean life and only wishes to be taken from the Institute to a permanent aquarium in Cleveland.
With old friends like Crush the sea turtle (voiced by Andrew Stanton) and new companions like Bailey the beluga whale (voiced by Ty Burrell), Fluke and Rudder, two territorial sea lions (voiced by Idris Elba and Dominic West, respectively) as well as a reunion with her childhood friend, Destiny (voiced by Kaitlin Olson), a near-sighted whale shark, Dory's search for her parents results in a true coming of age adventure where she realizes that what may seem to be her greatest detriment may actually serve as her ultimate virtue.
As with the original film, Andrew Stanton's "Finding Dory" is a dazzling, magnificent feast for the eyes and Pixar's trademark visual presentation is second to none and even improves upon the wondrous sights and details of the first film. For all of the varieties of fish and aquatic life sea animals upon display throughout the film, what really made my eyes pop this time around was all of the details the filmmakers and animators placed within the details of water itself. The water as seen within the ocean, fish tanks, glass cups, to even mop buckets all possessed clear and distinct qualities that differentiated one setting from another and again, I was marveled by the texture and the obvious razor sharp attention to detail that only enhanced this cinematic wonderland.
But even so, with Pixar, this level of attention and artistry is to be expected by this point and anything less than that would essentially be unforgivable by audiences and critics. Even so, I truly wish this same detail was given to the overall storytelling, and therefore, purpose to the entire enterprise. Essentially, "Finding Dory" is not much more than a footnote to an infinitely better film. In fact, I will ask of you to take the same "test" as I have given to people concerning the "Toy Story" and "Monsters Inc." series. Ten years from now, which installment do you honestly think that you would still be watching? For me, in this case, it will always be "Finding Nemo" as that film carried a simple, clean and emotionally harrowing yet honest storyline about parental anxieties that just happened to star a collective of sea creatures. It was a world that I hadn't seen before and furthermore, it was a complete, full experience that demanded subsequent repeat viewings that only continued to enrich the experience.
"Finding Dory" on the other hand doesn't offer very much that felt to be of a new variety. That is not to suggest that it was a work of laziness or something more mercenary. I think that Stanton's heart was in the right place. But that being said, the film felt to be somewhat padded in many sections within the Marine Life Institute and especially, the climax. Additionally, jokes that were hysterical the first time around are repeated ad nauseum this time around and I do have to say that a certain credibility was more than lost.
Now, please know that I do understand that I am reviewing an animated feature starring talking fish but I do have to say that within "Finding Nemo," the characters did indeed all tend to behave as...well...fish. It was, for lack of a better word, believable...or at least, I was able to buy the fantasy being presented to me and just lose myself within the story. With "Finding Dory," I was often distracted by how many times our characters found themselves outside of water...and not just once, but several times throughout the film. And returning to that climax, which is, believe it or not, a highway chase with a seven tentacled creature at the wheel, I found myself not buying the fantasy and just finding the proceedings to be more than a little silly ad not remotely compelling or exciting.
What was exciting, compelling and heart tugging for me was Dory herself. As further conceived by Stanton and beautifully voiced by DeGeneres, "Finding Dory" gave our heroine a greater depth and pathos that fully informed the character, making s see her in an entirely new light while also deepening our love and concern for her well being. The film's opening moments are among the very best and most heartbreaking as we witness Dory as a child immediately forgetting safety instructions her parents have given to her, thus increasing their fear for her overall security and even greater, increasing Dory's sense of helplessness, feeling as a disappointment or failure to her loving parents, to even a lack of self confidence. Once separated from her parents, and for much of the remainder of the film, there existed a certain existential terror at the heart of the otherwise cheerful Dory that made you wish to wrap your own arms around her just to protect her.
With "Finding Dory," her short term memory loss is not utilized as a punchline. In fact, Dory made me think of anyone, especially a child who is armed with a learning disability, ADD or ADHD or someone who even exists somewhere on the autism spectrum, and I wonder about the difficulties in their navigation of the world. In this case, Dory is indeed that child and what we gather from her adventures is indeed how she does indeed navigate the world, at first making apologies for her difficulties and soon, embracing them as abilities. Dory is an wonderfully uncompromising character in this regard as the film never attempts to alter her personality and in fact, criticizes those who do chastise her for her forgetfulness. Dory is a character who ultimately learns to live with her issues through her perseverance, which gives her strength even when all feels to be forever lost. And to t hat end, Dory may have emerged as one of Pixar's most endearing characters and would hope that young viewers would latch onto her in an even greater fashion than ever before because she richly deserves any attention and love she may happen to receive.
All in all, "Finding Dory" was fair. Nothing wonderful, nothing terrible. Yet, what makes me feel so sad about this revelation is everything that I have shared wit you in the past. Pixar can do better than this because they have done better than this...over and over and over again. And besides, after a 13 year wait, don't you think that Dory deserved the very best that Pixar had to offer?
I certainly do...and we deserved it as well.
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