By Paul Hall
As an audience, we love to revisit characters that we have enjoyed in past films; we just hope that filmmakers don’t tarnish that love when making a sequel. In the new film Finding Dory, we not only get Dory, Nemo and Marlin, but we also get new characters like Hank the octopus and a pair of lazy sea lions named Fluke and Rudder to ensure that we leave feeling like the new film has a life of its own.
Ellen DeGeneres returns as the voice of our favorite blue tang fish, Dory. We walk through Dory’s past, from her days as a tiny fish learning to stay safe amid the scary realities of the ocean, through her journey to help Marlin find Nemo. Now, it’s about a year later and Dory suddenly remembers that she has a family and they may be looking for her. She enlists Marlin and Nemo to start a new journey to find her parents at the Marine Life Institute in California. On that trip, Marlin and Nemo get separated from Dory and must try to find her as she is trying to find herself.
Dory’s short-term memory loss can be a problem, but she is starting to remember more and more about her past. Dory is scooped up after arriving in California and put into quarantine at Marine Life Institute. There, she encounters an octopus named Hank (voice of Ed O’Neill). Hank wants an identification tag that would get him transferred, and he will do anything to get the one that Dory has. Dory agrees to give hers to him, if Hank helps find her parents. And so begins a mad race across the park to find the pair of elder blue tang fish that Dory calls Mom and Dad.
The trip has Dory meeting characters from her past, including a whale shark named Destiny and a beluga whale named Bailey (voices of Kaitlin Olson and Ty Burrell). Everyone wants to help Dory find her parents, but can they?
This film is another Pixar gem. Not only have they put together a visually stunning experience but they’ve also given us a quality story with numerous meanings as deep as the ocean floor. I was able to experience the beautiful underwater environments in 3-D and can definitely recommend viewing this film that way. The depth of the submerged world is truly special viewing.
The voice work is spot on. Ellen (yes, she is worthy of the one-name reference) is magical in her portrayal of Dory. She elicits emotions from the audience through her confusion, excitement and total joy with just the varied inflections in her voice. Albert Brooks returns as Marlin. Brooks is a master voice artist who knows how to express emotions in his work. He’s a delight to have back as a part of this cast. The surprise is Ed O’Neill. His voice portrayal of the octopus Hank adds great dimension to this film. O’Neill’s work makes me hope he is included in future animated films, as he is quite impressive.
The only thing missing from Finding Dory is a real signature musical number. There is no question though, that this is a great time at the movies and reminds us of why we have put Pixar films on a pedestal for so long: They do it right! So come on, just yell with me, “Ready or not, here I come!” Find Dory today!
Finding Dory
Rated: PG
Voices: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill
Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
Grade: A-
Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide, the ultimate TV resource packed with celebrity news and commentary on what’s new and what’s good to watch. Get TV Guide at 88% off the cover price: call 800-866-1400 or visit tvguidemagazine.com. —©TV Guide 2016.
NEW THIS WEEK
Free State of Jones
Rated: R
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Keri Russell,Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Director: Gary Ross
The Civil War has divided the nation, but one poor farmer from Mississippi will lead a group of rebels against the powerful Confederate army. Together these small farmers and local slaves will fight to create a free state that will be a force long beyond the war.
Independence Day: Resurgence
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Jeff Goldblum, Liam Hemsworth, Bill Pullman
Director: Roland Emmerich
It’s been two decades since the Independence Day invasion. The world has rebuilt and should have enough space defenses in place to protect mankind from another attack from beyond the planet, but do they? The aliens have also had 20 years to prepare and they are returning with a vengeance.
The Neon Demon
Rated: R
Stars: Elle Fanning, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles to pursue her career. Her youth and vitality are being devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will use any means necessary to get what she has in this horror thriller.
The Shallows
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
While Nancy is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself trapped in the feeding ground of a great white shark. Can she use all of her knowledge, will and resourcefulness to survive?