★★★
Pixar redefined animated filmmaking, and heavy is the crown it wears when diving into sequel territory. Finding Dory bears weighty expectations built on its wondrous predecessor, and though enjoyable, this new venture into the ocean reveals little we haven’t seen before.
Dory (Ellen Degeneres) suffers from short-term memory loss, as everyone around her is painfully aware. When a long-buried memory of her parents surfaces out of the blue, she unthinkingly races off to find them, dragging Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) across the ocean in search of her lost family.
It’s always dangerous to pivot an entire film around a supporting act. Dory’s presence in the first film was lightning-in-a-bottle, as she made the perfect foil to Marlin’s grumpy, cautious old man. Once separated from her travelling buddies, she becomes a frustrating protagonist, despite the quality of Degeneres’ performance. Even the jokes about her memory become tiresome – at least, until they become dramatically affecting.
Director Andrew Stanton shows his true generosity of spirit in these moments; the spark that made Finding Nemo and Wall-E so cathartic. Deep into the plot, he pulls out his Pixar bingo card and ticks off “heartbreaking moment” with a flourish, and the hands of every audience member leap to their mouths to stifle gasps.
Outside of that moment, little astounds. The wilds of the ocean floor are nostalgic and beautiful, but lack the wonder of Finding Nemo. This may, in part, be due to the bulk of the film taking place in a marine rescue institute. New supporting octopus Hank (Ed O’Neill of Married… With Children fame) is incredibly crafted and a total riot, but also an easy standout. Like Dory, we’re likely to forget the many other secondary characters.
At its worst, Finding Dory sees Pixar repeating the efforts of lesser studios, as in a far-fetched action sequence at the climax that uses Louis Armstrong’s ‘What A Wonderful World’ in much the same way that Madagascar did years before. Even the thrilling early squid chase repeats shots in a dizzying sequence that tests the limits of your cinema’s 3D projectors.
The luscious deep-sea dive of Finding Nemo takes pride of place on the mantle over Finding Dory’s comparative snorkling trip. There’s beauty to be found here, but the memories are not likely to linger long.
Finding Doryopens in cinemas on Thursday June 16.
