Sequels of all-time classics are really hard to pull off. What made the original a classic is usually some combination of finding unexplored territory within a genre and executing flawlessly; those hard enough to pull off a first time, and even harder to pull off a second time. For every Toy Story 2, there are 100 sequels that are made to greatly diminishing returns. While Finding Dory is probably better than your average movie in the latter group, it definitely is not part of the former group.
The main plot of Finding Dory involves Dory (Ellen Degeneres) trying to find her long lost parents. Throughout the movie, objects trigger flashbacks that allow Dory to recall long-term memories that lead her to the place where she separated from her parents. Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) tag along in a trip that takes the gang to a Marine Biology park in California. Unfortunately, Marlin and Nemo get separated from Dory, who makes her way into the lab and learns that she was born in the park. Dory runs into old friends, as well as a hyper-facile octopus, who all attempt to help her reconnect with her parents. Hijinks ensue, and even if they aren't as ingenious or zany as those of the first movie, they certainly make for a fun two hours.
Once again, trust is probably the movie's biggest theme. Marlin's inability to trust others once again gets him into jams, and it's only through trusting others can he get out of them. By contrast, Dory doesn't have any issue trusting others because she's had to do so her whole life - it's in learning to trust her own abilities that Dory experiences real character growth. Dory's proven time and time again in the series that she has good instincts; eventually all characters come to learn this (some faster than others), but when Dory starts to believe in herself it's a genuinely poignant moment, one that Ellen captures beautifully. That said, I think Finding Dory falls short of its predecessor in the subtlety with which it portrays its message. One of the best parts of the first movie is how Dory's quirks - impulsiveness, quixotic resolve - are at first presented as weaknesses but eventually shown to be unique strengths. Dory is always willing and able to find a plan C after others give up on plan A, and her shoddy short term memory belies sturdy long-term memory that inform her seemingly rash impulses. Finding Dory also conveys this message, but it's frustratingly on the nose about it. Nemo explicitly proposes that he and Marlin "think like Dory" to try to reunite with Dory; Dory's parents declare that they always knew Dory would find her way back to the exact spot where she left them; there are other instances in which the film wears its sentimentality on its sleeve. These aren't mortal sins, but why tell what you just spent 90 minutes showing?
My other big gripe with the movie is that the plot makes it a bit too easy on the fish. Part of the fun of Finding Nemo (and other Pixar movies) is in seeing the creative ways fish come up with to survive and maneuver in a world designed for humans. In Finding Dory, there's an octupus named Hank (Ed O'Neill) who can survive out of the water, camouflage to match the surroundings exactly, and is basically prehensile with all of his limbs. Compared to what the animals in the first film dealt with, Hank is basically a cheat code. Beyond that, because most of the movie takes place in an aquatic center instead of the vast expanse of the ocean, the feeling of smallness and desperation just isn't there. It's like having a John Wayne western take place in a tourist ghost town. The animation is still fantastic, but it's more interesting to see Pixar's talents put towards rendering the Great Barrier Reef than Sea World's competition.
All in all Dory is worth the price of admission - it's still cleverly written, well cast, and emotionally satisfying. But fair or unfair, it falls woefully short of its predecessor.
Grade: 6.5/10
