"Finding Dory" has a lot to live up to. "Finding Nemo" was a huge hit both financially and critically. It was the number one selling DVD of all time and was nominated 4 Oscars. After 13 years of anticipation "Finding Dory" didn't make much of a splash. It did fine at the box office, but went without an Oscar nomination, a rarity given the usual caliber of Pixar films. So, the overall reception was sub-par compared to its predecessor. The question remains, how's the movie? It's sub-par by Pixar standards but in general it's OK.
I will be comparing this film to "Finding Nemo" quite a bit to help demonstrate my problems with this film. In "Finding Nemo" the main focus is divided into two main stories: Nemo's adventure and Marlin's adventure. Both adventures are entertaining and move the story forward. In this film, they likewise break up the team into two separate groups. But this time, one group seems to make no tangible progress, making every time they cut to their story feel like filler. The original film got nominated for best original screenplay partly because of how tightly written it was, no scene seemed unnecessary and no line of dialogue felt wasted. This film feels like it is trying its best to stretch its runtime. Where the first film gives the audience a variety of settings throughout the depths of the ocean, this movie mainly takes place all in one location. It takes place in real life location: "California's Marine Life Institute", they spend enough time there it feels like a big budget commercial for the place.
In the first film, Dory's "short term memory loss" was written off more for laughs than anything else. This film treads in dangerous waters reframing that gimmick as a legitimate mental disability. The movie tackles a lot of themes surrounding mental health. There are some people who could find this offensive, but I feel that the film's heart is in the right place.
Sadly, the movie feels forgettable. It follows a lot of the same sequel beats that a Dreamworks sequel would hit. We have a main character, now let's reunite them with their estranged parents. It worked in "Shrek 2", "How to Train your Dragon 2", "Madagascar 2" and "Kung Fu Panda 3" why not this film? It's finale also just feels like cheating. Where the first film set up all its final beats seamlessly, this one feels contrived.
But I will say that the kids I watched it with absolutely loved it. They laughed a lot throughout the movie. And I will give credit to when it hits its emotional climax, it does really work, it is a very sweet scene. Perhaps I am comparing it too much to a film it will never live up to.
It has its faults, but its emotional finale makes it worth a watch. If you are watching and not enjoying it, just keep watching, just keep watching watching watching. There is some joy to be found.
I will be comparing this film to "Finding Nemo" quite a bit to help demonstrate my problems with this film. In "Finding Nemo" the main focus is divided into two main stories: Nemo's adventure and Marlin's adventure. Both adventures are entertaining and move the story forward. In this film, they likewise break up the team into two separate groups. But this time, one group seems to make no tangible progress, making every time they cut to their story feel like filler. The original film got nominated for best original screenplay partly because of how tightly written it was, no scene seemed unnecessary and no line of dialogue felt wasted. This film feels like it is trying its best to stretch its runtime. Where the first film gives the audience a variety of settings throughout the depths of the ocean, this movie mainly takes place all in one location. It takes place in real life location: "California's Marine Life Institute", they spend enough time there it feels like a big budget commercial for the place.
In the first film, Dory's "short term memory loss" was written off more for laughs than anything else. This film treads in dangerous waters reframing that gimmick as a legitimate mental disability. The movie tackles a lot of themes surrounding mental health. There are some people who could find this offensive, but I feel that the film's heart is in the right place.
Sadly, the movie feels forgettable. It follows a lot of the same sequel beats that a Dreamworks sequel would hit. We have a main character, now let's reunite them with their estranged parents. It worked in "Shrek 2", "How to Train your Dragon 2", "Madagascar 2" and "Kung Fu Panda 3" why not this film? It's finale also just feels like cheating. Where the first film set up all its final beats seamlessly, this one feels contrived.
But I will say that the kids I watched it with absolutely loved it. They laughed a lot throughout the movie. And I will give credit to when it hits its emotional climax, it does really work, it is a very sweet scene. Perhaps I am comparing it too much to a film it will never live up to.
It has its faults, but its emotional finale makes it worth a watch. If you are watching and not enjoying it, just keep watching, just keep watching watching watching. There is some joy to be found.