Spotlight is now on everybody's favorite forgetful fish in this lovable sequel to "Finding Nemo"

Rating: Null/10 (16 June 2016)

"Finding Nemo" is really one of Pixar's best efforts. So a followup to the 2003 undersea adventure would really set a lot of standard. For that, I'm proud to say that its sequel, "Finding Dory", is not as bad as I expected it to be. In fact, it is actually great.
Well, part of the skepticism I had for this followup to "Nemo" is that it centers on the predecessor's instant scene stealer Dory. To admit, Ellen Degeneres truly made the lovable blue tang as an iconic character as she is now. And to turn the spotlight to a forgetful comic relief does show corporate cynicism for Pixar, as demonstrated by "Cars 2". At least that's my first reaction to a sequel to "Nemo" that centers on Dory. More than thankfully, Dory makes up for another compelling adventure, with Marlin (a game Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence), in search of her parents as she retrieves memory of them from her birthplace in a Morro Bay marine reserve. Kudos to Ellen for bringing heart to every funny, tearful and motivating moment.
There are new characters along the adventure, like Destiny (an enthusiastic Kaitlin Olson) and Bailey (a clumsy Ty Burrell). But the definite breakout is Hank the octopus or septopus (a gallant Ed O'Neill), who provides an undeniable presence of a scarred but redeemed character. Though his back story is kind of vague (an octopus who wants to stay in captivity), the mollusk is more than interesting, and a great companion to Ellen's beloved blue tang. Just the animation of its design and movements is something Pixar has always stepped up to create.
Always a Pixar standard is its quality animation as not only the ocean became the main attraction, but also the detail of the so-called "jewel of Morro Bay, California". Andrew Stanton and team are really aware of the environment they are in. Kind of reminds me of "Jurassic World" of how life size the attraction is. Also, watch out for sudden twists and turns, just a showcase of how unique the movie is.
Though this may not be as momentous as "Finding Nemo", "Finding Dory" is still a worthy continuation of the adventures of everybody's favorite clownfish and forgetful blue tang. Pixar finally gave us a fine sequel to their property. And I am sure to hold hopes for their next film"Cars 3". Hmm.
Ellen, you deserve the movie you took years of campaigning.