A Welcomed Return to the Deep Blue Sea

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2016)

It's been 13 long years since the release of Finding Nemo, Disney/Pixar's instant classic that turned every clown fish at a pet store into "Nemo". Now, we return to the ocean, this time to follow the story of everyone's favorite Dory, and in large, Finding Dory is able to recapture the magic that was harnessed 13 years ago.
Finding Dory brings a lot to the table that its predecessor also did, none more so than the film's terrific animation, which, like the first, captures the beauty and dangers of the ocean in spectacular fashion. The atmosphere is vibrant and alive, and the characters are animated splendidly, especially Hank the squid (who I'll talk more about later). Pixar has a near perfect track record when it comes to its animation, and with its gorgeous ocean setting, Fining Dory is no exception.
The story, obviously, centers around Dory, the lovable, forgetful blue fish who decides to set out on a journey to find her long lost family, and reunite with them once again. While a simple premise is to be expected with an animated kids film, I found the overall plot to be less memorable and less intimate than Finding Nemo, with more sporadic pacing as well. Finding Dory was heavier on goofy jokes, which isn't bad by any means for a kids movie, but as an adult viewer, I would have been more satisfied with a more emotionally engaging plot. The movie definitely has its heartfelt moments, and like I said, there is plenty of humor to keep viewers of all ages entertained. So at the end of the day, Fining Dory has a story solid enough to be worth the view.
Finding Nemo introduced a slew of memorable characters, from Bruce the shark to the star of this film, Dory. The supporting cast helped fill the enormous space of the ocean and made it feel alive, keeping you excited to meet the next set of characters on the journey. In Finding Dory, there are plenty of enjoyable faces, both old and new. Ellen DeGeneres returns to voice the title character, and really is perfect for the role yet again. The dialogue isn't as memorable this time around, but Ellen is stellar in her delivery. Nemo and his worrisome father Marlin (Albert Brooks) also return, this time in smaller roles, but still are important enough to the story and fun enough to watch that I didn't mind too much of their lesser involvement.
Then there's my new favorite character, Hank, a seven-armed octopus who's grouchy demeanor and charming heart won me over as the film's best character. He's grumpy, funny, and loving at the same time and you can tell how much work Pixar had to put into his animation to make him move like a real squid, and really pop on screen. Ed O'Neill is wonderful in the voice role, and gives Hank the perfect personality. What's a bit unfortunate, is that the rest of the supporting characters we meet either aren't memorable, or didn't get enough screen time to convince me that they were. Dory fittingly had the most screen time, but aside from some very brief cameos and Hank, I was not sold on the new supporting cast.
There have been loads of sequels in recent years coming out 10-20 years after the original, and most have proved that if you don't have a legitimate story to explore, it's not worth the time. Finding Dory, however, is a rare exception, where, even after a long wait, is able to deliver a strong enough film to be worthy of its predecessor. Fantastic animation, plenty of humor, and a strong enough cast of characters combine to make Finding Dory a return to the deep blue sea that was worth the 13 year wait.
8/10