A Good Sequel

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2016)

Finding Dory had some pretty great humour. Not laugh out loud comedy, but more along the lines of "that was funny, I'm going to smile now because that was funny, well played Pixar". Here are some jokes which I can loosely remember: "Don't bail on me, bailey" and "You trust Becky? Becky is eating a cup". The stronger laughs came from the visual humour- the slapstick. I would expect this since when I watched the movie the majority of the audience were children. I found myself being entertained the most by the subtle, "adult" jokes that came mainly from the voice acting and animation.
The new characters were all really likable. I loved the sea-lions as well as the octopus. However Nemo and Marlin (returning fish) felt stale and boring: they created so much conflict in the movie which felt unnecessary and forced, also they hardly added anything to the humour and were mainly there to be damsels in distress. The movie would have been much better without them. Dory on the other hand was great, her quirkiness worked well with every character she encountered and it never got old for me. The only thing that I didn't like was the whale noise she had to make in one scene that made me cringe a little. Her growth as a character was really enjoyable to watch and I found myself rooting for her. The moral message of the movie was quite weak. Unlike Zootropolis which did a great job providing a strong, meaningful message emphasised the importance of treating every person equally, to not discriminate on what somebody looks like and not to stereotype. On the other hand, the only message for children and adults alike in this movie is that you should not overthink your life and follow your dreams no matter what. I know this is a positive message but the movie could have done so much more! They could have made a social commentary about how fish should not be used for profit and how their enclosures are unnecessary small so that the paying public can easily watch miserable animals. However, by being anti-sea world they could have potentially faced some sort of law suit for slander and/or deformation. There was one scene which I really enjoyed and that was partly anti-sea world. Dory and Hank the octopus found themselves trapped in a petting pool for sea life in the children's section of the aquarium. It was kind of epic how the movie portrayed children as extremely rough, deadly and terrifying, kind of like a tentacle monster. Hands thrusted into the petting pool and created an explosion of water and sand as star fish cowered under rocks and buried into the sand. It compelled me to start a petition to end petting in aquariums because sea-life are not really into touching. A comparison must be made to the original movie because this is not a stand-alone movie; it has numerous throw-backs to Finding Nemo are not unwelcome. However, the whole tone of the movie was rather different. Finding Nemo was about a desperate father who would stop at nothing in order to find his son. Marlin went through many dangerous and deadly trials as well as traversing so many miles of ocean. Finding Dory is a much more contained experience since the focus is around an aquarium. I remember early in the film Dory says that she is desperate to find her parents and she must reach California to see her parents again. Marlin reacts in a manner that would indicate that California is literally thousands of miles away. Next couple of scenes, boom! They're in California. I can understand that this was done in order to fit more of the aquarium story line in but it kind of takes away from the first film. Let's talk about Hank the octopus. I love Hank the Octopus. He was so cool; he could transform into any object via camouflage, had a selfish bad-ass personality, could perform stunts similar to a special agent and had lost a tentacle (like a decorated war hero). He was always there to help characters out and he was compassionate even though he had a tough exterior (because octopuses have three hearts), he was also beautifully animated because even though octopuses don't have a visible mouth on the front of their face I could always tell what emotion was being expressed. Another character that really stood out was Gerald the sea lion. An absolute lad. He had a mono-brow, a bucket and a very sassy personality. Resented by the other sea lions Gerald always plotted the next opportunity in which he could bask on the beautiful rock which was always occupied by Fluke and Rudder. I was rooting for Gerald. He was the most interesting and unique character I have ever laid eyes on in an animated film. Just go and see Finding Dory you will enjoy it regardless of your age because it is a well-made great movie.