Movie Review: ''Finding Dory''

Thirteen years after the release of “Finding Nemo,” the highly anticipated sequel, “Finding Dory,” was released on Friday. The theaters were packed to the brim with movie-goers ranging from toddlers, who have only seen “Finding Nemo" on DVD, to young adults, who had attended the release of the first installment of the series as children.

The movie was under a lot of pressure from both ends of the spectrum to live up to the standards of the original. Parents of toddlers hoped it would keep their child’s attention while the young adults hoped to somewhat relive their childhood for a couple of hours. Luckily for all ages, Finding Dory lived up to the hype.

Varying from the plot of the original, “Finding Dory” was less about finding Dory and more about Dory finding her parents. This proves to be a difficult task since Dory remains true to her character from the first movie and suffers from short-term memory loss. Marlin and Nemo try to aid Dory in her quest the best they can, but of course come across typical, light-hearted Disney road blocks along the way.

The movie includes flashbacks to the original to help refresh the audience’s memories, as well as flashbacks to Dory’s past to give insight to how exactly she lost her parents. These flashbacks also appeal to viewers’ emotions by showing them the most adorable baby-version of Dory possible, complete with eyes too big for her tiny body, and bringing us close to tears as we watched the small fish fail again and again in her efforts to locate her parents. But that’s to be expected, because what’s a Disney-Pixar movie if someone in the audience doesn’t cry?

Just as tears can be expected from a few, laughs can be expected from many. There are more than enough silly moments to go around as Dory gets herself into unexpected predicaments and meets some new friends on her journey. And like all children’s movies, you can expect a couple of subtle, adult jokes to be made along the way.

The movie provided creative explanations as to where Dory learned her famous “just keep swimming” song and how exactly a fish learned to speak whale. It also provided lessons on setting goals, not giving up no matter what internal or external obstacle you may face and the importance of friends and family. The film leaves its viewers smiling and feeling good.

With it’s instant fame and heartwarming story that the whole family can enjoy no matter what their age, “Finding Dory” will no doubt be as loved as the original and live on to entertain generations to come just like the first one.