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Shark Tale meets Memento.

Nemo, Marlin and Dory are back, but this time it’s all about Dory. Dory is the blue tang fish with short term memory loss. After helping clown fish Marlin find his son Nemo in the last adventure, she is now on a quest to piece together her past in a desperate journey to find her parents.

I saw this movie a few weeks ago when it came out in the UK, and it has remained with me. With the addition of some really entertaining characters like Hank the octopus (well, septopus), Fluke and Rudder the sea lions, Destiny the whale shark and a couple of other pleasant surprises, Finding Dory is a seriously fun experience. As an audience, we love to be able to point out things in the movie that reference the predecessor or other films, because it makes us feel really smart, and that’s a pretty well used technique in Finding Dory. However… there’s something about it that is just not quite as fulfilling as Finding Nemo. That’s simply because it doesn’t have the same sole originality. But as follow-up movies go, this one does a good job. I like how the creators have worked with everything we loved about the first film (primarily Dory) and expanded on it for us to get a further look into the lives of our favourite sea creatures. It’s endearing to see that sensitive, personal side of Dory’s life which was only hinted at in Nemo. And the cute-o-meter DEFINITELY peaks with baby Dory.

Although the plot had me hooked, and I was so eager for Dory to be reunited with her parents, there were times when I was raising my eyebrow. Yes, I’m talking about octopuses driving trucks and otters making roadblocks. Wait, what the hell am I saying?! It’s a Pixar movie. There’s enough moments in the narrative that warm your heart and remind you about the importance of family, and that might just be enough to warrant some pretty off-the-wall activity towards the finale.

The thespians?
Ellen DeGeneres is delighful again, executing a perfect comical vocals performance, and I’d have to say, Ed O’Neill as Hank – exceptionally enjoyable. His lumbering, rusty tones really do complement the eyes-only animation of this intriguing cold-but-warm-at-heart character.

Lastly
This is a movie I’m really glad I saw at the cinema, because the visuals are yet again endlessly impressive and wonderful. It’s a big relief that Dory has received such a huge reception, for it stays admirably true to it’s original story and characters.

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