Four stars. Rated PG, and needlessly, for mild fantasy peril
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 6.17.16
Best...
...sidekick...
...ever.
 |
| Dory, in search of her parents, eventually finds her way to California's Marine Life Institute. While searching the various aquatic zones, she encounters Hank, a foul-tempered octopus with a flair for escapes and camouflage. |
The hilariously confused, memory-challenged
Dory stole the show in 2003’s Finding
Nemo: no small feat, considering the engaging story and wealth of equally
colorful aquatic and avian characters. And yet, with this long-gestating
sequel, the folks at Pixar have done the impossible, by concocting a new
co-star who gives even Dory a run for her money.
We really shouldn’t be surprised,
since Pixar makes a habit of doing the impossible.
Finding Dory continues the saga of
everybody’s favorite blue tang fish, voiced with such delightful, off-kilter
haze by Ellen DeGeneres. As director/co-scripter Andrew Stanton explains, in
his film’s press notes, Finding Nemo
— despite its clearly happy conclusion — left perceptive viewers with an open
question: What would become of Dory?
Her attention deficit disorder
and short-term memory issues clearly weren’t going away, so ... what if she got
lost again? Remember, Nemo wasn’t the only fish “lost” in the first film; we
knew nothing of Dory’s origin, or what sequence of events put her in the path
of the fretting clownfish Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks), as he attempted to
find his “kidnapped” young son.
Obviously, this was the perfect
excuse for a sequel.
Stanton and his colleagues —
co-director Angus MacLane, and co-scripters Victoria Strouse and Bob Peterson —
have delivered the goods. Finding Dory
has the essential Pixar magic: appealing characters, well-cast voice actors,
zany sight gags, gentle environmental messages and, most importantly, a finely
tuned story that builds to a mirthfully exciting climax.
Rarely has defeat been snatched
so frequently, and cleverly, from the jaws of victory. Every time we think
things have worked out ... the rug gets pulled out from under us. Time and
again.
And we love it.
