Thirteen years after "Finding Nemo," "Finding Dory" was released. Being a huge fan of "Finding Nemo" as a kid, there was no way that 19-year-old me was missing the sequel that was very long overdue. I awed, laughed and even cried, but this was by far the best movie to come out of Pixar since "Finding Nemo," and it's exactly what my generation needed. There are so many reasons why you should go out and see the movie if you haven't already (there will be spoilers, so watch the movie before you read this).
1. Baby Dory
The movie opens on baby Dory with her parents as they try to teach her how to be careful in the ocean, especially since she suffers from short-term mememory loss. With her big eyes and adorable voice, there's no way to not fall in love the minute you lay eyes on her. As the movie progresses, Dory has more and more flashbacks of herself when she was a baby, even when she got separated from her family (which made me cry).
2. New Characters
From Hank to Destiny to Bailey, Disney did a great gob of adding a new list of characters to the ones we loved when we were kids. Hank is grumpy octopus who's afraid to live in the ocean and wants to be transferred to Cleveland, Ohio, but then decides to help Dory find her parents instead. Destiny is a whale shark who is near-sighted and can't swim very well, but she and Dory used to be "pipe pals" when Dory used to live in the institute. Bailey is a beluga whale who lives in the tank next to Destiny, who thinks he can't use his echolocation, but who helps Dory in the end.
3. Anticipation
For the younger kids who may have seen "Finding Nemo" a few times, the sequel was a cool thing for them. The rest of us who grew up quoting and memorizing the movie, the day "Finding Dory" came out was the day to race to the theater chanting "Shark bait, ohh ha ha," as we anxiously awaited the movie that we'd been hoping for since the idea of a sequel was brought up three years ago.
4. Family
The fact that Disney was so laid-back about Dory not having a family was heartbreaking to me, but in the end, she found her way back home (she followed the shells, because she liked shells and her parents made a trail of them back to their house so she could find her way). When Dory, Jenny and Charlie were reunited, tears filled my eyes as I became overwhelmed with emotion. I couldn't help but put myself in Dory's situation and how I would feel if I lost my parents and I began to tear up even more (I tend to get very emotional over Disney movies, sorry). It's the little things in life that make you appreciate your family, and this movie really helps bring that into the light.
5. The Otters
They don't make a big appearance until the end of the movie, but they were too cute to not include. In the end, Dory needs to stop traffic to save Marlin and Nemo from being sent to Cleveland. She needed a distraction, so she called upon the otters to spread themselves across the highway to stop the cars. Once they were lined up, Dory yells, "Cuddle party," and the otters begin to snuggle together, stopping traffic long enough for Dory to save Nemo and Marlin.
If you're like me, you've been waiting for "Finding Dory" for what seems like forever, and this weekend I had the opportunity to go and see it. Sitting in the movie theater surrounded by little kids and their families, I couldn't help but feel the same excitement that those kids were feeling, so much that I was shushed for being too loud. Personally, I would like to thank Disney and Pixar for fulfilling my childhood fantasy and for finally answering some questions I've had for 13 years. And if I've learned anything from Dory and her crazy life, it is that no matter what happens, just keep swimming.
