I'm sure since you've clicked on this article, that you've already heard of the newly released Disney movie Finding Dory. The sequel to Finding Nemo has been publicized for nearly a year before this release, and fans (both little kids and...not-so-little-kids) have anticipated what they expected to be the best movie of the summer. But is it the best movie of the summer? Well, I can't answer that, but I will say this: it was a much better movie than I had expected.

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely a Disney fan. I'm not an all out Disney fanatic like some people I know (you guys know who you are,) but I have what seems to be a very unpopular opinion of the first movie about these little fish. I guess I have to come right out and say it: I really didn't like Finding Nemo that much. Please hold your gunfire and hate comments. I'll briefly explain why. Yes, Finding Nemo had its redeeming cute moments as Disney movies do. Yes, it broke a lot of expectations (There was no real villain, Dory suffering from short-term memory loss was a first for a Disney character, and Nemo taught others that disabilities don't define you.) I am not denying any of these things, but overall, I just wasn't into it. Marlin was just this grouchy dad who was attempting to fix his mistake of making his son feel unworthy by traveling across the sea to get him back. The jokes weren't very funny at all. And, honestly, I've read and watched too many epic quest narratives for this one to be at the top of my list.

With that being said, Finding Dory completely defied my expectations. I don't want to say that I expected to hate it, but I was kind of expecting to view it as just another children's movie. Especially with all of the advertising that was done, I was really expecting a movie that was produced primarily to make money from the toys and the tickets sold because of the association with the first movie. (If you don't believe that Disney does this, please check out the Cars movies.) I expected another saga of these fish adventuring across the ocean, meeting quirky characters along the way who either aid them in a small way or come close to killing them. I guess I essentially expected another Finding Nemo except focusing on Dory while Dory was actually there. Luckily, I was completely wrong.

Now, I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet, but I definitely need to speak about the great aspects of this film. First of all, Ellen Degeneres delivered a great performance as everyone's favorite forgetful fish, but what really brought the story home was the Dory's characterization through flashbacks, foil characters, and her own decision making. Obviously Dory was going to be the star of this movie, but she also was able to stand in the spotlight, being the only talking fish on-screen for decent periods of time without the audience becoming bored.

There were some new lovable characters as well. There are some more minor characters who provide chuckles, but there are a handful who relaly make an impact. We meet both of Dory's parents, voiced by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy, along with a whale shark named Destiny voiced by Kaitlin Olson (of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame) and a beluga whale named Bailey voiced by Ty Burrell (commonly known from Modern Family.) Then there's Hank the octopus who's played by Ed O'Neill. All of these characters (yes, all of them) have fantastic moments of comedy and seriousness which really bring the whole film together in a much different way than Finding Nemo's characters (except those in the tank with Nemo) were there for a few minutes and gone for the rest of the movie.

Also, the way the movie is presented really tugs on your heartstrings. Like I said before, I don't want to spoil anything, but just imagine the emotionality of Dory's search for home, her family, and, in many ways, herself. There were many moments that made me tear up and bite my lip to keep from crying. On the flip side, there were jokes and moments that had me literally guffawing at the screen; if I had a drink in my mouth, I probably would have spit it everywhere. The balance of both completely cemented the movie as the number one movie in this series for me.

So, to end this by bringing it back to the beginning, is Finding Dory the best movie of the summer? I'm not sure about that since there are still some months to go, but I do know one thing for sure. It definitely deserves the 94% rating it received on Rotten Tomatoes, and everyone who enjoys Disney movies needs to see it at least once. (Maybe just go at night instead of during the day when the theater is likely to be packed with six year olds.)