When I first heard there was going to be a sequel to "Finding Nemo," I immediately thought that there was no way it could be better than the original. "Finding Nemo" was a deep story with lots of bubbly characters and is pretty hard to beat. "Finding Dory" is a masterpiece, but I don't necessarily believe it was better than its predecessor, but rather that it enhanced the story. The two movies are connected so well and the connections made to the first movie were compelling. "Finding Dory" answered many questions that may have been left unanswered in the first movie. I believe the reason "Finding Dory" is so successful is because it is so closely connected to "Finding Nemo." In other words, I view "Finding Nemo" and "Finding Dory" as one continuous movie. The two movies could easily, nearly seamlessly, be played back-to-back as one mega-movie and it would flow as smoothly as the East Australian Current.

Many times, sequels are not as meticulously planned, edited, and executed. This could possibly be because the first movie was self-sufficient and another movie would be redundant and boring. Another reason could be that some sequels could be made in an effort to bring in more revenue for a production company, and producers think if it has a good name on it, people will spend money to see it. This was not the case with "Finding Dory." It is obvious that the artists and creative minds behind this story line of fish tales put every ounce of their greatest effort to make sure they sufficiently allow the epic story of Nemo, Marlin, and Dory to live on. There was nothing that showed a lack of passion or effort. I did notice that halfway through the movie, Dory's dad started calling her "kelp-cake" instead of "cupcake." However, if anything, this shows the opposite of carelessness, because the creators thought of something as small as that pun to put in there, and every little detail counts and contributes to the major impact of the film.

I was expecting "Finding Dory" to be a story like "Finding Nemo" but with Dory as the lost one, but this sequel went above and beyond what I expected. When the crossover of Dory's story and Nemo's story first became clear, I was so excited and compelled that my jaw literally dropped and my eyes literally popped out of my face. OK, maybe the second thing didn't happen, but you get the idea. The entire "Finding Nemo" movie can fit right into "Finding Dory." This sequel was so beautifully crafted and flows perfectly with "Finding Nemo."

Honestly, I believe a three-quel is in the future, especially after the scene following the end credits. I would love to see a movie about the stories of the fish from the dentist's aquarium from "Finding Nemo." I really love how they came full circle from "Nemo" to "Dory." "Finding Dory" had the return of some of the most beloved characters from "Nemo," and some references to the first movie really hit home with older viewers who grew up watching "Finding Nemo" on repeat.

"Finding Dory" left me beaming with happiness. I believe that if you loved "Finding Nemo," you will love "Finding Dory" just as much, if not more, because it adds even more depth to the endearing and adventurous story many of us fell in love with as kids.