I unexpectedly got to watch "Finding Dory" last week, and I had a whale of a time! Here were some of my thoughts as I watched it. Warning: there will be spoilers... But just so you don't leave this article empty-handed, here's two tidbits for the road: Baby Dory is really cute, and there's a post-credits scene if you go watch the movie. Now, as for the spoilers... turn away now if you wish not to sea them.
And here we go!
“Hi, I’m Dory, and I suffer from short-term re-mem-bery loss.”
Baby Dory is so cute! She’s so shy and sweet and so tiny! Her eyes literally make up half of her. Did I mention that she’s adorable? Oh, I did? Dory’s short-term memory loss must be rubbing off on me ;) I need a Baby Dory plushie. Need it. *pauses for thought* *looks up* Can I help you? Oh, did you know that Baby Dory is really cute? A-Dory-ble, even?
Dory’s parents are really sweet, especially her mom. Her dad looks like he’s suffering from a receding hairline, though. Somewhat fishy, if you ask me. I didn’t know it was even possible for a fish to look that way, but Pixar did it.
Oh, this squid chase scene reminds me of the shark chase scene or maybe the anglerfish confrontation. I have an ink-ling of a feeling they're going to get away safely in the end. Hey, I was right, and Nemo’s crying. Now I feel a little bad. It was a scary squid. Bad squid. But then again: it’s the CIIIIIRRRCCLLEE OF LIIIIIIIIIIIFEE!
Additional note: Looking back at this picture of the squid, I remembered it was bioluminescent. Do such squids actually exist? *gasp* Google says they do...
“Just keep swimming” was something Dory’s parents taught her? Aww… Okay, that makes it more sweet than annoying. How can I be annoyed at her survival mechanism? The song is even more cringe-worthy when her parents sing it, though.
Dory jumping into a bucket with dead fish. Yikes… that’s probably our equivalent of jumping into a body bag with a corpse or touring the morgue. Icky.
Wait, Dory learned whale by actually speaking to a whale? No way… And Destiny must have one heck of a memory to be able to recall Dory’s voice. Everything seems to be going swimmingly for Dory right now.
Okay, a fish “controlling” a bird? Weird… and reminiscent of Marlin and Dory’s trip in the mouth of Nigel the Pelican. Only this time Becky the loon can’t talk. Hmm, "loony" means crazy, and Becky seems to have a couple of feathers loose, if you know what I mean...
Ooh, adventurous travelling by fish in a manner completely defying the laws of physics, as Marlin and Nemo catapult across a series of spurting fountains. Somehow, "Defying Gravity" sung by "the wickedly talented Adele Dazeem" seems appropriate here.
Hank and Dory have a pretty interesting friendship, and Hank's antics of disguise are a lot of fun to try to predict. His unac-sept-table "bullying" of her eventually changes to gruff affection after she helps him overcome his fear of the touch pool.
Dory’s parents are dead? I thought this was a kids’ film. Man, I wonder how I’d respond if I was told my parents were dead.
Family reunion! So, they decided not to have anyone die. Probably too traumatic for children. But then there’s "The Lion King"… Well, anyway, "Finding Dory" uses a child-friendly, happy ending twist, but again, it's child-friendly, so I can't complain too much, I guess.
Okay, that is not how echolocation works. Bailey looks like he has high-tech radar implanted in his bloated head. Mehh…
Baby otters are so cute! I wanna cuddle too! Aren't they otter-ly adorable?
I couldn't find a picture, but the truck-falling-fish-scattering-scene has to be up there as one of the best slow-mo sequences. Ever. And we get “What a Wonderful World” playing in the background as well. Perfect. Ooh look, another chance to quote “Circle of Life” as a fish eats a fish before getting eaten by another fish... and then getting sneezed out.
The Tank Gang were in a post-credits scene?! No way! And I missed it; dang it. It makes no sense, though. They’d have to travel across the Pacific to get to Cali from Sydney. In little plastic bags, no less. I’m calling them out on it. Sorry, Pixar; it’s cute and fun, but unrealistic even by cartoon standards.
In conclusion, "Finding Dory" isn’t an outstanding movie on its own, but it ties back to "Finding Nemo" really well, with flashbacks and explanations of Dory's quirks.
A little piece of my childhood has been satisfied. I feel almost like I felt at the end of "Toy Story 3." Well, not AS emotional, but very satisfied. The importance of family and the importance of trust were themes beautifully crafted into Dory's journey. Her journey with us is now complete. We need not wonder anymore about her story, because it has been told beautifully.
