Title – Finding Dory (2016)

Directors – Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane (WALL-E)

Cast – (voices of) Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Idris Elba, Dominic West

Plot – Forgetful fish Dory (DeGeneres) one day remembers that she’s been disconnected from her loving parents and sets out on a journey to discover what become of them leading to a great trek across the ocean full of potential new friends and dangers.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. Of course, I don’t really remember yesterday all that well”

Review by Eddie on 22/03/2017

If we look back just a few years ago, Pixar really still was the company that seemed to be able to do no wrong but in these last few years for whatever reason the Pixar brand has taken a little bit of a hit.

Sure there’s still the great original films like Inside Out but there’s also been miscued films like Brave, Monster’s University, the tiresome Good Dinosaur and now the long talked about and hyped Finding Dory.

2003’s Finding Nemo is a film fondly remembered by many, I know I for one still very much remember witnessing the film for the first time at the cinema and enjoy every minute of it, but taking a character that was fine as a support to the films leads and turning them into the figurehead of this return to the sea really brings down the chances Finding Dory had of being much more than a pretty animated adventure that leaves nothing of a lasting impression.

The forgetful fish Dory, once more voiced here by comedian Ellen DeGeneres, on a journey to find her parents that she’s somehow remembered doesn’t make for much of an engaging tale even with her quest taking her all the way to a sea life park where she meets colourful characters like Hank the octopus (stealing most of the films best scenes), Destiny the whale shark or Bailey the beluga whale.

Finding Nemo won audiences over with its great voice acting, memorable characters and simple yet effective central idea, Finding Dory feels tired as it tries to pay its respect’s to the original whilst paving its own path out through the open storytelling waters but as has sadly become the case with Pixar’s reliance now of bringing back past properties, this feels like a cash grab rather than a genuine attempt to create something fresh to wow audiences of all ages with. It’s a problem the animation power house never use to have but with expectations come great pressure’s Pixar currently aren’t living up to.

Finding Dory looks great (as do all Pixar films) and there are some inventive scenarios at play here but this sequel which has taken too long to come to surface fails to live up to the name we’ve come to expect from its classic forefather and with an annoying forgetful fish as our main point of contact, Finding Dory is more arduous for adults than we’d have liked and is one for the kiddies only.

2 learning on the job truck drivers out of 5