‘Finding Dory’ BluRay Review: A Treat For Nemo Fans

Pixar’s sequel to their 2003 hit Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, is one of the best movies made in some time, a plot specializing in humor and heart.

The movie’s premise is the life of Dory, who cannot remember more than a few seconds at a time. She suddenly remembers that she has parents. As stupid as that might sound, Ellen DeGeneres as a fish using common sense turns into a wild adventure as she attempts to get back to the zoo she called home as a child. As the fish makes her way into the zoo relatively quickly, old characters such as the manta ray and generic surfer sea turtle make a cameo appearance. As one might expect, it’s tough for a fish to navigate through an aquarium that isn’t located in or around Atlantis. This is where interesting characters come in: three seals, a pigeon, Dori’s two whale friends, and, most importantly, the octopus.

> BUY NOW: ‘FINDING DORY’ BLURAY

The octopus, easily the best character in the cast, has a cynical, hilarious, smart-ass attitude that keeps it safe for the kids, but mature viewers won’t notice a difference. Even when octopus Hank goes through a change of heart, it doesn’t feel entirely forced, rather the character development seems necessary and is all based on the character making a choice. In fact, all of the character development, especially the hard-hitting parts, are written almost flawlessly, touching the heart of the audience in a relatable, deep, and overall powerful form of storytelling.

What shines in the movie, however, isn’t the events that happen in the movie, but the journey along the way. As such, the plot is rushed towards the end in order to tie up loose ends and create a happy ending. The plot also concentrates exclusively on Dory and her adventures with Hank, voiced by Ed O’Neil, so the previous main characters, Nemo and Marlin, seem almost unnecessary; in fact, Nemo’s dialogue seemed far more interesting than Marlin’s, who was the main character in the previous movie. Also, just so we’re clear, the ending has fish hijack a truck and crash it into the ocean. Whether that is kickass or ridiculous, I’m not sure, but I do know that it’s incredibly out of place in comparison to the rest of the plot.

Slight criticisms aside, no one can deny how expertly this movie was crafted down to the finest detail. The music, visuals and dialogue are some of the best you’ll find in animated cinema. If you didn’t like the first movie, I wouldn’t recommend it; however, even if you merely liked Finding Nemo, you’re bound to love Finding Dory.

The DVD comes with special features including the Piper short film, animation and acting, the technical challenges of animating an octopus, Pixar animators go on a marine vacation, deleted scenes, fake character interviews, and many more. Up to three hours of additional content is astounding, yet nothing can beat the “find the octopus in the picture” during the credits. Let Disney and Pixar remind you what home and family is with a movie that pulls the carpet from under The Wizard of Oz.