Finding Dory

Finding Dory – A year after returning to the reef with Marlin and Nemo, Dory is content in her life as a part of their family, something which she hasn’t had for a very long time. One day, she has a flashback of her parents and, convinced that she will be able to find them, sets off to find them with the two clownfish in tow. With only one piece of information to go on and Dory’s short-term memory loss causing problems at every turn, will she ever see her long-lost parents ever again?

Finding Dory (2016) – Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47530962

Rating: U

Running Length: 97 mins

Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence

Genre: Animated, Action/Adventure

REVIEW: ‘FINDING DORY’

The sequel to Pixar’s hugely popular ‘Finding Nemo’ was always going to be hotly anticipated, and focusing on the likeable and endearingly forgetful Dory only helped to increase the hype surrounding ‘Finding Dory’. Pixar never fails to deliver excellent storylines, beautiful animation and characters that have as much depth as any adult drama and ‘Finding Dory’ is no exception.

Unfortunately, ‘Finding Dory’ struggles to move out of the shadow of its predecessor. The plot and characters are almost identical and Dory’s forgetfulness gets a little old when she is carrying the movie and for most of the film, there is little more to her than her short-term memory and overly positive personality. Having said that, if you enjoyed ‘Finding Nemo’ you will almost certainly enjoy ‘Finding Dory’; the animation, once again, is gorgeous, the humour is top-notch and the genuine relationships between characters is realistic and often poignant.

There’s no doubt that the kids watching ‘Finding Dory’ will love every second and, while the adults will most likely have seen it all before, it is difficult not to love this upbeat, funny and overall wonderful story.

CONTENT: IS ‘FINDING DORY’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Ever since being a young child, Dory has had short-term memory loss. Despite her parents’ best efforts, she inevitably gets separated from them. She is seen to be scared and upset, asking for help but then wandering off due to her forgetfulness. This continues for some time and, as she ages, she forgets her parents altogether. As she gets lost at such a young age and is often seen to be upset and afraid, some kids could find this emotionally distressing, especially for those who may have anxiety over getting lost and losing their parents.

On their journey, Dory, Marlin and Nemo swim around a shipwreck; creatures living in the area shush them several times and they slowly become aware of potential danger. Swimming near a large, dark space, a bright blue eye opens behind them and a beak moves out of the shadows. The three are then chased around the wreckage by a large creature which is determined to kill and eat them; one of the fish is captured and pulled closer and closer to the beak which snaps open and closed continuously as the other two attempt to rescue them.

A couple of characters find themselves in a ‘kiddy pool’ at an aquarium. Creatures already in there hide and are fearful. Once the children are let loose, they painfully poke, prod, squeeze and pull the creatures around. A starfish is forcefully pulled away from the rock it is clinging onto, crying out that its arm is being hurt.

A character discovers that loved ones are likely to be dead. They go into shock and struggle to focus on anything other than what they have just heard. This causes them and others to be separated and put into danger. This is quite intense for around thirty seconds but soon lightens although the character remains upset for some time.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘FINDING DORY’ FOR KIDS?

Perhaps best enjoyed by itself without the comparison to ‘Nemo’, ‘Finding Dory’ is packed full of entertainment for the whole family. Although there are some emotional and scary moments, we feel that these are child-friendly enough to be suitable for all ages.

• Violence: 1/5
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (Dory’s upset and loneliness over losing her parents, especially as a young child, is likely to resonate with a lot of kids)
• Fear Factor: 2/5
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 0/5
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of: family, loss, disability, underestimating those with a disability, prejudice, determination, protecting the people you care about, the effects that both positive and negative personalities can have on each other, memory, tenacity and love.

Words by Laura Record

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