Unforgettable
Directed by: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
Written by: Andrew Stanton, Victoria Strouse, Bob Peterson
Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Hayden Rolence
Swift shot: Back in 2003 Pixar introduced us to an overprotective clown fish who lost his son and traveled far across the ocean along with the help of a forgetful blue tang who reminded him to just keep swimming. Now, thirteen years later, Dory’s story is told. Dory (DeGeneres) remembers she has a family, and of course she has to find them, or at least find out what happened to them. She blames herself, and her short-term memory loss, for getting separated from them in the first place. But she has no plan, and she is in for an adventure that will reveal who she is and where she comes from.
Dory’s extremely patient parents are introduced at the onset of the film, much like in Finding Nemo. Charlie (Eugene Levy) and Jenny (Diane Keaton) try to explain to Dory that she keeps forgetting stuff and needs to remember to avoid the current. But, inevitably, baby Dory (who tips the Disney cute scales) does get swept away and is swimming alone until she literally bumps into Marlin and you know the rest of that story. But now, a year later, a chance encounter with a migration of rays triggers a memory that Dory remembers she has a family.
Dory decides that she has to find her family, but she needs her new family, Marlin (Brooks) and Nemo (Rolence), to help. Marlin is reluctant, but Nemo reminds him that she is essentially family now. This family theme is persistent in Finding Dory. As Dory finds her way to the answer about her parents, she becomes separated from Marlin and Nemo and ends up at the Marine Life Institute where she meets Hank. I was thrilled to meet all these new characters, especially the crosspatch septopus with the heart of gold, Hank (O’Neill).
Hank has only one goal, to get the little tag on Dory’s fin that is his ticket to Cleveland. If that sounds far-fetched, it makes perfect sense within the context of the film. In fact, the writers did an incredible job of making each character’s behavior believable on some level . . . well, save for the loon, Becky. She’s just completely, well, loony, I guess. But each character quirk in Finding Dory reveals a unique ability that ultimately aids Dory in her quest.
Marlin and Nemo are assisted by some sea lions, Fluke and Rudder, played by Idris Elba and Dominic West respectively who explain where Dory was probably sent in the MLI. And once Nemo and Marlin figure out where she is, they have to go to some positively ridiculous measures to get back to her. While they are searching for Dory, Hank and Dory are trying to find out what happened to Dory’s parents. Hank and Dory have their fair share of wild adventures trying to find the other blue tangs, aided by a near-sighted whale shark, Destiny (Kaitlin Olson) and a neurotic beluga whale, Bailey (Ty Burrell) who is convinced his melon is broken.
In classic cinema fashion you have all the great elements for a gripping story. There is the element of the clock, as Hank is desperate to get on the truck to Cleveland and longs for solitude. Marlin and Nemo need to find Dory. Dory needs to find her parents. To make things even more entertaining, the staff of the MLI is chasing down Hank, because he is an escape artist, so they are trying to put him back where he belongs, presumably someplace he loathes . . . considering the lengths he goes to in order to get that little blue tang’s tag.
Finding Dory was a wonderfully told story that countless times defied belief and was as vibrantly colorful as it was imaginative. While reading the production notes, I was amazed at the amount of attention to detail that went into each location, the water and light elements were carefully constructed and the difficulty in making Hank’s movements fluid and never forced was appreciated in the final Pixar product.
While this is a film for the little ones, there were a few nods to grown-up stuff that I appreciated. There was at least one nod to Ridley Scott’s Alien in the film that I challenge you to find. There were some minor political jabs peppered in Finding Dory too, but they were so subtle you’ll probably miss them at first viewing. I am a certified RWNJ, and I was hard pressed to find all the controversy supposedly present in the film. But, like with anything, if you go looking to be offended, I am sure the more delicate folks will find something that irks them. That’s sad, because this was just a great family film with a captivating cast.
Ultimately, you will be invested in this adventure, you will feel for these tiny fish as they meet each challenge with the tenacity of a recon Marine. They just won’t ever give up, even a few times where I was thinking, ok, that has to be the end of that . . . nope, they just keep swimming and proving that sometimes the best plans are no plans at all.
Be bold, be decisive, but never give up. And most especially, never give up on family.
Unless you want to be shark bait, stick around after the credits . . . don’t be a Gerald!
