Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Hayden Rolence
Finding Dory
Director: Andrew Stanton
Rating: 4/5
I have to admit, when it was announced that Finding Dory was given the green light, I was a little apprehensive. Finding Nemo was a wonderfully charming animation film that I felt didn't need a sequel. Pixar has taken us back beneath the waves to reunite with some terrific characters and... it does not disappoint.
Disney Pixar's Finding Dory reunites everyone's favourite forgetful blue tang, Dory, with her friends Nemo and Marlin on a search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale?
Ok, for me, Finding Dory does not quite equal what Pixar achieved with Finding Nemo, but it is a damn fine film that all the family can enjoy.
No summer is complete without the release of a Pixar film and the studio has done it again with their latest release - it is set to light up the big screen in the coming weeks and get the box office tills ringing.
Finding Dory really is a continuation of the original story and it is great to be back in the company of characters such as Dory, Marlin, and Nemo; they captured the imagination and the hearts of audiences first time around and they will do the same again.
Visually, the movie is just stunning and draws you into a wonderful adventure - it doesn't matter if the action is above the sea or on land. Pixar never disappoints when it comes to the animation... and they have delivered another true gem.
However, it is not the animation that makes this movie, it is the characters and the powerful message that is delivered throughout the story. This is a film that looks at the important of family, and friends, finding yourself and being happy and comfortable with who you are. These are wonderful themes to explore with a young audience and these messages are delivered so beautifully.
There's a lot of heart at the centre of this film and cannot help but get carried away on the wave of that emotion. Much like the first film, Finding Dory is a movie that will put a smile on your face as well as tug at your heartstrings.
Once again, Ellen DeGeneres is wonderful as the forgetful but forever loveable Dory - the film role that really did turn her into a megastar back in 2003. You can tell that she is having a blast making this movie and that really come through in her vocal performance.
It is great to see Albert Brooks back while Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Idris Elba and Dominic West as some of the big new additions to listen out for. Fans of the TV show The Wire will be thrilled to see Elba and West reunite - the pair played Stringer Bell and Jimmy McNulty in the show - to voice the characters of sea lions Fluke and Rudder. A great touch for some of the adults in the audience.
Finding Dory is a movie that is packed with as much heart and charm as the original and really is a wonderful watch - Pixar really has done it again. While it doesn't quite hit the dizzy heights of its predecessor, it does get pretty close.
Finding Dory is out now.
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