Summer may be over, but its movies will be coming out to Blu-ray and DVD soon (and possibly on RLO movies, but we’ll wait and see). This Her Campus series will cover all the movies you may have missed over the summer, so you can figure out which ones to see. *This review contains spoilers.*
Our next film is a nostalgic favorite: Finding Dory. I’m sure nearly every college-age person in the U.S. grew up with the first film, Finding Nemo, and we were all dying of excitement when we heard they were making a sequel.
The story is set up in the same reef where the first film started, but Nemo, Marlin, and Dory now live happily together as a family. One day Dory suddenly remembers that she had a family and she misses them. Hence, the trio set off to find them. They encounter trouble on the way, the worst of which is Dory getting taken to a Marine Institute after some employees find her caught in plastic rings. Once inside, we meet a whole cast of new characters.
Hank, one of the first we meet, is an octopus who doesn’t want to go back to the ocean. He was a brilliant addition to the team, with his snide remarks but incredible tact for getting out of tough situations. The next is Destiny, a whale shark who has very bad vision, and her friend Bailey, a beluga whale who has trouble with his echolocation. We also meet a weird bird, some funny sea lions, and eventually, Dory’s parents. While it wasn’t the original cast, it was nice to meet more non-fish characters.
The aquarium setting also mixed up the way the movie progresses. Instead of just swimming from place to place, sometimes the fish have to get creative in how they travel to difference enclosures. At one point, Hank carries Dory around in a coffee pot (octopi can be out of water for extended periods of time without trouble), Marlin and Nemo hitch a ride in a bucket with a bird, and later on, Dory navigates through the pipes with the help of Destiny and Bailey shouting directions down to her. It provided a fun and interesting challenge to the way the story got told.
I could talk about the animation for days, but I think most of us know Pixar’s quality. This film was up to their standards. The water animation alone was incredible. They were able to show the tiny specs of particles and the way the light changed depending on where it was coming from. Not to mention the animation for Hank, which was incredibly complex due to his ability to change into any shape and camouflage.
The ending (which I won’t spoil here) was the only real “glitch” in the film. It was a little too drawn out and too dramatic. However, as it was a kid’s film, I was still able to push past this and enjoy the film, which of course, had a happy ending.
Overall, it was a great film, especially for those of us who remember the original from our childhoods. Don’t forget to “just keep swimming” and check it out when you get a chance.
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