Finding Dory by contrast, proves that the studio is capable of making a quality sequel—which is good news, I suppose, given that this seems like pretty much all it intends to do for the foreseeable future, with Cars 3, Toy Story 4, and The Incredibles 2 all headed down the pike over the next three years. The stunning originality that once defined Pixar’s cinematic buffet has apparently been reduced to an animated amuse bouche.

The movie takes place one year after the events of Finding Nemo, in which Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a regal blue tang with short-term memory issues. It all begins when Dory, after a blow to the head, recovers a long-lost memory of her parents (Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy) and her childhood home off the coast of California. With her clownfish pals in tow, she sets off to reunite with her family, once again propelled by the surf-dude sea turtle Crush (himself once again voiced by the movie’s director, Andrew Stanton). Along the way she encounters old friends and new.

Many chases and rescues ensue, including one that finds Hank the octopus behind the wheel of a truck—which, according to taste, is either hilarious or a bit too broadly farcical. There are genuinely tender moments, and a few well-earned morals: about friendship, about family, and about perseverance in the face of adversity.

In short, Finding Dory offers a great deal to commend itself, especially as a family viewing experience. But there are times when Dory’s ongoing habit of repeating herself feels just a little too on the nose for a movie that, in many instances, is doing essentially the same thing. Here’s hoping that at some point in the future Pixar will redevote its vast creative prowess to the invention of new worlds rather than the recycling of old ones.

Courtesy: The Atlantic

Published in Young Nation on June 25, 2016