Double Takes is a series in which two Emerald writers compare notes on a recent film, album or television show. In this installment, Emerald writers Chris Berg and Emerson Malone share their thoughts on the new film Finding Dory.
Thirteen years after Finding Nemo, Finding Dory returns to a familiar ensemble of aquatic characters: the titular blue tang fish with short-term memory loss, her clownfish friends Marlin and Nemo, and the spotted eagle ray Mr. Ray. But there are also also a few new faces (by which we mean human faces drawn uncannily onto aquatic creatures). There’s Hank the septopus (he’s inexplicably lost an arm; can you say trequel?) voiced by Modern Family‘s Ed O’Neill. Then there’s Bailey, the beluga whale unconfident in his ability to echolocate – and his whale shark tank-mate Destiny, voiced by UO alumni Ty Burrell and Kaitlin Olson.
Check out Chris and Emerson’s takes below.
Chris’s take
For more than a decade, Pixar turned out hits like a chain gun of childlike glee. Few names in cinema can be credited with more iconic characters, moments and stories. This team has a stranglehold on millennial nostalgia, and no film taps that vein quite like Finding Dory.
Set a few months after the events of Finding Nemo, Dory expands upon the titular blue tang character (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), only a supporting character in the original film. One day, the forgetful fish remembers she has a family and is thrust into a quest to be reunited. The voyage brings her, Nemo and Marlin to an aquatic rehabilitation center (think SeaWorld running at 40 percent evil). Through the facility’s blend of oppressive caregiving and flashy commercialism, Dory finds friends new and old.
Pixar is determined to sell Dory as a character picture, but this leaves an uneven impression. Pixar has done an admirable job of fleshing out her tragic backstory. She feels pain, regret, and genuine sorrow — an accomplishment that speaks to DeGeneres’ commendable vocal performance. Dory’s voyage brings her into contact with new friends, each of whom leave a charming impression comparable to the supporting cast of Nemo.
Yet Dory too often sinks into the familiar. The inclusion of Marlin and Nemo feels unnecessary, as if they’re only present out of studio mandate. Big action beats revolve around the fish sneaking across the park unnoticed, evoking multiple other Pixar films where small creatures covertly operate equipment made for humans. Rather than craft the next legendary story, Finding Dory delivers nothing new. It’s still charming, yet it doesn’t stand among the studio’s catalog of classics.
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisBerg25
Emerson’s take
Follow Emerson on Twitter @allmalone
