I’m aware – and by now I’m sure you’re probably all aware
too – that, generally speaking, I am not too keen on sequels. Often (though not
always) sequels pale in comparison to their original counterparts, usually
because, more often than not, they are produced with little else in mind
besides milking an already successful franchise. That said, every so often when
a sequel is announced, I usually like to give it the benefit of the doubt and
broach it with a clear mind – especially when the sequel is the product of such
a renowned animation company as Pixar. And that leads us to this year’s
offering, the widely anticipated Finding
Dory. The ever-optimistic, forgetful Blue Tang, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres,
captured the hearts of many a cinemagoer back in 2003 as the side-splitting and
endearing comedy relief of Finding Nemo,
which turned out to be one of Pixar’s greatest films to date. Obviously, a
sequel was expected. But the question is, can Dory carry a story?
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| Disney/Pixar, 2016 |
Directed by Pixar stalwart Andrew Stanton, Finding Dory takes place one year after
the original movie, and is interwoven with sentimental flashbacks concerning
Dory’s childhood and her eventually losing her parents (yes – despite the
title, it’s Dory’s parents we’re finding here, not Dory). In the present, Dory
is living peacefully alongside Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (now voiced by
Hayden Rolence, replacing Alexander Gould). But before long, she is plagued by
a memory, prompting her to locate her lost family. By chance, she winds up
captured by the Marine Life Institute, which happens to be where her parents
supposedly are. There she meets Hank (Ed O’Neill), a grumpy seven-legged
octopus, her old friend Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), a short-sighted whale shark,
and Bailey (Ty Burrell), a beluga whale with the ability to echolocate. The
rest of the film sees Dory, Marlin and Nemo traverse the entire institute to
find her parents, in many extraordinary ways, via various… interesting modes of
transportation, shall we say.
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| Disney/Pixar, 2016 |
As clever as this can sometimes be, this is actually a major
problem with the film; it’s simply *too* unrealistic. Okay, so it’s an animated
film, but a degree of realism is still required for the film to be engaging in
any way. In Finding Nemo, the escapades
of the main characters maintained at least a semblance of credibility by, at
the very least, the characters’ making allusions to the outlandishness of the
situation. This film, however, really pushes the boundaries of believability,
to the extent that we’re expected to accept that an octopus can convincingly
disguise itself as a human baby without anybody catching on. And don’t get me
started on the film’s climactic scenes, which see Dory well and truly jump the
shark. Even overlooking these scenes, the film is plagued by clichéd and sappy
sentimental scenes, and far too many
coincidences that propel the narrative. There’s just no sense of threat. Just
when you think the characters are in danger, there just happens to be a water
bucket nearby, or a conveniently-placed drain, or, oh I don’t know, a
super-stealthy other-worldly octopus with the power to camouflage himself as just
about anything. In fact, Hank encapsulates most of what is wrong with the
movie. As likeable as he is, he’s essentially a walking deus ex machina. This
isn’t good storytelling, Pixar. This is contrivance at its worst.
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| Disney/Pixar, 2016 |
Another major issue – and one that I was anticipating – is that
Dory works far better as a side character, a comedy relief. In this film, she’s
just annoying. Her backstory, too, is a little lazily constructed. There’s
nothing hugely innovative about her parents’ characterisations – they merely
conform to the ‘loving parent’ cliché, enabling Pixar to play the sentiment
card yet again. When it’s done well, Pixar’s sentimentally-driven narratives
can pack a real punch. We all know that. The problem is that when the narrative
is otherwise so detached from reality, these ‘emotional’ scenes are just
conveyed as forced and, put simply, they do not work, no matter how big baby
Dory’s eyeballs are. It genuinely upsets me that the average Pixar release has,
in recent years, become so bland and formulaic.
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| Disney/Pixar, 2016 |
In all, it’s hardly the worst thing you’ll ever see, but it
does indeed require substantial suspension of disbelief. Expect no surprises
and you might even enjoy it. In parts, it’s amusing, and although it’s
predictable, it’s not what I’d call boring. Visually, as usual for a Pixar
movie, it’s sublime, and the voice acting is of an expectedly high standard.
But in terms of conveying a good story, Finding
Dory sadly struggles to stay afloat.
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