CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD
If you read my last post (you can see it here), you would have witnessed the profession of my love for animation. At this point I’d like to clear something up: I was a bit dishonest. No, I don’t love all animation. Some of it just sucks (Ahem, Tranformers Prime). I’ve also never really been that much into anime, even though everything about their storylines suggests I should be. Rather in in many ways I’m a cynic and critic. And that becomes apparent when I talk to anyone about my opinions. So. Many. Opinions. Today, I would like to share some of my opinions with you.
At this point in time, it’s worth pointing out that I realize that you may not care about my opinion. “Who is this awful person?” I hear you ask. “He probably smells funny,” you might think. I guarantee you, my opinion does not matter. And if you don’t want to read this, please check out the rest of the content on the website! There’s some awesome stuff all over the place. Otherwise please stick around, and let me bend your ear (eyes?). Because today I will be talking about a very important film. It is a motion picture that carries the cultural weight of a T-Rex. It is a movie that will have a resounding impact on every twentysomething snake person’s heart. That’s right, I’m talking about Finding Dory.
The events of Finding Dory take place not long after the end of Finding Nemo. It begins with a flashback to Dory’s childhood that inevitably made the “aww’s” swell up in my heart. We are greeted by an overly cute baby Dory who is about as forgetful as we remember her. We are immediately made aware of Dory’s disability. This conjured up for me a melancholy set of emotions where I wasn’t quite sure what to feel. On the one hand, based on my knowledge of Nemo, I know what Dory can do and what she has done. But on the other hand, I can’t help but imagine the feelings her parents must have felt. I am not a father, but I’ve worked with children before. And I am always blown away by the unconditional love I witness from each child’s parents. Dory’s parents represent this type of love whole-heartedly. Because of this, I can’t help but put myself in their shoes. How will I cope as a father? Will I ever be able to love my child as much as Dory’s parents love her? Will my child be a fish? I can only imagine the amount of empathy Dory’s childhood flashbacks must have yielded from the parents in the theatre.
The parental themes of the film continue well into the second act, where we learn about how Dory got separated from her parents in the first place. For some background, I am a twentysomething male. I do not have children, nor do I expect to have children soon. But the thought of losing a kid drove me insane. For one, if I was Dory, I would be terrified. I remember being separated from my parents briefly as a child. All I wanted was to go back. In addition, I couldn’t help but relate to the parents in some way, too. For the entire first half of the movie, we witness how much Dory means to her parents. The very thought of them losing her was enough to push me over the edge. Yes, I cried. Yes, I cried buckets. There I was, saddened and terrified by the thought of losing a child fish. I might as well order The Overprotective Dad’s Guide to Parenting right now.
While these are sad moments no doubt, Dory’s flashbacks were simply the valleys of an emotional rollercoaster that spanned the whole film. For every moment of sadness or tragedy that we witnessed in Dory’s past, we were also met with a moment of happiness in the present. We get to witness her touch the lives of countless other characters in the present. Through her own uniqueness, she inspires the uniqueness of others. And this was extremely satisfying to watch. Each character had enough screen time for us to care about their development. At the same time, none of them dominated so much that we regretted having them in the first place. Each new character had a reason for being in the movie. Through their own quirks, they all added a layer of humour to an already emotionally rich film.
My only beef with the movie is the obnoxious truck chase at the end. It felt like an attempt to make the movie more kid-friendly. It felt like it was supposed to contrast the heavy themes of the rest of the film. But it wasn’t done in a way that was nice. It felt over-the-top and gimmicky. It was a haphazard attempt to bring our new and old characters together in a way that didn’t feel very meaningful. I do concede that the film needed something for the characters to bond together. It was better than having the characters say “okay we’re all friends now baiii!!” But the truck felt like it was rushed and exaggerated. It was funny, it was fun, but it felt like an empty attempt at unifying a group that otherwise would have separated as they made their separate ways home. Despite this, Finding Dory is a solid film that is definitely worth seeing at least once. Go see it. The visuals are wonderful, the plot is fun, and the emotional aspect alone will make it feel worth your while.
As always, I am welcome to all opinions! Leave a comment below to let me know what you thought of the film.
Eric Dicaire
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