Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory boasts breath-taking animation and a stellar voice cast. Also, the first act firmly establishes its heart and humor. Unfortunately, its poorly paced second act, protagonist problems, and recycled ideas make it a forgettable sequel.

Breath-Taking Animation:

Each of Pixar’s 17 films all feature excellent animation. Even their worst film, Cars 2, benefited from excellent animation. Finding Dory is no exception. The various locations are all tangible and each animal is convincingly rendered in 2D. In 3D, the animation is even more vibrant and immersive. Whether you see this film in 2D or 3D, there is no denying that the animation provides a visual feast for the audience.

Stellar Voice Cast:

The voice cast of Pixar’s latest sequel includes: Ellen DeGeneres (Dory), Albert Brooks (Marlin), Hayden Rolance (Nemo), Diane Keaton (Jenny), Eugene Levy (Charlie), and Sigourney Weaver. Surprisingly, the best voice performance comes from Sloane Murray, who provides the adorable voice of Dory when she is younger. Because Murray is able to capture the sincere nature of Dory perfectly, her voice work helps this film work on an emotional level.

Voice actors that help make Finding Dory better than it should be include the following: Ed O’Neill (Hank), Ty Burrell (Bailey), Kaitlin Olsen (Destiny), Idris Elba (Fluke), and Dominic West (Rudder). Ed O’Neill is known for portraying Jay Pritchett, a wealthy older man who is cranky and resists change, on ABC’s Modern Family. As Hank, an octopus eager to get out of the Marine Life Institute and stay in a confined space forever, O’Neill provides enough surliness to provide several laughs. Also, Ed O’Neill makes the change of heart that Dory inspires his character to go through convincing thanks to his gravitas.

Ty Burrell (Dawn of the Dead) and Kaitlin Olsen (The Heat, Vacation) provide the voices of two of the funniest new characters, Bailey, a beluga whale who is convinced that he can no longer utilize echolocation, and Destiny, a whale shark who is nearsighted. Because Destiny is prone to run into walls and other barriers, Bailey functions as her eyes: this results in several hilarious physical comedy gags. Thanks to the strong chemistry between Burrell and Olsen, each scene featuring this two new characters provides a fresh, exciting energy and plenty of laughs.

Fluke and Rudder are both sea lions that sit atop a rock and watch the other animals around them. Like the seagulls in Finding Nemo, which were very possessive and said, “Mine! Mine! Mine!” over and over, these sea lions frequently protect their rock and tell any other animal that tries to get on their rock to get “Off! Off! Off!” This running gag is humerous and effective thanks to the solid voice work from Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Thor) and Dominic West (Money Monster).

Strong First Act:

Finding Dory begins with Dory’s past, when she was a young fish living with her parents, Jennie and Charlie. Unlike Elsa’s parents in Frozen, Dory’s parents teach her to accept who she is and accomplish various tasks in spite of her short-term memory loss. Anyone who has ever raised or cared for a child with a disability will empathize with Dory’s plight, being limited by something she cannot help, which helps establish the heart and theme of this film. This strong message, to embrace one’s weaknesses and strengths and never give up, is well-handled and timely.

The rest of the first act takes place one year after the events of Finding Nemo. While assisting Mr. Ray with a class of young fish, Dory begins to remember various things about her parents. Of course, she desires to find both her family and answers regarding her past. While she travels with Marlin and Nemo initially, she is taken out of the ocean and to the Marine Life Institute. Because of the heart of the first act, this is easily the most engaging part.

Third Act:

The third act is messy in many instances. For example, audiences are expected to believe that Dory and Hank can  drive a large vehicle without wrecking into another car despite the fact they have not watched other humans drive before. Also, the fact that cute sea otters happen to be right where the protagonists need them to be in order to provide a distraction is certainly a noticeable plot convenience.

Ultimately, Finding Dory‘s final act is not bad due to its cartoonish humor and several cathartic reunions. For example, during the sequence in which the large vehicle flies through the air, a bigger fish eats a smaller fish, only to be eaten by an even larger fish in midair – before losing its lunch – and falling into the ocean. As for the reunions that Dory experiences, they work because of the likeability of both familiar and new characters. Therefore, this third act is generic but passable.

Weak Second Act & Protagonist Problems:

Screenwriters Andrew Stanton (WALL-E, John Carter), Victoria Strouse (New Best Friend), and Bob Peterson (Up, The Good Dinosaur) all collaborated on the story. However, Stanton wrote the screenplay and co-directed this film with Angus MacLane. Despite this talented ensemble and the fact that most of the new characters: Hank, Fluke, Rudder, Bailey, and Destiny, enter the story in this act, Stanton’s pacing is far too stagnant. Although Dory experiences several notable flashbacks, there is not enough forward motion for her character. As a protagonist, her greatest flaw is that her behavior is repetitive: she always gets into a tough situation and forgets something important prior to figuring out a solution.

Another factor that inhibits the pacing of the second act is the setting. Whereas the original film was set in the Ocean, which was filled with various unforgettable sights, such as: jelly fish, sharks, and an angler fish, this sequel, mostly takes place in one setting: the Marine Life Institute. In other words, because the setting is less awe-worthy and dangerous than the various locations within the ocean in Finding Nemo, as well as the pacing and protagonist issues, make this second act monotonous and sluggish.

Recycled Ideas:

Many of the scenes in Finding Dory involve ideas borrowed from the original film and other Pixar films. This is particularly evident in the scene in which Hank and Dory are in the “Touch Pool.” Stanton frames the children’s attempts to touch the fish as if it is a horror film, which is eerily similar to how Lee Unkrich framed the scene in Toy Story 3 in which the toddlers play with new toys. Also, without spoiling anything, the climax is far too similar to the Toy Story’s iconic climax.

As if that were not enough, the filmmakers rush though showing the audience familiar faces such as Crush and Squirt, the seagulls, and more. Their appearances only provide fan-service, but the least the filmmakers could do is allow Crush and Squirt to crack more jokes and have an extra minute or two of screentime.

Overall:

Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory boasts breath-taking animation and a stellar voice cast. Also, the first act firmly establishes its heart and humor. Unfortunately, its poorly paced second act, protagonist problems, and recycled ideas make it a forgettable sequel.