I hoped I could give Finding Dory a stellar review. Since 2005 I've kept a blog called Just Keep Swimming. It's my go-to advice for almost everything in life. Get dumped? Just keep swimming. Dog ran away? Just keep swimming. Hate your job? Just. Keep. Swimming.
That said, I won't lie to you: I approached the latest Disney•Pixar film with no small amount of trepidation. We all know that second Indiana Jones movie didn't light the world on fire, and Karate Kid and Jurassic Park sequels? Pffft.
And yet, Toy Story II? Delightful. I had hope.
Finding Dory did not disappoint.
Short summary? Dory wants to find her parents and sets out to do so. She gets from Australia to California with disturbingly little trouble (I think the entire journey took 30 seconds of screen time) and, once there, starts to remember things, like how she lost her parents and why she can speak whale. She meets old friends (but everyone's a new friend to Dory, right?) and partners with an octopus — voiced by Ed O'Neill, so have some fun with that mental picture for a moment — to try and find the 'rents.
I'm not going to tell you how it ends, because it doesn't really matter. I will say this: Although Finding Dory has no small amount of comedy, Finding Nemo fans will notice Disney•Pixar went a touch more, uh, Bergman with this film. I mean, it's not exactly Wild Strawberries, but we're talking about a mentally deficient fish who knows she's forgotten her entire family, you know? Even the Imagineers and and entire team of Pixar animators couldn't whitewash that completely, and although the darkest Pixar production isn't all that dark, if you bring a young child (or someone like me), you'll have a few tense moments where you wonder where the movie's headed next.
And yes, there's clearly a lesbian couple (for a brief moment, don't get excited, Dory wasn't raised by lesbians), excellent narrative and an unusual car chase (which is deep-fried awesome). But consider yourself warned: The film doesn't quite have the happy-go-lucky vibe Finding Nemo does — and Nemo opened with a brutal murder.
Nevertheless, the film hits all the sweet spots Disney•Pixar animated films tend to hit. You will laugh. You will get the feels. You will be glad you went.
And during those dark moments?
Just keep swimming.
This article appears in Jun 16-23, 2016.