This week The Reel is showing the summer’s biggest animated hit: Finding Dory. There are eight chances to catch the film in the student center, with showings at 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm Thursday through Sunday. Whether you’ve only seen the film’s predecessor Finding Nemo or you’ve seen this sequel 42 times already, it is certainly worth the $2 ($4 without your TU ID) to see again. With Ellen DeGeneres reprising her role from the first movie, lending her voice to the titular character, the journey is as charismatic as the first one 13 years ago, and has aged well to capture the hearts and minds of both new children viewers and those who have grown up since Finding Nemo. This fact is backed up by the box office reception of the film in North America and overseas. It had the second biggest opening weekend for an animated film all time and was the fourth movie in 2016 to reach a total of $900 million (in front if it on the list is last week’s movie, Captain America: Civil War). With a classic Pixar combo of children’s humor and entertainment for the adults, this movie is perfect for the college students who fit both categories.
Spoilers aside, Finding Dory is a cinematic journey like no other seen… for the past 15 years. The film is a fantastic mix of charisma, enthusiasm, and emotion; however, it does lack a bit of originality, as it somewhat mirrors the plot of its 16 year older sister film. Although this may be true, another fact is that it doesn’t matter. The animation is what you’d expect from a world leader in the field, the characters are relatable and hilarious, and the story packs an emotional punch. The film has all the ingredients of a hit production, and it comes out to exactly that. Starting out a year since the end of the last movie, Dory then has a flashback of her own family back in her childhood home after helping Marlin raise Nemo. With this flashback in mind, the memory of where she grew up comes back, and Marlin and Nemo pledge to help her get there and find her parents, whom she was separated from years ago. On the adventure back to her home school, more boisterous hijinks, perilous threats, and touching moments come to the forefront. This film doesn’t only reach one department of your emotions, it races through all of them, as well as delivering a one-two punch to your tear ducts through a jab of humor and a powerful right cross of feels. Although this movie is a sequel, it doesn’t follow the common pattern of dropping off in quality. Not only does is make a fantastic movie, it expands the Pixar world around it in a superb manner.
Be the first to comment