The much-anticipated sequel to the beloved childhood film Finding Nemo hit theaters this summer on June 17th. The creators of Finding Dory show what was happening with Dory up to the point where she and Marlin met for the first time, after Nemo is taken by the boat. They rush off to find Nemo, and the story jumps forward exactly one year. Having focused only on helping Marlin find Nemo (in the first film), Dory all but forgot what she was originally searching for. After the time jump, Dory spontaneously recalls pieces of her childhood memories, and this causes her to rush off in search of her family.

Although Marlin is hesitant at first, he eventually agrees with Nemo that they should help Dory because she helped them. Throughout a quarrel with a giant, glowing squid, the losing and gaining of memories and meeting a disgruntled, seven-legged octopus, a near-sighted whale-shark and a semi-hypochondriac beluga, our main characters struggle, persevere and learn that family isn’t always blood.  

One of the first things a viewer may notice is that Dory as a baby is absolutely A-DOR-A-BLE. Or a-Dory-able, if you will. The animation of baby Dory, her voice, and her helpless little ten-second-memory-self will tug at the hearts of viewers. Family is important, and every viewer can relate with Dory’s heartbreak as she struggles to recall memories of  her parents and childhood.  Marlin and Nemo are still their same endearing selves, and the new characters viewers meet are just as lovable and humorous as would be expected for a sequel of Finding Nemo.

While Finding Dory may not have been quite as humorous as its predecessor,  lovable characters and their quest endear even the most serious of viewers. Thanks to the technology of the 21st century, the colors and graphics of this film are absolutely beautiful and entice viewers with the rich blues of the ocean and shimmery gleam from the scales of the fish. While there is the popular belief that most sequels don’t do their prequel’s justice, this is not the case with Finding Dory.  It is indeed a continuation of the original story, but it has it’s own unique plotline that adds a lovely addition to the original film. Viewers will come away from this film feeling wholly satisfied that a second film, with everybody’s favorite blue tang, was just as entertaining as the first.