Just Keep Swimming

Remember the not-so-happy clownfish who had you worried sick about his abducted son? How we all jumped in joy rooting for their reunion as the father Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) swam halfway across the ocean aided by a scatterbrained yet amusing blue tang to rescue his son Nemo (Hayden Rolence) from an aquarium? 

Thirteen years after the aquatic classic, Finding Nemo, Disney casts the spotlight on the pop-eyed, fearless blue tang Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) with the "attention span less than that of a goldfish". 

Finding Dory is a nail biter from the go: a year after the events of Finding Nemo, Dory sets out on a journey to reunite with her parents. We get to witness little adorable Dory repeating how she suffers from "remember-y loss" in her flashbacks brimming with parental lessons, as Charlie and Jenny tick all the boxes of the coolest parents encouraging her to never give up. 

As Dory's story unveils itself, tiny and trivial details about Dory from Finding Nemo resurface again with much significance – from her ability to communicate with whales to her signature song "Just keep swimming". What develops beautifully is, the audience stumbles upon all the answers just as Dory does. 

The plot is set in fictional Marine Life Institute, California as Dory finds herself in quarantine, but the sequence is fast paced as new characters are introduced and all of them are caught in edge-of-the-seat rides. We are introduced to Dory's childhood friend Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), a near-sighted whale shark, along with her neighbour, a beluga whale Bailey (Ty Burrell) who is sure his echolocation ability is not functioning. The limelight however is taken by Hank (Ed O'Neill), the chameleonic, grumpy septopus, whose stealthy skills of an escape artist are just as delightful as his changing take on life influenced by Dory's classic optimism. All of these and more join forces in Dory's numerous reunions offering a whirlpool of emotions ensuring laughter and tears. 

The movie is refreshingly stimulating even though the script is similar to its predecessor, only in reverse. It's a thought-provoking plot which is relatable to audiences of all ages. Ellen DeGeneres does more than justice to the role of Dory who is enlightening with her exuberance and impulsiveness when it comes to dealing with her ordeals. Her positivity despite her amnesiac self leaves an imprint on the audience and she emerges a hero although she won't remember a thing.