Contemplating ‘Finding Dory’

Alright, just before any hate begins, let me just say, that I love Finding Nemo. It is an awesome film. I still remember going to see it for the first time with my family when I was eight. I sat there, bouncing up and down in my seat as the movie started to roll, clutching some sort of water Pokemon that vaguely resembled one of the fish that I had seen in a commercial. I let out a cry when Coral was killed. I shrieked when the anglerfish lunged at Marlin. I giggled at Dory’s antics.

I had that movie memorized and loved to death. So may I ask, as someone who once signed a “Hey Pixar, make a Finding Nemo 2!” petition at my school, what on Earth is Pixar going to do?

When Finding Nemo 2 was announced, I was completely prepared for Nemo’s tank friends to go on a search for their Sharkbait. The movie ended perfectly with the gang bobbing up and down in plastic baggies, expecting freedom, but rather getting themselves into a new kind of danger. That plot pretty much writes itself.

But instead, I presume that the lovable Dory’s poor memory is going to lead her into some sort of chaos that results in her getting lost, and Marlin, Nemo, and the crew having to go find her and make amends.

Before I go further, may I ask what is wrong with Pixar and their Dory hatred? I mean, seriously. What more can they do to one fish? Short term memory loss. Attacked by three sharks that she tried to be friends with. Grievous injury, courtesy of a jellyfish. Swallowed by a whale. Abandoned by her family and left in the middle of the ocean. Abandoned by Marlin and left in the middle of the ocean. Trapped in a net to be someone’s next meal.

Now… Lost?

I love Dory. Ellen DeGeneres is hysterical. But we have forced this fish through so much trauma both emotionally and mentally, plus she has been attacked by almost every kind of creepy fish possible. What more can they do to her?

And let’s face it. Finding Nemo was awesome because it showed the growth of the relationship between Marlin/Nemo and Marlin/Dory. Their relationships were perfectly happy at the end at the first film, and with everything that the respective characters have had to go through, there isn’t much more that could break their bonds of love/friendship without it being ridiculous.

Also, Dory is magnificent, but is she lead-character worthy? Marlin was an unusual main character, but he was so emotionally-wrought that he pretty much made Finding Nemo the movie that it is. Dory was just the side-kick to add some hilarity when needed. Can she really be the main character? DeGeneres said herself that this film will have a lot more Dory. I guess that we will just find out if there is such thing as too much Dory.

I mean, we definitely found out that there was such thing as too much Mater in Cars 2. Pixar seems to have a theme of pushing a lovable side-kick character to the front and center of movies.

I am sure that whatever Pixar creates will be amazing. Pixar is stupendous. Finding Nemo is wonderful. Life is fantastic. Let me use every kind word in my thesaurus in order to describe the perfection of Pixar and Finding Nemo. But sometimes I wonder if these stories and characters that we hold so near and dear to our hearts should just be allowed to rest and only live on in our imaginations. Sometimes, its not best to push the limits through sequels.

Let us just hope that Finding Dory will not be another Cars 2.

Regardless, I will be stampeding over 5-year olds in order to be first in line for Finding Dory, with all of the hopes in the world of being proved wrong.