Finding Dory / YMMV

Award Snub: Despite being one of the most well-received animated films of 2016, with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it was not nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. However, it did win several Best Animated Feature awards from the People's Choice, Teens' Choice and Kids' Choice Awards.
Awesome Music:
- Like Finding Nemo, the entire soundtrack is amazing, but special mention goes to Shells. It's too beautiful for words.
- The cover of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" (performed here by Sia) played at the film's credits.
Base-Breaking Character:
- The two female randos, one of whom sports a tomboyish haircut, who may or may not be a lesbian couple.^note When they appeared in a trailer, it sparked a lot of hype from people who believe there should be more positive portrayals of homosexuality in family films, but also a lot of animosity between them and exactly the kind of people one would expect to have a problem with this. Even the filmmakers decidedly not taking a stand and leaving it up to the viewer has been controversial.
- Nemo this time around. Does having him be sarcastic either make him surprisingly funny or bizarrely out of character? That being said, however, many feel Hayden Rolence was just as good of a replacement (if not better) for Alexander Gould.
- Marlin, as some feel his Character Development from the first film didn't carry into this one well.
- Bailey. Is he funny or just obnoxious?
- Hank. On one hand, he's a beautifully animated septopus who has a potentially interesting backstory, given his missing tentacle and his preference to being alone and living in captivity. On another hand, he's a cynic who serves as a foil to Dory (perhaps the most beloved character of the franchise); one of the only positive traits he has in contrast to her is his tendency to make plans, which, as Dory points out, isn't even always the best idea.
Broken Base:
- Whether or not this film should be the end for the Finding franchise. Some feel that Dory was the best and perhaps only thing left to truly be explored after the first film, and so a third film would feel forced and bad. On the other hand, many also feel that sacrificing elements of the first film (like the sharks, the tank gang, Nigel the pelican, and the entire ocean) is a clear sign that this is not the Grand Finale, and that there is still more unexplored greatness for the series.
- The climax, which involves Hank driving the truck containing the fish into the ocean, with humans on the bridge being distracted by otters hugging, and the fish catapulting from the truck as "What a Wonderful World" plays. Is it an entertaining or a borderline Big-Lipped Alligator Moment that's far too wacky and goofy, given its predecessor took great care to have the animals behave and interact largely realistically?
Contested Sequel: Finding Dory is an odd case among Pixar movies. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is in the mid-90s, putting it nearly on par with Finding Nemo and Pixar's other acclaimed classics, but the reviews themselves frequently note that the movie isn't as good as its predecessor, similar to reviews for Monsters University (which had a significantly lower Tomatometer score). If one looks at Metacritic, its score is a respectable 77 (the exact same as A Bug's Life), whereas Pixar's other highly acclaimed films have scores in the high 80s or low 90s. In any case, it's the best-reviewed Pixar sequel that isn't a follow-up to Toy Story^note, and it's still seen as a worthy sequel and a good movie in its own right. And there are many who feel it's an Even Better Sequel for the deeper story, faster pace, superior humor, and Hank.
Crossover Ship: Becky the loon has been shipped with Heihei, the rooster from Moana, due to both of them being blank-eyed birds who look like they are in a world of their own. The fact both of their films came out in the same year and are both water-themed might have played a role in shipping the two.
Ensemble Dark Horse: Gerald, the sea lion with a mental disability, is quite popular for his friendly personality and for ultimately triumphing over his bullies at the end of the film.
Fan-Preferred Cut Content: The Tank Gang were actually going to be main characters in the film who helped Marlin and Nemo look for Dory. Why in the world they were demoted to a brief scene after the credits (especially considering it involved bringing back all their voice actors) is a mystery that to this day fans feel as if remains unanswered.
Jerkass Woobie: Hank is a cranky septopus who is frequently rude towards Dory, and initially only agrees to help her to get her quarantine tag. But the fact that he's traumatized from being mishandled by people (in fact, the reason why he's so desperate to get Dory's quarantine tag is to be able to live a peaceful, secluded life without any contact with others) and was clearly terrified when he found himself in a touch tank makes him much more sympathetic. It's also highly implied that the loss of one of his tentacles due to a traumatizing experience is why he is so afraid of being released back into the wild.
Memetic Mutation:
- "I suffer from short term mem-membory loss."^note
- "Baby Dory is 90% eyes"^note
- Baby Dory and Anakin Skywalker disagreeing over their very different opinions of sand.
- Gerald has been edited to rise up from behind random things.
Moe: Baby Dory is so tiny and adorable, every viewer's heart melted at the sight of her.
Narm Charm:
- "It's your destiny, Destiny." As silly as that line sounds on paper (and on-screen), the context (Bailey getting Destiny to jump the wall of her enclosure) manages to make it work.
- The use of "What a Wonderful World" in the climax. Is it a cliched, overused song? Yes. Does it work just beautifully in the moment? Absolutely.
One-Scene Wonder:
- While most of the previous movie's characters are relegated to minor roles, they still have memorable appearances. Special mention goes to the turtles, the seagulls, and the Tank Gang.
- The Humboldt Squid; it appears for maybe five minutes total, but it certainly does make an impression.
Realism-Induced Horror: The film basically hits all the sore spots for any parent that has to care for a child with cognitive differences, especially with having to carefully supervise them 24/7 and wondering if they could ever fit in with society or survive on their own.
Spoiled by the Format: The names of the Tank Gang and their voice actors appear in the end credits before the characters themselves show up in The Stinger. This likely helped to viewers to stay to see the stinger.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Those who feel this movie is weaker than the first will often point out the fact that it's a smaller scale adventure than the first film, taking place in an aquarium instead of the open ocean. Of course, making it large-scale might not have made much difference to the reception.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: The Giant Squid, which takes the role of the anglerfish from the original movie. Unlike the anglerfish, however, the chase is extremely brief, and it disappears entirely until a scene during the credits.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: After the first film made such a big deal about just getting to Australia, it can seem pretty weird that this film treats crossing the entire Pacific Ocean so casually. Though many fans are willing to forgive it, as it keeps the movie from feeling like a complete retread, and also allows the idea of a third bigger-scale film that doesn’t feel like a complete retread of its predecessor.
Unintentionally Sympathetic: While Hank is framed as being an unlikable Foil to Dory who learns to loosen up as the film goes on, some viewers found themselves more tolerant of his grouchy tendencies due to stemming from a tragic past and his desire to be transferred to a place where he can live out his life in solitude, safety, and peace. His frustrations are understandable when he berates Dory for dragging him thoughtlessly across the Institute, and while he ultimately confesses to having changed his mind already, Dory's entire speech to him in the end, rather than appeal to the friendship that they've developed with each other, flat-out tells him that everything about the way he lives and what he wants out of his life is wrong and that he can only be happy by returning to live in the ocean with her and her friends.
The Woobie:
- The opening sequence alone pretty much cements Dory as the biggest Woobie in the ocean. Not only has she suffered from memory issues even as a child, but she was separated from her family and tried fruitlessly to find them until she forgot what she's looking for in the first place, and spent goodness knows how long wandering the ocean alone until she bumped into Marlin. Can also be considered an Iron Woobie due to how cheerful and funny she typically is.
- Destiny. Her poor eyesight makes it hard for her to tell when a wall is coming up, causing her to continually hit her head against them. Even though Bailey is trying to help her detect walls faster, it just doesn't seem to be working. That's why it's so wonderful to see her get into the ocean, where she'll never have to worry about walls again.
- The overly-dramatic clam. Even though he does burst into tears over silly things, his claim that he hasn't had someone to talk to for ages does make you feel sorry for him.
- Gerald. Even though it's played for laughs, how much he gets verbally abused can make him sympathetic.
Visual Effects of Awesome: Hank the Octopus has been said to be the most complex CGI rig Pixar has ever done. It took two years for the studio to finish even one of his scenes! They explain it in detail here.

YMMV / Finding Dory

Edit Locked