Finding Dory

After winning audiences' hearts in Finding Nemo (2003), the lovable blue tang Dory stars in an animated feature film of her own. “Hi, I'm Dory. I suffer from short-term memory loss” is the way she sweetly introduces herself. Years ago, Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) became separated from her parents (Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy), but she suddenly remembers something about Monterey, CA. So Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and his dad Marlin (Albert Brooks) join Dory to journey from Australia across the Pacific Ocean to the Marine Life Institute (MLI) in California. While “Rescue, Rehabilitation, Release” is MLI's mission statement, much of the film's comedy comes from cranky seven-legged octopus resident Hank (Ed O'Neill), who is determined to get to the Cleveland Aquarium. Amnesiac Dory enjoys amusing encounters with her near-sighted white shark pal Destiny (Kaitlin Olson) and brain-addled beluga whale buddy Bailey (Ty Burrell), while Nemo and Marlin befriend gruff Cockney sea lions (Idris Elba and Dominic West). Written by Andrew Stanton, who co-directs with Angus MacLane, Finding Dory is basically the same episodic story, only with a Pacific regal blue tang replacing the orange clownfish, but this is still an emotionally engaging and vibrant film that delivers eye-popping family fun. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by director Andrew Stanton, co-director Angus MacLane, and producer Lindsey Collins), the short film “Piper” (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray review are deleted scenes (50 min.), a behind-the-scenes section (17 min.), the production featurettes “The Octopus That Nearly Broke Pixar” (9 min.), “Animation & Acting” (7 min.), “What Were We Talking About?” (5 min.), “Casual Carpool” with the cast (4 min.), “Deep in the Kelp” (3 min.), “Creature Features” (3 min.), and “Marine Life Interviews” (2 min.), as well as bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this engaging Pixar sequel.] (S. Granger)