Finding Dory (2016)

Hold on, my fellow film fanatics, critics and viewers. I've heard all of the bad reviews of this film. I am not oblivious to the fact this is a big budget Hollywood animation sequel, and I know that when some of you hear the word sequel, big budget, or even Hollywood, you automatically dismiss it as a trashy entertainment cash grab. But Finding Dory is more than a cash grabbing Hollywood sequel. It is the passing of the torch between generations. The older generations gift to the young generation, a chance for the young to experience the laughter, emotion and nostalgia of Pixar, and in particular, these characters of the finding Nemo universe.

Is it better then Finding Nemo? Of course not. It's an unwritten law that the sequel can't be better. But is it unnecessary( as some of my fellow reviewers claim)? Well, it is just as unnecessary as Finding Nemo, or any other film for that matter of fact. In other words, it's not. When I was walking home from the cinema, I too questioned the necessity of this film. I thought for a while and came to the conclusion that this film does what any film does ( and what most sequels don't do). It tells a story, it grips us with adventure,comedy and emotion, it expands the characters and adds new lovable ones. What is unnecessary about that? Isn't that why we got to the cinema- to be entertained and to be moved?

One reason why I believe this film has received negative reception amongst the older generation( I am too aware that there are many lovers of this film too, maybe more so than haters) is that they thought this film was made just for them. They thought that this will be the nostalgic hit made specifically for them. But that is not what films ( and especially Hollywood and animated films) do. They speak to everyone from everywhere. They communicate messages and emotions that all ages from all countries can understand ( provided that the correct subtitles are in place!) I saw posts on Facebook saying "Parents: please don't take your kids to this film. I want to enjoy it. They won't understand the meaning of it!" And I agreed to this, especially when I was sitting in a cinema half full of 18-25 years old and the other half full of little kids. But it wasn't until I heard the laughter of the children during the film and the smiles on their faces afterwards that I truly understood the purpose of this film. It was Pixars way of allowing the young people of this generation to enjoy what the last generation of young people enjoyed. And that's the magic of a Pixar film, and as I said before, it was a way of connecting the generations to help both generations understand each other's love for this "universe". To understand and feel the magic, laughter and hopefully, one day a shared nostalgia and love for this great animation company and its characters.