With the sequels and continuations of Disney Pixar movies from 10-20 years ago coming out in theatres recently, a lot of nostalgia and high expectations come with it. As a child, my all time favourite movie to watch was Finding Nemo, and my young self had even managed to memorize most of the dialogue. So, as expected, when the news of Finding Dory came out, I was ecstatic to be able to see it. Instead of Nemo being lost and alone to channel heart wrenching emotions from both parents and children watching, Dory is the one who ends up alone and separated from Nemo and Marlin when trying to find her parents.

A worry I had going into the theatre was that my childhood movie would be ruined by a god-awful sequel. Movies can be ruined by their sequels, such as Mean Girls with Mean Girls 2. Something that  did not disappoint was that Finding Dory had the same way of pulling in the audience and making them connect with the characters and care about what’s going on as Finding Nemo did. I had hoped there would be more of a focus on certain aspects about Dory’s life; however, the movie was enjoyable for any Pixar or Disney fan.

Emotions in the movie was a strength the movie contained. We have all felt alone in life before, and watching that through Dory’s eyes can help us relate to the character and feel for them. Another strength in the movie was the aspect of bringing certain characters so close to finding each other before their paths were suddenly changed which brought excitement to the movie.

Introductions of new characters also brought new and fun interactions and friendships. The introduction of Hank (Ed O’Neill), an octopus that follows Dory and leads her on her adventure, Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), a whale shark that brings in bunches of laughs from all ages, and Bailey (Ty Burrell), a beluga whale whose dramatics and paranoia are sure to make the viewer either love him or hate him. With the help of these new characters as well as a few more, and the nostalgic original cast of Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), the movie makes sure to stay true to its original but bring in new adventures to enjoy.

Ultimately, this family movie exceeded my expectations and made me want to buy another ticket to see it again. The nostalgia of it along with the amazing new characters and plot points made it enjoyable for everyone watching. It was perfectly executed and written and made viewers want to come back for more. Hats off to you, Pixar. You’ve done it again.