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[enigmatic_alex44]

Finding Dory was recently added to Netflix so I finally got to watch it tonight and... this is probably Pixar's worst film. Worse than Cars 2.

I used to think Pixar could do no wrong, back in the days of The Incredibles/Finding Nemo/Wall-E etc. The last few years haven't been great, except for the amazing Inside Out but Finding Nemo was the first Pixar film I haven't seen either in theaters or picked up on blu-ray day 1. Somehow the hype just wasn't there for me this time, and this felt like an even more unnecessary sequel than Cars 2 (which was bad), Monster's University (which was okay) or the Toy Story sequels (which were actually pretty good).

Dory is not a lead character, she's definitely a "small doses" kind of thing which is problem #1 so she began to grate pretty quickly on my nerves.

Problem # 2 is that the side characters are pretty bad. The baluga whale and near sighted whale are annoying especially when her and Dory talk to each other in that obnoxious "whale" voice, Dory's parents suck and the only decent addition to this "series" is Hank the octopus (septopus?). The slapstick humor of the seals also fell flat, hated how cruel they were to the one with the eyebrows.

Problem #3 is that we just had a year of some of the best 3D animated films in quite some time: Zootopia, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Moana. Finding Dory definitely doesn't measure up to those films in my opinion and the story felt so uninspired and generic.

This film is the first one from Pixar that just felt completely soulless to me. Even the visuals didn't really wow me since so much time is spent out of the water. It really felt like a movie made for kids, as opposed to a movie that all ages can enjoy like most of their previous work. I don't even know what other projects they have lined up outside of Cars 3 (which I'm not interested in) but I don't know if they'll ever get back to the glory days. Not only do I no longer consider them on the same level as Ghibli, I think Disney has now surpassed them in the 3D animation department. The only one of Pixar's films that's actually BEGGING for a sequel, The Incredibles, hasn't received one. I'm blown away by the positive score Finding Dory has on rottentomatoes.

Did y'all love this film? Has Pixar lost their spark? Am I nuts?

 

[msdstc]

I was surprised with the reviews tbh. Very generic and dull ESPECIALLY compared to the brilliance of the first one.

Was also surprised that they basically straight up made fun of mentally handicapped people.

 

[James Scott]

Adored Pixar. Toy Story 3 is probably one of their greatest.
They haven't made a great movie since

Spoiler

no, inside out isnt up to snuff

 

[WillyFive]

Finding Dory was a really nice movie, except for the beginning 15 minutes being really similar to Finidng Nemo. Great writing, characters story, acting, and animation. Your complaints seem alien to me; and besides, The Incredibles is getting a sequel.

Adored Pixar. Toy Story 3 is probably one of their greatest.
They haven't made a great movie since

Spoiler

no, inside out isnt up to snuff

Inside Out is Top 3 Pixar, probably Top 2.

 

[super-famicom]

I enjoyed it. Thought the whale voice was pretty funny.

 

[AlteredBeast]

It was terrible, for real. I sat down and watched it with my kids and was bored/annoyed to tears.

I have evangelized for Storks on here a few times, but if you haven't seen that, give it a shot, it was my favorite comedic animated film of 2016, bar none.

 

[- J - D -]

Yea it's bad. Dory is like Jack Sparrow or The Hulk -- shouldn't be headlining movies but great as a ensemble player.

Things look pretty dire for Pixar's recent and future output. Cars 3 I expect to be...a Cars movie, despite what the marketing would want us to believe that it's The Car Knight or something.

 

[kevin1025]

I liked it fine, but it didn't click with me much. I've felt that way about a lot of Pixar's line-up since Toy Story 3, really. I think they make good films still, just not remarkable ones like they have in the past.

Disney Animation Studios has taken their mantle for now, for me at least.

 

[Keri]

I liked it. Zootopia I thought was pretty bad though, I'm surprised that one is so highly thought of. Eh, I guess it wasn't bad, but I definitely found it boring.

 

[Banjotanooki]

The only one of Pixar's films that's actually BEGGING for a sequel, The Incredibles, hasn't received one.

Errr.... Incredibles IS getting a sequel!

 

[Stopdoor]

I thought it dealt with a type of mental illness in an interesting way.

People calling it "generic" and "soulless" makes me wonder why people are so quick to dismiss movies.

 

[99Luffy]

Finding Nemo was actually terrible too really.

Also, Monsters University was alot worse than Finding Dory.

 

[jb1234]

I liked it. Zootopia I thought was pretty bad though, I'm surprised that one is so highly thought of. Eh, I guess it wasn't bad, but I definitely found it boring.

Not a Pixar film.

 

[Mistle]

Big Pixar/animation fan in general and yeah this movie was a big waste. I still know Pixar have it in them (see Inside Out) so I hope their day of the dead movie will be great, but atm I look forward to Disney's offerings more now days.

 

[Hidden One]

I enjoyed it.

 

[kyser73]

Didn't enthrall me the way the first one did, but my 6 year old daughter likes it more and I tend to take my kids' opinions on family-focused movies more than adults.

 

[AniHawk]

i think i'm in the minority here, but i prefer dory and monsters university to their predecessors. both wind up being character studies and work better for it versus the adventure comedies of the original films. i think both have pacing issues, where the first two flow better, but the more recent films have more emotional weight. i'd put dory behind zootopia and over kubo and moana pretty easily for 2016's animated films.

 

[enigmatic_alex44]

It was terrible, for real. I sat down and watched it with my kids and was bored/annoyed to tears.

I have evangelized for Storks on here a few times, but if you haven't seen that, give it a shot, it was my favorite comedic animated film of 2016, bar none.

What is "Storks"? Please tell me it's not some Dreamworks thing.

Errr.... Incredibles IS getting a sequel!

For real?

 

[Zen Aku]

Yeah you're nut. I enjoyed it.

 

[UberTag]

Did y'all love this film? Has Pixar lost their spark? Am I nuts?

Animated films in 2016 I enjoyed more than Findng Dory...
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Zootopia
- Your Name
- The Jungle Book (I pretty much consider this to be an animated release despite the live-action Mowgli; I'll bucket The Lion King remake in this category as well)
- Moana
- Sing
- Sausage Party

And the last two films in the above list AREN'T that great... but they're at least more inspired and original than Finding Dory was. And until I see them produce a sequel outside of the Toy Story franchise that's any good (sorry, Monsters University), I'm bucketing all Pixar sequels into the cash-in bucket. This isn't treatment we should reserve exclusively for Cars.

(I still need to see Storks... but I expect I'll wind up enjoying it more than Finding Dory as well.)

 

[smokeymicpot]

I liked it better then I thought I was going to like it. Girlfriend works with special needs children. So having that in my mind was just relating to Dory more and more.

 

[WillyFive]

A lot of the greatness of Dory comes with an aspect that most people may never notice; its portrayal of special needs children and the nightmare scenarios of their parents. Pixar did it magnificently.

i think i'm in the minority here, but i prefer dory and monsters university to their predecessors. both wind up being character studies and work better for it versus the adventure comedies of the original films. i think both have pacing issues, where the first two flow better, but the more recent films have more emotional weight. i'd put dory behind zootopia and over kubo and moana pretty easily for 2016's animated films.

Although the climax and ending of Monsters U is better than any portion of Monsters Inc, I think Monsters Inc is an overall better film. Finding Nemo is a film classic however, Dory is more of an addition to it than a film that can be better than it.

 

[aerts1js]

Loved Inside Out but yeah, this was insanely bad. No idea how it got such good reviews... probably the worst pixar movie i've seen.

 

[Fancyarcher]

I quite disagree, but hey it's your opinion. I thought most of the new characters were quite memorable, from Hank to the whales Bailey and Destiny etc..., and while Dory isn't my favour Pixar character, I thought her memory quirk was used to an interesting a decent effect and found her backstory quite effective.

Honestly, my biggest issue with the film is that I felt that Marlin and Nemo got the shaft quite a bit. I would have really like to have seen them play a slighter bigger role in the film, then they did, but I can't complain a huge lot, since I quite liked Hank as a character anyway.

Overall, I didn't find it as good as Inside Out, but I thought it was quite a good Pixar film, and it's certainly better than Cars 2, which I didn't hate anyway.

The only one of Pixar's films that's actually BEGGING for a sequel.

The Incredibles is getting a sequel. It's coming out in like two years or something.

Also honestly I'm scratching my head why some come on to this board to say "but why did critics like this film"? C'mon guys, there are certain films I don't care for that were critical successes, but you don't see questioning critics because of it.

 

[momshotdad]

Absolutely nowhere near the first one. The only great parts I can remember are the whale using sonar and the seals on the rock. Other than that, a bland and boring animated movie with some pretty unbelievable animation.

 

[Dishwalla]

I didn't enjoy it because it wasn't nearly as grounded in reality as other Pixar films are. Sure the studio is known for making films about talking toys or bugs or cars or rats, but those films were always believable, even Finding Nemo was believable. Everything about this film, from fish jumping between salt water to fresh water(and even into dirty mop water) to actually driving a truck was just too unrealistic for me.

 

[misses bull]

never thought id see the day where the standard disney animation house is making better films than pixar.

My 2 favorite movies last year was moana and zootopia and the only part of finding dory I remember is the part where I had to go to the bathroom real bad.

 

[nickgia]

Finding Dory is just ok... Who thought it was a good idea to make the worst character of the first movie the focus?
The clam was the funniest scene.

Pixar hasn't had anything that great since Toy Story 3.

 

[starchild excalibur]

I thought it was enjoyable enough. It didn't reach the heights that Pixar is capable of, but I got a few laughs out of it. I'll admit to laughing at the part with the seal. Legit didn't even perceive it as "making fun of developmentally challenged people" until I saw some reactions by others to it, afterwards. I didn't read that seal as being handicapped, but him just being creepy and/or weird. Still preferred it to Moana. That was a film that really didn't do much for me.

I have evangelized for Storks on here a few times, but if you haven't seen that, give it a shot, it was my favorite comedic animated film of 2016, bar none.

Storks was so much better than I thought it'd be based off its obnoxious trailer. There were some really great, absurdist moments that I didn't anticipate at all. It still doesn't beat Zootopia for me, but it's on par with Kubo (although funnier, obviously).

 

[RockmanBN]

Found Dory annoying in the original. Rather not watch a sequal that stars her. Though I haven't watched a Pixar sequal other than Toy Story 3. Hoping that Incredibles 2 is another TS3 since the origi al writer is on board.

 

[jimmypython]

i loved baby Dory.....that's about it.

 

[Sora the Cat]

Adored Pixar. Toy Story 3 is probably one of their greatest.
They haven't made a great movie since

Spoiler

no, inside out isnt up to snuff

Inside Out is one of the best animated movies ever.

 

[Cat Party]

It was really bad. Forgettable in every way. Pixar has made more bad movies in the last five years than good.

 

[Fancyarcher]

i think i'm in the minority here, but i prefer dory and monsters university to their predecessors. both wind up being character studies and work better for it versus the adventure comedies of the original films. i think both have pacing issues, where the first two flow better, but the more recent films have more emotional weight. i'd put dory behind zootopia and over kubo and moana pretty easily for 2016's animated films.

I don't know if I'd take Dory over Nemo, but I certainly enjoyed Monsters University just as Monsters Inc. Monsters University mostly worked for me because of the Mike / Sully relationship, and also because I quite enjoyed the college set-up, it's nothing new, but hey I thought it worked. I actually think it's a bit of an underrated film honestly.

 

[Laieon]

Finding Nemo is one of my least favorite Pixar movies. I might catch this someday, but I'm definitely not going out of my way to do so.

 

[Messofanego]

Watch Finding Dory win the Oscar, because that's the animated movie that made the most money in 2016 (domestic: $486,295,561) and has name recognition among the 60+ year old Academy voters due to their grandchildren seeing it and liking it.

 

[Keri]

Not a Pixar film.

I know, but the OP mentioned it as an example of a movie he thought was good. I'm the opposite. I found Finding Dory to be enjoyable and Zootopia to be boring.

 

[Wensih]

I've learned never to trust GAF's general consensus of Pixar movies. I thought Finding Dory was great.

 

[enigmatic_alex44]

Animated films in 2016 I enjoyed more than Findng Dory...
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Zootopia
- Your Name
- The Jungle Book (I pretty much consider this to be an animated release despite the live-action Mowgli; I'll bucket The Lion King remake in this category as well)
- Moana
- Sing
- Sausage Party

And the last two films in the above list AREN'T that great... but they're at least more inspired and original than Finding Dory was. And until I see them produce a sequel outside of the Toy Story franchise that's any good (sorry, Monsters University), I'm bucketing all Pixar sequels into the cash-in bucket. This isn't treatment we should reserve exclusively for Cars.

(I still need to see Storks... but I expect I'll wind up enjoying it more than Finding Dory as well.)

Yikes, even Sing and Sausage Party? I haven't seen those two but I haven't heard great things (my friend told me there's a "food orgy" in Sausage Party so I crossed it off of my to-watch list).

I didn't enjoy it because it wasn't nearly as grounded in reality as other Pixar films are. Sure the studio is known for making films about talking toys or bugs or cars or rats, but those films were always believable, even Finding Nemo was believable. Everything about this film, from fish jumping between salt water to fresh water(and even into dirty mop water) to actually driving a truck was just too unrealistic for me.

Yup. Finding Dory felt like a Dreamworks production or whoever made Bee Movie. Not something that would come from (what used to be) the American Ghibli.

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

Movie should have ended with her finding her parents and then nemo and his dad having to come to grips with letting her stay where she belongs.

Not that unbelievable nonsense with the fish driving the car.

Plus the octopus should've had more backstory.

 

[AlteredBeast]

What is "Storks"? Please tell me it's not some Dreamworks thing.

It isn't, but even if it were, don't hate, just watch it and prepare to laugh. The intro starts off as cliched as every other animated film, full of overplayed animation archetypes, but once it gets going, there are several moments that personally made me cry laughing. Really good, unexpected stuff. There was nothing in Dory that even came remotely close.

 

[Linkura]

Errr.... Incredibles IS getting a sequel!

If they fuck it up, I'll never forgive them.

 

[GeeRad]

My 5yo daughter liked Finding Dory well enough while it was on but she hasn't asked to see it again since, she's all about Trolls still.

 

[Tarextherex]

Not as good as Nemo =/= awful

It may not have a super long adventure across the sea or whatever but for what the plot was about, it was plenty fine

Leagues better than a lot of the modern overhyped animated movies that are basically surface-deep(frozen, peanuts movie(as a huge fan), brave, big hero 6 etc)

 

[kswiston]

Watch Finding Dory win the Oscar, because that's the animated movie that made the most money in 2016 (domestic: $486,295,561) and has name recognition among the 60+ year old Academy voters due to their grandchildren seeing it and liking it.

Not even nominated!

EDIT: Thank Moana and Zootopia for coming out I guess. Even the academy decided that three Disney noms would be pushing it.

 

[Jailer of Hope]

I enjoyed it but I thought the last 15 minutes or so was unnecessary. I thought Kubo was a lot more disappointing.

 

[Fancyarcher]

Yup. Finding Dory felt like a Dreamworks production or whoever made Bee Movie. Not something that would come from (what used to be) the American Ghibli.

Dreamworks (or more specifically older Dreamworks) is more about being crude and having loads of popular pop culture references of the time, though (at least I thought anyway), that FD was really lacking in, if you wanna be specific.

 

[Nudull]

It wasn't Cars 2 bad, but it certainly wasn't great either. An average, serviceable sequel.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

For real?

 

[nickgia]

Everything about this film, from fish jumping between salt water to fresh water(and even into dirty mop water) to actually driving a truck was just too unrealistic for me.

To be fair, Toy Story 2 did it first. But yeah, it was ridiculous.