An odd thing has happened with Pixar movies, they have transformed from being smart kids movies with something in them for adults, to grown up movies disguised as kids films. Dealing with identity issues on retirement (Toy Story 3), coping with your growing irrelevance as a parent (Inside Out) and now caring for a relative with dementia in Finding Dory. I mean, would any grown ups go and see movies on these themes if they weren’t coated in the sugar pill of a light hearted animation?
In a world where a braying, bullying man-child is a serious contender for the most powerful job in the world, it is perhaps no surprise that the best medium for dealing with complex, grown up issues is children’s movies. Finding Dory is not quite up there with Pixar classics, but it has enough “dad, are you crying again” moments. It is an actual sequel in that it continues a story rather than just retelling the same one. But Pixar movies work best when we are introduced to a new world, and this one is already familiar so lacks the joy of all the small gags about how things work in this world (eg fish holding their breath to look out of the water). The plot relies too much of jumping one tank to another to really be engaging. But it cleverly maintains the animation style of the original with improvements in clarity. As if to illustrate the point about where they could have gone with the animation, the preceding short “Piper” is so realistic you wonder at what point all actors will be made redundant.
The Pixar formula of increasingly adult themes in a child’s body type movies may be nearing its end though I feel. There is a harsher, more chaotic blend around the corner I suspect that will appeal to kids more, but maybe their parents less.
