Andrew Stanton, who directed the predecessor to “Finding Dory” makes this new film funny on many levels, but relies more on the emotional aspect. As the previous movie had more of a comedic effort, but had a less emotional tone.

Ellen DeGeneres returns as the loveable amnesiac blue-tang, with Albert Brooks reprising the cautious, worrisome clownfish father, Marlin. Due to voice changes and several years, the adorably cute “Nemo” Marlin’s son, was recast for this film and is now voiced by newcomer Hayden Rolence.  Also starring in “Finding Dory” are: Eugene Levy, Diane Keaton, Ty Burrell, Idris Elba and Ed O’Neill. All do a terrific job voicing their roles with passion and heart. Superb humor, tear-jerking emotional scenes, and a well crafted screenplay, their voices bring something genuinely special to viewers.

As from the predecessor the animation, detail and effort put into making this project, is simply stunning. Those who’ve seen previous Pixar films prior to this one know that there’s typically a short film before the feature film actually begins. And this time, Pixar has gone above and beyond with their newest short called “Piper”. This newest film is one of Pixar’s best shorts by far, better than others.

Audiences everywhere have been waiting for the return of Nemo, Marlin, and Dory and the rest of the underwater crew for a good chunk of years now. Suffice to say that with its emotional qualities being higher than the original, the animation improves upon the first film, but sometimes throughout the film it lacks the comedic burst of energy. Therefore, “Finding Dory” is more of an emotional, tear-jerker, than a comedy like the predecessor. But like “Finding Nemo”, “Finding Dory” also has an emotional but truthful moral for those with disabilities like Dory and Nemo’s is that you got to see a way through it, and just keep swimming.

Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence, Kate McKinnon, Bill Hader, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Sigourney Weaver

Director: Andrew Stanton

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes

Synopsis: Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) is a wide-eyed, blue tang fish who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or so. The one thing she can remember is that she somehow became separated from her parents as a child. With help from her friends Nemo and Marlin, Dory embarks on an epic adventure to find them. Her journey brings her to the Marine Life Institute, a conservatory that houses diverse ocean species. Dory now knows that her family reunion will only happen if she can save mom and dad from captivity.