Film Name: 海底总动员2：多莉去哪儿 / Finding Dory
First and foremost, I must express my gratitude to this film for allowing me to make up for missing “Finding Nemo” in theaters all those years ago. Within Pixar’s series of works, if “Toy Story” represents the spirited breaking of shackles and ‘Cars’ embodies the restless energy of fashion and wildness, then “Finding Nemo” is undoubtedly a tender and heartwarming tale.
I was moved by Marlin and Nemo, who, despite having no obligation, risked everything to help Dory find her family—even knowing she might leave them afterward. I was moved by Dory’s parents, who spent years laying down those shell-marked paths home, never losing hope. We are moved by Dory’s tenacity and unconventional courage, which inspire the octopus, the whale, and even Marlin and Nemo, drawing more and more family figures into her life. We are moved by Dory’s unwavering belief that Marlin and Nemo are her family, even after finding her biological parents and losing countless memories.
I once heard this saying: The most precious thing a person possesses is memory, for memory is the origin of all emotion. Without memory, how could you love your family, how could you love your friends, how could you love life itself? Yet Dory, who has always suffered from short-term memory loss, has been a patient burdened by memory loss since childhood. Yet in the film, it is precisely this Dory who is filled with more love than anyone else.
She greets every passerby with courtesy, even if they offer no help; from the moment she collides with Marlin, she takes it upon herself to aid his search for Nemo, despite causing considerable trouble; she spontaneously becomes the children’s assistant teacher, nurturing them like a nagging mother, even if it sometimes feels tiresome; When she first encounters the seven-armed octopus, she trusts and relies on him without hesitation, even protecting him in the children’s wading pool. This love that transcends memory is a truly magnificent character trait beyond ordinary people!
Those who help others receive help in return. So many were willing to aid Dory not merely out of pity or sympathy, but because she was kind, sincere, and helpful—it was the beautiful character shining through her physical limitations that drew everyone together.
Her repeated confessions of illness in the film lead us to mistakenly see her as weak and in need of protection. When we witness many fish ignoring her, we lament the coldness of the world. Yet in reality, it is precisely because she is unburdened by memory that she becomes the one who breaks free from constraints, the one who dares to dream and act, and the one who protects others around her. Reflecting on those indifferent words exchanged in passing, one realizes this coldness has been avenged—by forfeiting the chance to connect with such a kind soul in life.
The film has no true villain, only emotional lows that approach yet recede, until the deepest despair seems to shatter all hope. Then, as if guided by fate, every effort finds its reward. Though Dory’s reunion with her parents isn’t the film’s conclusion, that moment surely moved every viewer. Following one emotional low with an emotional high, the film’s dramatic tension delivers a silent yet profound emotional rollercoaster.
Opening similarly with a family conversation, Finding Dory, like its predecessor, weaves the theme of family bonds throughout its narrative. Dory leaves her family twice: once while searching for her mother’s shell, only to be swept away by a rip current; and again while seeking her parents, only to be captured by humans. Both departures blend passive circumstances with active choices, and active efforts with passive outcomes. Fortunately, her love transcends memory, ultimately allowing her to find the happiness she deserves.
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