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FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Finding Dory (Thomas Newman)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you've always appreciated Thomas Newman's knack for
creating an engaging, otherworldly environment using his immense talent
for unique instrumental colors, this score dominated by these largely
affable sounds.
Avoid it... if narrative cohesion is an absolute necessity for you, because despite this film's familiar, heartfelt tale of reunion, Newman offers no satisfying connections to the prior score or memorable-enough new identities with which to punctuate the achievement at its end.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Finding Dory: (Thomas Newman) The 2003 ultra-family
friendly animated fish story Finding Nemo long reigned as the
best-selling DVD of all time, making the tardiness of its 2016 sequel,
Finding Dory, a bit of a head-scratcher. Reuniting for Disney and
Pixar is most of the crew from the 2003 hit, the resulting story once
again addressing a major character's search for family amongst a vast
ocean full of mostly friendly sea creatures. This time, it's forgetful
Dory, voiced once more by Ellen DeGeneres, who travels with Nemo and his
father, Marlin, to a humans' Marine Life Institute in California based
on the only fleeting memories she has of her parents there. The
Institute and its humans' "rescuing" of animals are arguably the
villains of the tale, probably encouraging SeaWorld to buy even more
television ads in real life to justify its treatment of animals because
of the movie. The production was so conscious of the SeaWorld
connotations in the script that they altered the film so that the
protagonists could all have at least the option to choose their fate in
captivity or in the ocean. Regardless, it's yet another cute
Pixar/Disney tale that was received with positive reviews and stellar
box office performance, one certain to find its way into livings rooms
at a Nemo-like pace. The music for Finding Nemo by Thomas Newman
was nominated for an Academy Award (but no other awards, interestingly),
a reward for the composer venturing for the first time into the animated
realm. Despite Newman's trepidation about traversing into an animated
universe that had been so thoroughly identified with the music and songs
of his cousin, Randy Newman, the resulting score for Finding Nemo
was both affable and suitably exotic. One of the more forgotten aspects
of Finding Nemo is just how heartfelt some of its melodic
material revealed itself to be, and perhaps the biggest difference
between the 2003 score and Newman's follow-up for Finding Dory is
the comparative lack of equivalent heartstring pulls in the sequel. The
scores are clearly related in their instrumentation, demeanor of
performance, and in the occasional thematic carryover, but Newman
intentionally charted a new path for Finding Dory given that he
associated the motifs of the prior score with Nemo's particular
adventure in that movie. Since the themes of Finding Nemo were
dedicated to him, don't expect that score's only memorable identities to
function in the forefront of any cues in Finding Dory.
If you have always considered yourself to be among the many listeners who believed Finding Nemo to be a score of ambient cohesion rather than tight melodic narrative, then you'll find that characteristic to be exaggerated in Finding Dory. Those who believed that the melancholy themes of Finding Nemo represented larger issues of loss were clearly mistaken, because Newman supplies Finding Dory with arguably less effective thematic alternatives in the sequel. In fact, some listeners probably won't hear any thematic continuity at all, the de-facto primary idea in "One Year Later," "Everything About You," and "Fish Who Wander" barely registering in its usual, rhythmically stilted Newman progressions. A descending phrase of foreboding exists in several cues but leaves no lasting impression, either. Singular, more engaging motifs for Dory's most important moments are the score's highlights, including the middle portions of "...Shells," a pivotal scene in the character's discovery of her parents. Without significant motific structures with which to remember the score, Finding Dory instead relies upon Newman's unique instrumentation to provide its overarching character, and, in some ways, this atmosphere is enough alone to provide a solid listening experience. The composer maintains his trademark collection of otherworldly specialty instruments for use in almost every cue, supplementing an orchestra with a variety of mainly percussion and woodwind-related soloists that once again augment the underwater environment with appropriately unusual tones. Above of all of these, of course, is Newman's own role on the piano, which supplies some of the most tender of moments, as expected. Two song placements, neither written by Newman, are included, highlighted by Australian singer Sia Furler's dreamy rendition of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable," the most remarkable and possibly the best single track on the entire soundtrack. Its instrumental backing matches the tone of Newman's score perfectly. The score itself has some outwardly quirky moments, including giggling and squeak-toy sound effects at its very outset and conclusion on album, as well as radio effects in "Rebecca Darling" and some wacky singing in "No Walls." In the end, Newman's score is proficient and shows occasional flashes of really great material, culminating in some wilder style at the end of "Three Hearts (End Title)" that would have been great to hear an hour earlier. But the score, ironically, has too many forgettable moments along its stream-of-consciousness path to compete with its more heartfelt predecessor. Perhaps that meandering airiness is appropriate for Dory herself, but apart from the film, this music offers no cohesive narrative whatsoever for this ultimate journey home. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 68:35
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information about the score or film.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Finding Dory are Copyright © 2016, Walt Disney Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 6/19/16 (and not updated significantly since). Dory is a subversive homosexual influence upon innocent children, according to American religious leaders. |
