Finding Dory

Although it doesn’t rule the ocean like its predecessor, Finding Dory still manages to make quite a splash.

This animated fish tale is more of a spinoff than a sequel to Finding Nemo, the 2003 adventure that still ranks as one of the premier titles in the Pixar canon. However, this follow-up provides a solid mix of action and comedy without allowing its melancholy themes to channel cheap sentiment.

Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) moves from sidekick to the spotlight in a way that seems awkward at first but becomes more endearing She’s a blue tang with short-term memory loss, which causes her to wander away from her parents as a youngster and not be able to find her way home.

Flash forward past the events of Finding Nemo, and Dory enlists both Nemo and his father, Marlin (Albert Brooks) to track down her family. Their search leads from the Pacific Ocean to a marine rescue facility in California, where Dory’s affliction causes her to become separated from her clownfish partners and instead find a reluctant ally in Hank (Ed O’Neill), a chameleonic and temperamental octopus. Before long, it’s all fins on deck.

Of course, chronologically the story doesn’t make much sense, when you factor in life expectancies and logistical challenges and all that. But that’s hardly the point. The fish do talk, after all.

The modestly clever script, co-written by returning director Andrew Stanton (Wall-E), manages to balance humor and poignancy within a narrative framework that’s somewhat repetitive and predictable.

Children should gravitate toward the antics of the various sea creatures, especially those of the amusing periphery characters, such as a nearsighted shark, a lovelorn clam, a dim-witted loon, and a pair of territorial sea lions. They also might connect to the messages about ecology, perseverance, and the importance of family.

Meanwhile, their accompanying adults will find plenty of rewards in the immaculate CGI animation — which yields a vibrant and meticulously detailed underwater kingdom — plus some amusing pop-culture nuggets in the dialogue (delivered with panache by DeGeneres and Brooks, in particular).

The freshness of the first film is missing here, as well as its emotional depth and thematic complexity, and re-watching it might ultimately be a better option. Still, such comparisons unfairly downgrade the accomplishments of Finding Dory, which isn’t just treading water, but winds up swimming just fine on its own.

Rated PG, 97 minutes.