Finding Dory on Blu-ray and Easter Eggs #FindingDory

The other night I thought about watching Finding Nemo before we watched our new Finding Dory on Blu-ray.  I had a tough time actually finding it because we don’t have it anymore.  It was on VHS!  We had that cassette for years when my first two kids were little and we nearly wore it out watching it so much.  Once we got rid of our VHS player, well all our tapes became obsolete.  I still can’t remember if we sold it at a garage sale or just donated it to Goodwill.

Having Finding Dory in the house is incredible.  It’s going to be our new movie to ‘wear out’ by watching it over and over! Plus with all the bonus features, each viewing is going to add something new to the experience.  We loved watching the deleted scenes and asking eachother, “why do you think they took that out” and tried to think like a film producer and editor.    Sometimes we turn it on just to watch Piper, the theatrical short, it’s is so precious!  Having had an exclusive experience in Monterey, CA (as I’m a local and the movie was inspired by the Monterey Bay Aquarium) and meeting some of the most creative minds at Disney Pixar, this movie will be near and dear to my heart forever.

Directed by Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E”) and co-directed by Angus MacLane (“Toy Story OF TERROR!”), the film is produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer “WALL•E”) and executive produced by John Lasseter. Victoria Strouse (“October Road”) wrote the script with Stanton. Veteran composer and longtime Stanton collaborator Thomas Newman (“Bridge of Spies,” “WALL•E,” “Finding Nemo”) created the film’s music score and singer-songwriter Sia performs the film’s end-credit song, “Unforgettable.”

Easter Eggs

NOSTALGIC WHEELS – The truck that is featured late in the movie features a logo from the 1986 short “Luxo, Jr.” produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter. The short’s success helped launch the studio, and the image of the desk lamp appears in Pixar’s iconic logo today.

• The license plate on the truck sports A113, which is reminiscent of the CalArts classroom for first-year graphic design and character animation where many of the artists and animators at Pixar began to build their craft.
• Sets Art Director Don Shank’s name can be seen in the truck’s grill.

TAG IT – The tags donned by the lazy sea lions snoozing outside the Marine Life Institute together bear the iconic A113. While Rudder’s tag reads A1, Fluke’s says 13.

FIELD TRIP – Riley from 2015’s “Inside Out” appears in a group of kids touring the Marine Life Institute. She is clearly featured in a frame with Dory.

MAP IT – The registration number for the zodiac boat that picks up Dory in the bay outside the Marine Life Institute is PA1200, which represents Pixar’s address: 1200 Park Avenue.

Bonus Features

Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray & Digital HD:

• Theatrical Short: “Piper” – A hungry sandpiper hatchling ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is that the food is buried beneath the sand where scary waves roll up onto the shore.
• Marine Life Interviews (All-New Mini Short) – Meet the inhabitants of the Marine Life Institute as they remember our favorite blue tang.
• The Octopus That Nearly Broke Pixar – Pixar’s “Team Hank” unravels the challenges, frustrations, and rewards of bringing to life the studio’s crankiest and most technically complicated character ever.
• What Were We Talking About? – This piece showcases the complex routes Dory’s story took as the filmmakers worked to construct a comprehensive narrative involving a main character with short-term memory loss.
• Casual Carpool – What’s it like to commute with the voices of Marlin, Charlie, Bailey and Hank? Join “Finding Dory” writer/director Andrew Stanton as he drives Albert Brooks, Eugene Levy, Ty Burrell and Ed O’Neill to work.
• Animation & Acting – How do you create a connection between a human audience and a fish? This behind-the-scenes look behind the curtain examines the process of constructing believable performances through a unique collaboration between the director, voice actors and animators.
• Creature Features – The cast of “Finding Dory” share cool facts about the creatures they voice in the film.
• Deep in the Kelp – Disney Channel’s Jenna Ortega guides us on a research trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to show how far the “Finding Dory” crew went to make Dory’s world feel real.
• Skating & Sketching with Jason Deamer – “Finding Dory” character art director Jason Deamer talks about how he got to Pixar, how he draws the characters in the film, and how falling off a skateboard teaches you lessons you can use in art and life.
• Dory’s Theme – A spirited discussion among the composer, music editor and director of “Finding Dory” about the musical elements that shape Dory’s quirky and joyful theme.
• Rough Day on the Reef – Sometimes computers make mistakes. Here you’ll see some of the funny, creepy and just plain bizarre footage the crew encountered while making “Finding Dory.”

  

• Commentary – Director Andrew Stanton, co-director Angus MacLane and producer Lindsey Collins deliver their personal perspective on “Finding Dory.”
• Deleted Scenes (introduced by director Andrew Stanton)

• Losing Nemo – While watching the stingray migration, Dory starts to follow two fish that remind her of her parents, leaving Nemo all alone.
• Little Tension in Clown Town – In this alternate version of the film, Dory tries to “follow her fins” to her parents, but ends up in a strange place with even stranger fish fashion.
• Dory Dumped – In this early version of the story, Dory’s parents had short-term memory loss as well.
• Sleep Swimming – Dory begins to talk and swim in her sleep, revealing what seem to be clues to her past.
• Meeting Hank – Wandering the Marine Life Institute’s elaborate pipe system, Dory happens upon the abode of Hank the cranky octopus.
• The Pig – Frantically navigating the pipes of the Marine Life Institute in search of her parents, Dory crosses paths with a terrifying cleaning device.
• Starting Over – Director Andrew Stanton presents four different versions of the movie’s opening scene to illustrate the filmmakers’ search for the best way to introduce Dory’s backstory and to connect this new film to “Finding Nemo.”
• Tank Gang (Digital exclusive) – After a close encounter with a squid leaves them separated from Dory, Marlin and Nemo unexpectedly meet up with the Tank Gang from “Finding Nemo,” who make it their mission to get to the Marine Life Institute … by any means necessary.
• Hidden Seacrets of Finding Dory (Digital exclusive) – Take a deep dive to catch secret Easter Eggs throughout the movie.  And just like Hank, they’re hidden in plain sight.

DVD:

• Theatrical Short: Piper & Commentary

Buy Finding Dory on Blu-ray  in stores now, it makes such a great stocking stuffer!

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Movie was sent for review.