Lots of things are happening in my life in the next 37 days! Of course all the end of the school year activities, sporting events, dance recitals, and parties are in the mix.  Huge things like my dad’s eye surgery, our social good cruise to the Dominican Republic, our 20th wedding anniversary, and my oldest daughter’s high school graduation are foremost in my mind! Oh and one more HUGE thing my whole family is looking forward to…the premiere of Finding Dory in theaters on June 17th!  The next month is going to be full of so many smiles, so many laughs, plenty of crying, and I am SO ready for it.  When I went to the Finding Dory Event back in March, we sat down with the director and producer of the movie and that’s when all the emotions for these upcoming events really started to hit me.  During the short 25 minute interview with Andrew Stanton and Lindsey Collins, I felt that everything they said had a strong emotional connection to my life.  I wanted to share that with you as we anticipate Finding Dory’s release.  Here are the 5 ways I related to the Finding Dory filmmakers.

1.  The first question asked of the filmmakers was how they felt now that the movie was going to be released.  Stanton commented that he was ready for it, he related it to his kids as they have graduated and were out of the house and when that happens, it’s just time!  They also both agreed they were in a great window of time at that very moment that wasn’t going to last long.  The movie was just about to be done, they know it will be finished soon, but yet no one is worrying about what people will think about it yet. Collins went on to say,”it’s still yours {the movie} and then you kinda put it out into the world. Be nice.  Please, be nice.”  I felt in my heart that this is how I feel about my first child graduating from high school.  This last window of time is exciting yet she’s still home with us daily.  But, soon we send her to college and ask the world to help take care of her from then on.  I tried to suppress my tears as I felt them sting my eyes, but they fell fast down my cheeks.

   

   

2. Stanton and Collins shared that the new character Hank (the septipus voiced by Ed O’Neal) was probably their favorite new character in the movie.  He’s gruff, but has a heart of gold and could easily be that grumpy grandpa or uncle in your very own family.  Dory’s attitude and ability to ignore Hank’s gruff exterior eventually softens him and makes him a loveable character.  I think O’Neal was perfect for this role in the movie, I love his current and past roles in television and he reminds me a lot of my own father and grandfather, and some of my uncles.  My dad’s grumpiness can often be relaxed and turned around with the innocent glee his grandchildren provide so I totally watch the exclusive clips of the movie and relate to Hank’s character!
3. It’s highly known that Ellen DeGeneres (the voice of Dory) wanted a sequel to Finding Dory for like ever!  Stanton recalls when he finally called Ellen to let her know that it was official, “I called her, I said, well, uncle.  We’re gonna finally do it.  And she said, I was just kidding.…just totally joking, pulling my chain.”  The role of Dory is very meaningful to Ellen as Finding Nemo came out within months of when her television talk show first aired.  Working with her again was just continuing where they left off and it was comforting to Stanton and Collins because she’s a hard worker and she loves what she does.  When I first saw her TV series, Ellen in 1997, I thought her brand of humor was hilarious. Then in 2003, I was a mom of two young kids aged 4 and 2.  Some days, survival meant having the television on to get me through the bouts of depression that came with sleepless nights and long days.  The Ellen DeGeneres show was my savior and I looked forward to it on a daily basis to laugh whole-heartedly.  I later saw a taping of Ellen’s show in Las Vegas in 2008 and she’s just iconic and makes me love Finding Dory and all that encompasses it even more!

   

4. Because of the amount of time between movies, Stanton and Collins were asked if they were worried about a new generation seeing the film who may not have even been born when the first one was released.  They were both quick to answer no, we underestimate how smart children are and how they know more than we know.  They can deduce, they get the nuances, they figure it out.  My younger two children saw Finding Nemo in the theater and then we purchased it on VHS and watched it until it broke.  We had it recorded from the Disney channel a few years back and then our 10 year old watched it on repeat.  Finding Dory can bring the same family with 17 and fifteen year olds, and 10 year olds and two old parents up to speed pretty darn quick.  For me, the memories of my oldest kids watching the first film just brings me joy.  It brought them joy watching it and buying all the merchandise and seeing it come to life at Disneyland and Disney on Ice.  Reintroducing the film with new characters as well as the old is magical and new to my youngest daughter and us all over again, Disney is just so special like that!
5. When Stanton and Collins were trying to identify Dory, they went back to Finding Nemo and asked who was she?  She was someone who always apologized, said she was sorry because she suffered from short-term memory loss and that’s how she introduced herself to people.  It was how she identified herself.  Also, she was always willing to help…others, “can I help you?” was her line.  So now the challenge was to figure out how she was to be the main character and evolve in Finding Dory.  Stanton says, “I think we all felt [it] was most important to change her desire to always apologize for herself. ”  Collins continues with, “I mean it’s something that we all have, something that we feel like defines us in a way that we wish it didn’t…it could be physical.  It could be mental.  It could just be personality.”  This is definitely a struggle we all have, and I have but how can we turn it around.  How will Dory find her weakness as her super power and embrace who she is?  How will I embrace my anxiety, my worry-wart-ness, my ways about ME to be the first one in the room to just own it? I deal with this inner struggle all the time, Stanton and Collins really hit on some powerful inner thinking that I’ve dealt with in my head.

The filmmakers’ roundtable was powerful and emotional for me.  I left thinking to myself, this is an animated film, a cartoon, why does this mean so much to me?  Why is it affecting me this way?  A reporter had recently told Stanton that great films are universal and personal at the same time!  Though Dory’s short-term memory loss is actually NOT universal, having a flaw is.  Everyone is flawed and people go on a journey much like Dory to figure out how to change their flaws without changing themselves.  Mind. Blown.

Who’s ready to see the movie now?

For more great information leading up to the premiere of Finding Dory, visit the following social media channels: Facebook/Twitter (#FindingDory)/Instagram/Pinterest/YouTube/Website

My trip was compensated thanks to Disney/Pixar, all opinions 100% my own.

Over a decade ago, Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton approached animator/director Angus Maclane and told him he was worried about Dory.  There was more of the story to be told and Maclane was soon on board to co-direct Finding Dory with Stanton.  They picked up Max Brace, a story artist on more than 10 Pixar films and his plan was in motion to realize the directors’ vision.

To catch you up on where the movie left off, Dory is living happily in the reef with Marlin and Nemo when she suddenly remembers that she has a family out there who may be looking for her. The trio take off on a life-changing adventure across the ocean to California’s prestigious Marine Life Institute (MLI), a rehabilitation center and aquarium. In an effort to find her mom and dad, Dory enlists the help of three of the MLI’s most intriguing residents: Hank, a cantankerous octopus who frequently gives employees the slip; Bailey, a beluga whale who is convinced his biological sonar skills are on the fritz; and Destiny, a nearsighted whale shark. Deftly navigating the complex inner workings of the MLI, Dory and her friends discover the magic within their flaws, friendships and family.  I sat down with both Maclane and Brace in Monterey last month and listened and watched intently as they guided us through the process of taking Dory’s story from inception to production.  The work that goes on to create a Disney Pixar film is fascinating beyond belief, and here are some fun facts from script to storyboard I learned about Finding Dory!

*We watched some exclusive footage of the movie, not all of it but enough to get us excited for the film, and one segment was focused on the Touch Pools.  This may end up being my favorite sequence in the film and it was what Max and Angus decided to focus on during our interview.  It was after brainstorming that the film would be set at the MLI that Brace remembered visiting aquarium touch pools with his son that created this ‘moment’ that Dory and Hank would adventure through.

*The entire team including the story artists take research trips to aquariums to get ideas for the scenes.  In this case, the touch pool area is filled with children who are poking and prodding the starfish and the batrays and think it’s fun and exciting they’re laughing, but looking at it from the animals’ perspective, it’s a war zone!

*Organized ideas lead to the Storyboards that are sketches made up to set the tone of the scene.  At one point in the interview, Brace sits down and thumbnails the amazingly creative process.  The magic of Disney Pixar is revealed here right before our eyes and I’m frantically writing notes to myself, “don’t ever discourage our daughter when she’s doodling and not doing her homework! Art school would be awesome!”  Okay, now where were we?

*Once storyboards are ready, they send them to the director.  The director can amp up a scene and in the case of the Touch Pools, make it more violent.  The eyes of the animals get larger, more pain in the poking and prodding is evident (Max: “pain is funny!”), then it’s sent to editorial.

*In Finding Dory 103,639 storyboards were created in total that took 3.5 years (blueprint to final)!

*In editorial, recording scratch happens which means temporary music is set, temporary voices are used to set the drama of the scene.  Director Andrew Stanton is the temporary voice for Marlin.  Sound effects, timing, dialog, and music is all worked in.

*During this process the director realized that this particular sequence was too Hank-centered.  The Hank-driven scene took away from Dory’s character journey and emotional arc in the film, so it was tweaked and adjusted so it kept up with the overall plan for making Dory the centerpiece of the movie.

*Brace and Maclane were asked what parts of the movie they were sad to see hit the cutting room floor and they really couldn’t tell us but some of those may hit the DVD’s deleted scenes section and some just end up turning into inside jokes among the staff.

*As we saw the beginning of the film during our exclusive screening, many of us (if not all) were in tears and you’ll soon see why.  We asked the story supervisor and director why they did that right off the bat and they explained they did the same in Finding Nemo by killing off many of Nemo’s family including his mom.  The goal was to establish a drive for Dory, to focus on her goal for the movie and get that set up right from the beginning.  The “right amount of everything” is the goal for the movie as you get all the feels right away.   Luckily the scene switches over to happiness pretty quick.

After listening to our recorded interview and reliving our experience last month, I’m in awe all over again on how Disney/Pixar movies are created and am so dang excited for the movie to hit theaters June 17! In a few weeks I’m excited to share our sit-down with Andrew Stanton and Lindsey Collins (Producer) and how much that conversation went straight to my heart with emotions now that I have a daughter graduating high school!

Watch the trailer to get yourself ready for the movie…

For more great information leading up to the premiere of Finding Dory, visit the following social media channels: Facebook/Twitter (#FindingDory)/Instagram/Pinterest/YouTube/Website

My trip was compensated thanks to Disney/Pixar, all opinions 100% my own.