ellaslist Reviews Finding Dory in IMAX

  • Family
    Kids
    Preschoolers

By: Stephanie Boyle, ellaslist explorer

On a cold, wet and blustery Sunday morning, two intrepid explorers set off on an adventure. Their mission; to find a now famous blue, yellow and black tang fish named Dory. Rather than cross oceans, currents and tides and outwit sharks, deep sea monsters and seagulls, these explorers traversed suburbs, major roads and ultimately the Anzac Bridge to reach their ultimate destination, Sydney’s incredible IMAX cinema at Darling Harbour.

Biggest Screen in Australia

While my son wasn’t born when Finding Nemo was released, it’s become a real favourite in our household on DVD and we love visiting the aquarium and trying to spot real-life Nemos and Dorys. So his excitement matched mine when we heard that Disney Pixar was due to release its long awaited sequel, Finding Dory, 13 years after the first. And what better way to enjoy, what I trust, will be the first of many viewings, than to see it on the biggest screen in Australia in 3D?

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Paint, Cakes and More!

Just after 9:30 in the morning we arrived in the foyer of the IMAX Family Funday to celebrate the opening of Finding Dory. The place was absolutely buzzing! My son, ever the sweet tooth, made a beeline for the amazing selection of cake pops decorated as Nemo and Dory. His hunger sated, we visited the balloon twisters where he selected a lovely little fish perched on top of some purple coral.

While my son has a rather irrational four year old fear of having his face painted, he decided that he really would like to have his hand painted and we visited the lovely Leanne who proceeded to decorate his hand with the most wonderful recreation of Dory. She instantly put Ayman at ease and the smile on his face when Dory was complete was priceless.

More Popular Than Frozen?

I joked with Leanne that she would no doubt be repeating this painting a million times over as Finding Dory becomes the most popular children’s party theme for the remainder of 2016 and we laughed about the fact that she might finally be able to retire her snowflake stencil. One thing was clear from the number of excited little faces in the IMAX foyer, Finding Dory would have to be the highlight of children’s cinema this year.

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Underwater Museum Exhibit

Our last destination before entering the cinema was a fantastic stall set up by the Australian Museum with a number of shells, pieces of coral, sets of shark jaws and other sea themed curiosities. Children and adults were free to explore and touch the collection and examine them with magnifying glasses. Staff from the museum were on hand to provide explanations and fascinating facts.

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Movie Time

Before we knew it, it was time to enter the cinema and my son was absolutely blown away by the size of the screen. As we took our places, he asked me repeatedly when it was time to put his 3D glasses on and his excitement was palpable!

A Beautiful Sequel For Adults & Kids!

I won’t spoil the movie for you but I will say that it’s just as special as the original, just as meaningful and just as poignant. If anything, Finding Dory is a little more emotionally charged than Finding Nemo and if you’re a big softy like me, you may need some tissues as you become caught up in Dory’s search for her parents.

Children and adults alike will marvel at the incredible animation and laugh at the moments of light relief. The new characters are wonderful and inject a lot of humour into the film. The movie is gripping from beginning to end with loads of twists and turns and the plot kept you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

In the words of Dory, ‘Just keep swimming’ until you get to your nearest cinema. You won’t want to miss this beautiful new family favourite.

 

 
ABOUT STEPHANIE

Stephanie Boyle is currently a stay at home mother with two gorgeous children.Stephanie Boyle, ellaslist explorer Prior to becoming a mum she trained as a lawyer and worked in various Government positions. She is currently completing a Masters of Teaching. Stephanie and her Algerian husband Kamel have two sons, Ayman (3 years old) and Younes (3 months) and they are doing their best to raise their sons as tri-lingual global citizens. When Ayman arrived three years ago, it became immediately apparent to Stephanie that neither of them were homebodies and so they set off on what would become three glorious years (and counting!) of adventure and excitement throughout Sydney and its surrounds. Stephanie believes that childhood should be pure magic and she is on a continual mission to make this the case for her sons. She loves discovering new places and activities, throwing amazing parties and running a bookclub for her boys and their little friends. In addition to her reports for ellaslist, you can also follow Stephanie and her boys on Instagram @moukinina.

 

 

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