It’s been 13 years since the Pixar movie, “Finding Nemo” made such a big splash at the box office. The sequel, “Finding Dory” finally swims into theaters this weekend, and I’m pleased to report that it is delightful.

The filmmakers have done a great job of re-creating the elements that made the original film so successful. The animation is superb, the undersea characters are interesting and there are a lot of funny moments that will tickle audiences of all ages. Most important, the story packs an emotional wallop.

This time, we’re following the adventures of the silly blue parrot fish, Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres). She suffers from short term memory loss, and the adventure begins when she suddenly remembers that somewhere out in the vast ocean, she has a family that doesn’t know why she disappeared.

The movie should really have been called “Finding Dory’s Family,” as the bulk of the film takes Dory and her clownfish friends, Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (Albert Brooks) across the sea to look for her family. Along the way they run into some old acquaintances and meet some new friends, the most notable being a couple of whales (Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell) and a very cool, but very grouchy octopus (Ed O’Neill).

I suspect that the octopus will become a hot toy this summer, as will the toddler version of Dory, which is one of the cutest animated characters I’ve ever seen in film. She is especially endearing as the story shifts to focus on her mental challenges and her parents’ worries that she won’t ever be able to survive out in the world. It’s a theme that should really hit home for parents with children with disabilities. I have a niece with some similar issues and the film brought me to tears more than once.

Those of you who are just looking for a couple of hours of light entertainment will also be quite pleased by the film’s tone and abundance of funny characters. Even the throwaway characters are given their moment to bask in the limelight.

The animation is also very impressive, giving us a totally believable underwater world where the characters can swim around and explore. I don’t think the full 3D experience will be critical for your enjoyment of the film, but there’s little doubt that “Finding Dory” is a visual triumph for Pixar’s animation team.

That’s all well and good, but even the greatest animation fails without a strong screenplay and “Finding Dory” succeeds thanks to its very impressive story. From the characters to their comic adventure, everything works swimmingly here, making “Finding Dory” into a very enjoyable companion piece to “Finding Nemo.”

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published bi-weekly in “The Port Arthur News” and seen weekly on KFDM and KBTV. Sean welcomes your comments via email atsmcbride@sbgtv.com.com.