(Fun family cartoon sequel)

We couldn’t believe it has been over a dozen years since Pixar delighted us with “Finding Nemo.” It was with great anticipation that we went to see the sequel, “Finding Dory.”

While the story line follows the same path, it is not quite as good as the original. However, we still recommend it as the best family film so far this year.

Nemo’s fish friend Dory (voice of Ellen DeGeneres) is the center of what becomes yet another chase movie, as the short-term-memory-loss blue fish tries her best to remember her parents and find her way back to them, with a lot of help from her friends.

Along the way she meets, befriends and gets a lot of help from a variety of sea creatures, including a scene-stealing octopus, or should we say septopus (voice of Ed O’Neill).

There’s an eagle ray, two whales, a pair of sea lions, sea gulls and a large variety of colorful fish coming to the rescue along the long journey. A stop over at a marine life institute adds to the adventure and also raises the question of how we treat marine animals in captivity. That nice little touch pool kids enjoy at places like Mystic Aquarium becomes a nightmare for its inhabitants.

As Dory and her friends escape from the institute and the long chase is on, the action revs up to the point of silliness, but hang in there for the satisfying ending and messages about family, overcoming disabilities and not giving up.

While the story and messages are aimed at the kids, as are many of the caricatures of the creatures, adults will appreciate the life-like depictions of many of the fish. For a moment Don thought he was back snorkeling in the Caribbean.

All’s well that ends well, but don’t go running for the door when the credits roll. There’s a fun surprise for those who wait until the end. And don’t arrive late. After the trailers, you’ll be treated to a wonder little cartoon, “The Piper.”

Rated PG, with absolutely nothing to worry about. It could be a G.