Finding Bailey Chapter 2

The next day, Dory and her friends and family were at the Drop Off. Marlin, Nemo, Destiny, Charlie, and Jenny were saying goodbye to Dory, Hank, and Bailey.

“Bye, Dory!” Said Nemo. “I hope you return Bailey safely!”

“Be safe, sweetheart!” Said Charlie, Dory’s father.

“Bye, everyone!” Said Dory.” We’re going to Nebraska to return Bailey home!”

“For the 5th time, it’s Alaska!” Said Hank, and the three of them swam off to find the East Australian Current.

“I hope our daughter gets home safely.” Said Jenny, Dory’s mother. However, Charlie didn’t respond back. “Does anyone know where Charlie went?” The other fish looked at Destiny, who had her mouth shut.

“Open the hatch, Destiny.” Said Nemo, and the whale shark opened her mouth with Charlie swimming out.

“What has gotten into you, Destiny?” Asked Marlin. “You have been doing that every week since you decided to stay with us!”

“I’m sorry!” Said Destiny. “Back at the MLI, humans would come every day and throw dead fish in my tank for me to eat!”

“That’s disturbing.” Said Charlie.

“This is the last straw, Destiny!” Snapped Marlin. “If you don’t change your dietary habits, then you can’t live with us anymore!” Marlin, Nemo, Charlie, and Jenny then swam back to the Reef, while Destiny just floated there sadly. Little did she know that a moray eel was spying on her from inside a piece of coral. While Destiny was swimming back, she encountered the eel and let out a scream.

“Don’t be afraid, sweetie.” Said the eel. “I’m best friends with a shark! The name’s Murray, and I couldn’t help but overhear that you have... an eating disorder.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Destiny.

“You tried swallowing that regal tang.” Answered Murray.

“You saw?” Asked Destiny.

“And I heard that you’d eat dead fish.” Said Murray. “But with Bruce’s eight-step process, you’ll become a vegetarian in no time! Follow me.” Destiny followed Murray to a place far away from the Great Barrier Reef, near a sunken ship. Murray knocked on the door with his tail, and a Great White Shark peeked through the window.

“Hello, Murray!” Said the shark. “Who’s this?”

“This is Destiny.” Said Murray. “She wants to be part of the Carnivore’s Anonymous Meeting!”

“She does, eh?” Asked the shark. “Well, bring her inside!”

“I can’t.” Said Murray. “She’s a whale shark.”

“Then bring her to the back!” Replied the shark, and Destiny and Murray swam to behind the ship. Out of the ship came Bruce, the Great White Shark, along with two other sharks: A mako and a hammerhead.

“Who is this?” Asked Anchor, the hammerhead shark.

“This is Destiny,” Said Bruce. “And she’s our newest member of CAG: Carnivore’s Anonymous Group!”

“All right, everyone!” Said Bruce. “All new members must say the pledge.” Bruce, along with Murray and the two other sharks, started saying a pledge. “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.”

“Except for stinking dolphins.” Said Anchor.

“Dolphins, yeah.” Said Chum, the Mako shark. “They think they’re so cute. Look at me, I’m a flipping little dolphin! Let me flip around, ain’t I something?”

“Alright, everyone!” Said Bruce. “It’s about time Destiny introduced herself.”

“Hi, my name is Destiny!” Said the whale shark. “I am a whale shark from California, and I have a habit of swallowing other fish. I am, however, best friends with a regal tang named Dory.”

“Dory?!” Shouted Chum. “She’s our fastest-graduating student! Finished our course within one week.”

“Even if she is a herbivore.” Said Anchor. “If Dory can do it as quickly, then you can do it, too!”

“First thing’s first, though!” Said Bruce. “We have to find you an alternative food source. That’s Step 1.”

———————————

The next day, Dory, Hank, and Bailey were riding in the EAC (East Australian Current) with Crush the sea turtle and his family. While Dory was playing hide-and-seek with some of the kid turtles, Hank decided to ask Crush a question.

“How do you handle so many kids at once?” He asked.

“It’s great, Octo-Man!” Said Crush. “We head to the beach, lay some eggs, wait for them to hatch, and coo-coo cachoo, they find their way back to the big old blue.”

“I understand that part.” Said Hank. “What I mean to ask is how can you be around so many kids without going bonkers?”

“I was born on a Samoan beach in 1853.” Crush began. “I was born in a batch of 30 eggs: 10 boys and 20 girls. Since the humans on our beach were in tune with nature, we spent the first five years on the beach. One day, a jellyfish washed up on the beach, and want to know what we did with it?”

“You got stung?” Hank guessed.

“We ate it.” Said Crush. “We then realized what we were missing, so we abandoned the beach and spent the rest of our lives in the ocean. We do visit the beach, however, to lay our eggs. Right now, I have 10 kids, 50 grandkids, and 100 great-grandkids.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.” Said Hank. “I repeat, how can you be around so many kids without going bonkers?”

“Oh, that!” Said Crush. “Simple, man: Turtles are family, and we always stick together. Hold on a second while I get some air.” Crush, Bailey, and some other sea turtles swam to the surface of the water and took deep breaths, then swam down.

“I don’t understand vertebrates.” Hank thought to himself.

Author's Notes: In Finding Dory, rather than eating krill, fish eggs, and crab larvae like other whale sharks, Destiny actually ate real fish that were already dead.

Dory playing dead in Destiny's food pail.

The moray eel is a strange fish that has no pectoral fins and can be found in oceans all over the world. While these carnivores may look intimidating, they will only attack humans if they feel threatened. These strange fish served as inspiration for Ursula's minions, Flotsam and Jetsam, in The Little Mermaid.

The gender of sea turtles depends on the temperature of the sand. If it's warm, the turtle will be a girl. If it's cold, it'll be a boy.

Finding Bailey Chapter 1

It has been six months since Dory traveled to the Marine Life Institute in Morro Bay, California and reunited with her parents. Three of the aquarium’s animals, Bailey the beluga, Destiny the whale shark, and Hank the octopus, whose eighth tentacle has finally grown back, have escaped and decided to live in the Great Barrier Reef. Marlin, Dory, and Bailey were watching Nemo play with Tad, Sheldon, and Pearl play in a playground of coral, and Dory asked Marlin a question.

“Remember when we went on that adventure to Sydney to find Fabio?” She asked.

“Yes, Dory.” Said Marlin. “But I try to forget.” Suddenly, Bailey gave out a loud sneeze that blew Nemo and his classmates into the sand.

“Bless you!” Said Dory.

“Thanks.” Said Bailey, who had a nasal accent. “I’ve been feeling ill ever since I left the MLI.” Bailey was about to sneeze again, but then Marlin swam over and covered his nostrils, though air came out of his blowhole, instead.

“Bailey,” Said Marlin. “We need to see an expert. In this case, Mr. Ray.”

—————————

Marlin, Nemo, Dory, and Bailey swam over to the sandy area of the Great Barrier Reef to find Mr. Ray, since he’d be buried in the sand. While digging with her tail, Dory hit something sharp.

“Ow!” She exclaimed. Soon, a large porcupine ray rose out from the sand.

“Hey!” Said the porcupine ray. “I was trying to take a nap!”

“Sorry.” Said Marlin. “We were trying to find Mr. Ray. He’s a blue stingray with white spots, teaches a young shoal of fish, and likes to sing."

“Oh, that guy?” Said the porcupine ray. “You won’t find him here! But if you want to find him, just follow singing.”

“Guys!” Said Bailey. “I can use my echolocation!” Bailey placed his pectoral fins on his head and started concentrating. “Oooooooh! I see a flat thing talking to some round things! Ooooooh! That must be him!” Bailey followed what he located using his echolocation, and Marlin, Nemo, and Dory followed in pursuit. The quartet soon found Mr. Ray talking to a family of parrotfish.

“Don’t worry, Barb and Phil.” Said Mr. Ray. “I’ll tell Tad’s parents that he shouldn’t tease Gladys for eating coral. It’s a natural instinct, after all!” He was about to sing, but then, Marlin interrupted him to ask a question.

“Excuse me, Mr. Ray.” Said the clownfish. “Our friend Bailey, who’s a beluga, is feeling a little down in the weather. Do you know what’s wrong with him?

“Well, where did you find Bailey?” Mr. Ray asked.

“The Marine Life Institute.” Answered Bailey, before he let out another sneeze through his blowhole.

“Well, Bailey.” Said Mr. Ray. “You’re a beluga, and belugas typically live in the cold seas of the Arctic. The Great Barrier Reef is no place for your kind. I suggest that you bring him back home as soon as you can. Alaska or Antarctica are my suggestions.”

“Can we go on another adventure, Dad?” Asked Nemo.

“That’s out of the question!” Said Marlin. “We already went on two big adventures involving sharks, jellyfish, boats, trucks, and a squid! I’m not gonna risk my only family for another adventure.”

“But it’ll be fun, Marlin!” Said Dory.

“The answer is no, and that’s final!” Said Marlin. “Ask Hank to help you.”

——————————

When Dory told Hank about the situation at hand, he gave an identical answer to Marlin’s.

“Absolutely not!” Said Hank. “My tentacle just grew back, and I’m not risking my life for a whale you've only known for six months!”

“But Frank!” Said Dory. “If we don’t bring Bailey back to the Arctic, he’ll die!” Hank flinched upon hearing that.

“How far away is Bailey’s home?” Asked Hank.

“Nebraska.” Said Dory.

“It’s Alaska.” Said Bailey, before letting out another sneeze.

“We’ll leave tomorrow.” Said Hank.

Author's Notes: The porcupine ray is a fish that can be found in tropical waters throughout the world, from Madagascar to Fiji. Its distinctive traits include its thick, rounded shape and dorsal covering of sharp thorns.

Phil the parrotfish is named after a snail Dory and her parents encounter in an early draft of Finding Dory. In this draft of the film, Dory's parents Charlie and Jenny also had short-term memory loss, which drove Philip the snail crazy.

Story Announcement #14

 Hi, everybody! As promised, I will tell you about my next story coming this April. Remember how at the end of Finding Dory, Hank, Destiny, and Bailey decide to move in the Great Barrier Reef with Dory and the gang?

Well, I was thinking: How would a beluga (which Bailey is) adapt to a warmer climate? Well, in this story, Finding Bailey, he gets sick, so Dory and Hank go on an adventure to Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska to return Bailey home. Meanwhile, Destiny the whale shark joins Bruce's recovery club so she can rejoin fish society without having to eat her friends.

However, this story will be much shorter than my others: Instead of being another movie, I'd imagine that Finding Bailey would be an hour-long special on Disney+. With all that said, however, I still put lots of work into the story, and I'm sure that you'll all enjoy it.

Finding Bailey is coming April 12th.

Movie Review: Turning Red

Movie Review: Turning Red                                                                                                            3-12-22

Meilen ‘Mei-Mei’ Lee is your typical 13-year-old girl: She has great grades in school, a diverse group of friends, an overprotective mom, and a crush on the worldwide pop sensation 4*Town. Her family also owns one of the most revered Chinese temples in Canada. One morning, Mei wakes up to find out that she’s turned into an 8-foot-tall red panda! However, on the next Red Moon, Mei and her parents can perform a ritual that can banish her panda side into a necklace. If Mei turns into a panda too much, she’ll never be able to remove her panda form.

As for what I thought of Turning Red, I honestly have mixed feelings about it. First, let’s talk about the positives. As usual, the animation is top-notch. I especially like how the filmmakers integrated Chinese and Canadian architecture in the city where Mei-Mei lives. I also love how they made her panda form super fluffy! Not to mention that all of Mei’s friends are all different races, which is nice to see.

Now on to the negatives: Ming, Mei’s mom, is rather unlikable. She doesn’t want Mei to have fun or hang out with her friends for no good reason, other than the fact that she can turn into a panda. Think of her like Mother Gothel from Tangled, but nowhere near as villainous.

Ming spying on Mei while she's in school

Other gripes I have with the movie include Mei looking too young to be 13 and some confusing lore. Can anyone explain why none of Mei's male relatives can turn into pandas?

"Our ancestors had a mystical connection with red pandas."

In conclusion, Turning Red is fine, but I personally recommend the Netflix-exclusive DreamWorks series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. This show takes place in a Dystopian future where animals have either grown to elephantine proportions or have evolved to a human level intellectually. Humankind is now under control by the evil mandrill Scarlemagne, who wants to build a city for animals (now known as mutes) on the remains of an old zoo. Now, it's up to Kipo Oak, a 13-year-old purple-skinned girl who can also turn into a giant jaguar, to save humanity, as well as find a way to form a friendship between humans and mutes. The show only has 30 half-hour episodes, but it's definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 3.45 stars out of 5.

However, I do have a warning for those who plan on watching the movie: Turning Red is more taboo than typical Pixar faire, with some dirty jokes that you could fit into an episode of The Simpsons or Rocko's Modern Life.

Movie Review: Spies in Disguise

Movie Review: Spies in Disguise                                                                                                  2-17-22

In the final movie from Blue Sky Studios, Lance Sterling (Will Smith) is the greatest spy in the world. While all his other colleagues invent devices and gear that kill people, younger scientist Walter Beckit (Tom Holland) feels that’s it wrong to kill people. When Lance is framed for stealing a top-secret weapon, he has no choice but to seek help from Walter, who claims that he can make Lance disappear. He drinks Walter’s serum, but it turns him into a pigeon. Now Lance and Walter have to track down Cyborg villain Tristan McFord (Ben Mendelssohn) from killing every spy on the planet, while also trying to find a way to turn Lance back into a human.

The strengths of Spies in Disguise come from character animation that rival Disney and Pixar, top notch voice acting, and a good score from Theodore Shapiro. The weaknesses, unfortunately, come from the film’s protagonist Lance Sterling. Much like Kuzco in The Emperor’s New Groove, Lance cares only about himself and, at first, wants absolutely nothing to do with Walter.

Lance wishes he could push Walter out of the plane, but he can't.

I know it’s Will Smith’s shtick to play somewhat unlikable characters, which goes as far back as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but there are lots of actors who can play a variety of personalities, even if it does mean stepping out of their comfort zone. For example, Jim Carey is known for his crude humor in movies like The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He also, however, starred in non-crude family movies like The Truman Show and Sonic the Hedgehog. If Carey can master all that, why not Will Smith? Luckily, Lance does go through character development.

Lance is not at all impressed about Walter's kid-friendly weapons.

Disney and Fox wanted to turn Spies in Disguise into a major franchise, but the movie flopped at the box-office because it had to compete against Frozen 2, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker. With the failure of Spies in Disguise and COVID-19 running amuck, Disney decided to shut down Blue Sky Studios in spring 2021, even though they were 75% done on their next project, a feature film based on Noelle Stevenson’s web comic Nimona.

For those unfamiliar, Nimona is what would happen if you crossed Adventure Time with Treasure Planet. The comic centers around a teenage shapeshifter named Nimona, who becomes a sidekick for villain Ballister Blackheart. The movie adaptation would’ve been directed by Patrick Osborne, who won the Oscar for the Disney short Feast. Chloe Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed were cast as Nimona and Blackheart, and the movie was reportedly 75% complete when Disney announced that the project would be cancelled.

Anyways, while not the best animated movie of 2019, Spies in Disguise is a fun film to watch during Black History Month.

Rating: 3.45 stars out of 5

PS. As for which studio now fills in Blue Sky’s niche, I’d say that title belongs to WAG (Warner Animation Group), the studio behind The LEGO Movies, Storks, Smallfoot, and Scoob! I’ll do a 2-part article about the company on January 7th 2023, when WAG turns 10.

Movie Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles

Movie Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles                                                                               12-29-21

Based on the books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, The Spiderwick Chronicles is about three kids: Teenage daughter Mallory Grace (Sarah Bolger) and twin brothers Jared (Freddie Highmore) and Simon (also Freddie Highmore). They move into a house deep in the woods with their divorced mom Helen (Mary-Louise Parker), and Jared discovers a secret room that belonged to a biologist named Dr. Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). Jared opened a book that belonged to Spiderwick and learns that he catalogued mythical creatures like fairies, ogres, goblins, and brownies (Jekyll/Hyde rodent-like creatures that like honey). The book is also sought after by the evil shapeshifting ogre Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), who wants to steal the book for his nefarious deeds. Now, it’s up to the Grace children along with a slow-witted bird-loving hobgoblin named Hogsqueal (Seth Rogen) and a brownie named Thimbletack (Martin Short) to fight Mulgarath and his army of goblins.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a somewhat underrated fantasy film with top-notch acting (even considering the fact that Highmore is playing two characters), visual effects that have aged very well, a story that’s a nice departure from the typical fantasy film, and a good score from the late James Horner.

The mouse-like Thumbletack goes through a Jekyll/Hyde style transformation whenever he's angry, but he loves honey.

Another thing to appreciate about the movie is that Highmore is playing two characters in the same movie, even if they’re on screen together at the same time.

The three kids (and teen).

However, I do have warnings for those who plan on watching The Spiderwick Chronicles: The film is rather violent, as characters get hurt realistically, characters get killed (but luckily, no humans get killed), and there are monsters that can actually get quite scary.

In conclusion, The Spiderwick Chronicles is a really good fantasy film to watch with the family. If any of you want to watch it, it’s available on Netflix as I’m typing this.

Rating: 3.49 stars out of 5

Sorry if my review's shorter than usual. There's not much to say about this movie. I promise that my next review will be a little longer!

2022 in Animated Features

2021 is over, and 2022 just began! Blue Sky Studios is no longer around, meaning that there are now only five major mainstream animation studios: Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony, and Illumination. WAG (Warner Animation Group) and Paramount Animation might also be tempting, but both studios are still seeds waiting to find their identities. WAG, however, has shown potential in the past few years, but that's for another time. As usual, here's what 2022 has in store for animated movies!

In January comes the fourth and final movie with Drac and the gang, Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania. In this film, Johnny feels left out, so Abraham Van Helsing, cyborg father of the third film's antagonist Ericka, turns him into a dragon. When Drac and his friends touch the machine, they turn into humans! In order to turn back into a vampire, Drac and the gang have to travel to the Amazon Rainforest while experiencing the downsides of being a human. Rather than being released in theaters like the previous films, Hotel T 4 will instead be released on Amazon Prime.

In February, from Spanish animation studio Skydance comes Luck. In this film, an unlucky girl stumbles upon the never-before-seen world of good and bad luck. She teams up with magical creatures to uncover a force more powerful than even luck itself. Instead of being released in theaters, Luck will be released on the Apple+ streaming service, like Wolfwalkers. This movie will also be John Lasseter's first endeavor outside of Disney since the beginnings of Pixar.

In March, Pixar will release their first film with a female lead since Finding Dory, Turning Red. In their 25th feature film, a Chinese girl named Meilin faces everyday life in Junior High School, but turns into a giant red panda whenever she's stressed or excited. This will be the first Pixar film since Brave to be directed by a woman, and their first to have an Asian lead.

In April, DreamWorks will release their first original film since Abominable, The Bad Guys. Based on the books by Aaron Blabley, this movie will be about a group of animal criminals who decide to give up villainy when Mr. Wolf accidentally helps an old woman. This movie needs to be a success, as DreamWorks' last two films were box-office flops, otherwise the studio might go kaput like Blue Sky.

In May, Warner Animation Group will release their next film, DC League of Super-Pets. While Superman is on vacation, his dog Krypto teams up with other superpowered animals to fight crime. Let's just hope that this movie ends up better than Scoob, as well as the lackluster mid-2000s cartoon Krypto the Super-Dog.

In June, Pixar will release their first-ever spinoff, Lightyear. This movie will serve as an origin story for the world's greatest toy space ranger, and rather than having Tim Allen voice Buzz, Chris Evans will voice him, instead.

In September, after about a decade, the famous Spanish feline from the Shrek films will make his return to the big screen with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. In this film, Puss's passion for adventure cost him eight of his nine lives, so he goes on an adventure to find the mythical Last Wish to recover his extra lives.

In October, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and maybe the rest of the gang will return for Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse Part One. Joining the cast is Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew, who will be voiced by Issa Rae. I'm both excited and nervous about this film, as the last sequel to a beloved animated superhero movie (Incredibles 2) was somewhat disappointing.

On November 11th, from Shark and Shark Tale director Vicky Jenson comes Spellbound. This movie will tell the story of Elian, a teenager who comes of age using her magical powers to defend her family when the opposing forces of light and darkness threaten to divide her kingdom. Much like Luck, Spellbound will be an Apple+ exclusive.

And finally, on November 23rd, Disney will release their next big animated movie, Strange World. In a similar fashion to another Disney movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Strange World will journey deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await. Don Hall, co-director of Winnie the Pooh, Big Hero 6, and Raya and the Last Dragon, will direct the film, and 'Raya' screenwriter Qui Nguyen will write the project. This intrigues me, as WDAS hasn't done sci-fi since Chicken Little.

Of all the new animated movies coming out this year, I'm looking forward to Turning Red, The Bad Guys, and Across the Spider-Verse. I also have high expectations for Lightyear, since Pixar's last sci-fi film WALL-E was an instant classic among fans.

Once again, there will be more films than the ones listed here, but these were the ones I wanted to cover.

I'm sorry that there are no posters for Luck or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. As I'm typing this, there are no posters for either films, yet. However, Luck does have two pieces of concept art available, and here they are.