Finding Dory

January’s almost over, and when the calendar rolls over to February, there will be a whole new batch of movies and TV shows coming to Netflix for your streaming pleasure. This month’s highlights include a few big recent premieres (like Pixar’s latest hit, Finding Dory), and a few big Netflix Originals (like the new series Santa Clarita Diet starring Drew Barrymore). The recent Sundance hit I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore shows up next month, and if you’re looking for something to watch on Valentine’s day there’s also a “big, sexy” special starring Michael Bolton. There’s no way that could work out badly for you.

Like every other Pixar release, Finding Dory opens with a short film. This one is called “Piper”; it’s about a little bird learning to hunt for food among the scary ocean waves. It’s a terrific showcase for Pixar’s latest advancements in computer animation, which in recent years has taken on the qualities of great nature photography. The sunlight sparkles against the water, which ripples and flows with uncanny accuracy, and when the little bird kicks a pile of sand in a crab’s face you can practically count the individual grains.

There was a lot of initial skepticism about the idea of a Finding Nemo sequel. What are you gonna do? Have Nemo vanish again? How many times can a fish get lost?

With another new Pixar movie comes the promise of another new Pixar short film, and their latest effort looks as ridiculously adorable and heart-melting as you could possibly hope. It also looks way cuter than Lava — not that it would take much for Pixar to deliver something better than Lava (and good luck getting that song out of your head now). The company has debuted the first image from Piper, the new short film that will probably make your heart grow three sizes when it premieres before Finding Dory.

With a new adventure comes new friends (and foes), and Dory will be meeting a whole host of unfamiliar faces in Finding Dory, Pixar’s long-awaited follow-up to Finding Nemo. As the title suggests, it’s the endearingly absent-minded blue fish who takes the spotlight this time around, but you’re already well-acquainted with Dory and her pals. It’s time to get to know a few of the other characters we’ll meet in the upcoming sequel.

It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the release of the hugely popular film, 'Finding Nemo'.  Usually, when films are that popular, a sequel can't be far behind.  In this case, it took a little longer than usual.