Every Pixar Hero Ranked From Worst To Best

Though it would've been easy for the scatter-brained Dory's (Ellen DeGeneres) short-term memory loss to make her little more than a one-note joke, Pixar knows better than that, and Finding Dory in particular explores Dory living with a difficult mental condition with nuance and grace.

The point is that Dory isn't defined entirely by her anterograde amnesia - she's a peppy, frothy ball of light who burned the phrase "Just keep swimming!" into the minds of an entire generation of impressionable children.

With so much of contemporary cinema defined by snark and sarcasm, there's a refreshing sincerity and earnestness to Dory that's allowed her popularity to span wide from infants to the elderly.

Easy as it is to feel hopeless in our bleak present, Dory is a welcome reminder that a positive mindset has enormous value as the world continues to turn.