History Heartwarming / FindingDory

* [[spoiler:The moment where a young Dory was trying to get a purple seashell for her mother. To recap, she woke up to the sound of her mother crying over her memory loss and future. Dory, a young child who didn't understand what was going on, wanted to comfort her mother by giving her something that she liked. As sad as that scene is, it's also touching how much Dory cared about her parents.]]
** The incredibly determined and serious tone Baby Dory has when she says [[spoiler:"Mommy loves purple shells."]].

** Also, Destiny's overjoyed reaction when Bailey points out that if they escape into the ocean, there'll be ''no more walls'' for her to bump into and hurt herself.
* After spending most of the film being completely fed up with Dory's antics, Hank seems to realize he's going to miss her when he thinks he's about to say goodbye forever. "I'll have a hard time forgetting you."
** Just before that, he asks Dory if she's okay.

* When Hank and Dory were thrown out of the truck and into the ocean, Hank wraps his tentacles around Dory so that she won't get tossed too far away from the others. Considering how much he HatesBeingTouched seeing him initiate the contact makes it all the more heartfelt.
** You can also hear Hank call out "DORY!" in slow motion when he's reaching for her.

** Preceding that, Marlin, who remembers all too well what happened the last time he was at the Drop-off, following after Dory, just to make sure she's safe.
*** The last time, ''or'' [[MissingMom the first time]]. He had ''cause'' to make sure.
*** Something particularly heartwarming about the ending is the [[spoiler: Marlin says that the Drop-off "really is quite a view". This is both a CallBack to the original scene where he comments on the view for a first time, and just before he, Dory and Nemo set off for California. It shows how far he's come and perfectly closes the story for both him and Dory.]]

* When Dory meets the other blue tangs, they could have gone the AllOfTheOtherReindeer route and bully Dory for her memory loss. But nope! The other tangs aren't antagonistic towards her at all and are actually willing to help her out. They were just cautious at first because they hadn't seen her since she was a fry and it took some time for them to recognize her. They're even truly heartbroken when they have to tell her [[spoiler: about her (presumed to be) dead parents.]]
** Not just them, ''nobody'' does this to Dory. They do sometimes get fed up with her and her constantly forgetting things, but no one bullied her about it. Just about everyone was willing to help her.

** The fact that "travelling from California to the Great Barrier Reef" is presented so casually. In the first movie, simply getting from the Reef to _Sydney, Australia_ was a near-insurmountable task; but this time around, Marlin and the gang have friends who can help them both ways, and navigating the wide ocean becomes a lot easier.

* The otters, who take CutenessProximity to such an extreme that they cause a traffic jam simply by being adorable.

** The incredibly determined and serious tone Baby Dory has when she says [[spoiler:"Mommy loves purple shells."]]

* One of the truck drivers is voiced by Alexander Gould, Nemo's original actor. He'd aged out of the role thanks to the 13 year time-gap, but they still found a place for him in the film.

* The fact that Marlin and Nemo come with Dory to help her find her family. Or the fact that the extremely overprotective Marlin lets his son join in on a long and possibly dangerous journey. He really did learn his lesson from the previous film. Marlin is extremely against the journey in the first place, but instead of letting Dory go off on her own he tries to stop her from going but when that fails he goes along as opposed to leave Dory to make the journey herself.

'''Marlin:''' No, you didn't forget. I never told you. And I'm sorry about that. But, Dory, because of who you are, you are about to find your parents. And when you do that... you'll... you'll be home.

* When Dory begins doubting herself and wondering if her parents would even want to see her, Marlin reassures her and says that her parents will be overjoyed. He goes on to say that when he and Nemo were in trouble, they got out of it by doing what she would do. When Dory doesn't understand why they would try to think like her, Marlin says that she is the reason they were able to do so many amazing things, and without her he never would have been able to find his son. When this happens, the Nemo Egg {{Letimotif}} from the original film [[https://youtu.be/vUhBpLeEw4c?t=53 appears]].

* When Dory begins doubting herself and wondering if her parents would even want to see her, Marlin reassures her and says that her parents will be overjoyed. He goes on to say that when he and Nemo were in trouble, they got out of it by doing what she would do. When Dory doesn't understand why they would try to think like her, Marlin says that she is the reason they were able to do so many amazing things, and without her he never would have been able to find his son.

* The relationship between Marlin and Nemo. In the first film, they were rather antagonistic due to Marlin's ,albeit understandable, overprotective nature. After his experiences, Marlin has let go a bit and he and Nemo are much warmer towards each other. He actually is willing to listen to Nemo's advice and let Nemo come with them on a trip all the way across the ocean.

** [[spoiler:While they are on their way to rescue Marlin and Nemo, Dory tells her parents all about them. How despite everything, she believes that Marlin trusts her and how Nemo never gives up on her. Her parents sound relieved that she has managed to find supportive friends who care about her and promise to thank them once they meet them, which is the first thing they do. This is a moment parents of children with disabilities can understand, the relief that their child still managed to succeed and find supportive friends.]]

** [[spoiler:While they are on their way to rescue Marlin and Nemo, Dory tells her parents all about them. How despite everything, she believes that Marlin trusts her and how Nemo never gives up on her. Her parents sound relieved that she has managed to find supportive friends who care about her and promise to thank them once they meet them, which is the first thing they do. This is a moment parents of children with disabilities can understand, the relief their child still managed to do well and find supportive friends.]]

* The relationship between Marlin and Nemo. In the first film, they were rather antagonistic due to Marlin's albeit understandably overprotective nature. After his experiences, Marlin has let go a bit and he and Nemo are much warmer towards each other. He actually is willing to listen to Nemo's advice.

* [[spoiler: Dory goes into a near-catatonic state when she hears that her parents are most likely dead and she starts muttering that she's all alone and doesn't have a family. Despite the background audio being muted, you can still hear Nemo telling her that that isn't true - clearly intending to tell her that he and Marlin are her family. Even after she finds her parents, she calls them her family.]]

* [[spoiler: Dory goes into a near-catatonic state when she hears that her parents are most likely dead and she starts muttering that she's all alone and doesn't have a family. Despite the background audio being muted, you can still hear Nemo telling her that that isn't true - clearly intending to tell her that he and Marlin are her family.]]

* Before they get separated, Marlin gets angry and tells Dory that forgetting is the only thing she's good at. Later in the film, he apologises for it, and tells her that he truly values her and how she sees the world... even though she has ''totally forgotten'' that Marlin ever said anything like that to her.

* Dory apparently lives with Marlin and Nemo now. Not ''in'' the anemone for obvious reasons, but close enough that they can hear her when she talks in her sleep.
* The fact that Marlin and Nemo come with Dory to help her find her family.
** Or the fact that the extremely overprotective Marlin lets his son join in on a long and possibly dangerous journey. He really did learn his lesson from the previous film.
** Marlin is extremely against the journey in the first place, but instead of letting Dory go off on her own he tries to stop her from going but when that fails he goes along as opposed to leave Dory to make the journey herself.

* When Hank and Dory were thrown out of the truck and into the ocean, Hank wrapped his tentacles around Dory so that she won't get tossed too far away from the others. Considering how much he HatesBeingTouched seeing him initiate the contact makes it all the more heartfelt.

* Dory and Nemo's bond. In the [[WesternAnimation/FindingNemo previous film]], Dory and Nemo only met late into the third act, and didn't get much time together. Here, Dory and Nemo are shown to have gotten quite close over the year since they met. Dory sees Nemo as family and often helps out in his class, Nemo helps Dory remember what she was talking about, and defends her when Marlin gets angry at her for endangering him.

* In a film like this, Pixar could've easily gone the AllOfTheOtherReindeer route and have Dory be bullied by the other blue tangs for her memory loss. But nope! The other tangs aren't antagonistic towards her at all and are actually willing to help her out. They were just cautious at first because they hadn't seen her since she was a fry and it took some time for them to recognize her. They're even truly heartbroken when they have to tell her [[spoiler: about her (presumed to be) dead parents.]]

** In [[StealthPun brain coral]], no less.
*** Brain coral ''with a hole in it''.

* The ending. [[spoiler: Marlin and Dory sitting together at the Drop-off, simply enjoying the view.]]

* In a film like this, Pixar could've easily gone the AllOfTheOtherReindeer route and have Dory be bullied by the other blue tangs for her memory loss. But nope! Even though Dory's still an outcast to them, the other tangs aren't antagonistic towards her at all and are actually willing to help her out. They're even truly heartbroken when they have to tell her [[spoiler: about her (presumed to be) dead parents.]]

** You can also hear Hank call out "DORY!" in slow motion when he's reaching for her. That's the first time he's said her name.