Do we like them?

Do we like Dory?

A character from Finding Nemo (2003)

Our score: 9 out of 10. Yes, back her. She forgets nearly everything, but she's loyal and kind, and she never gives up on a friend. You'd want her on your team.

Dory is a blue tang who bumps into the anxious clownfish Marlin just as he sets out to find his missing son, Nemo. She offers to help straight away. She also mentions, in the first of many apologies, that she has short-term memory loss. She forgets things within moments, including Nemo's name, but she is fun and friendly, and she can read, which turns out to matter.

Her forgetfulness drives Marlin up the wall, and she does land them in scrapes. She is also the warmest presence in the film. Her fearlessness comes partly from not remembering to be scared. She keeps trying to make up for her mistakes and plainly wants to belong. She helps Marlin learn to trust other people, and that's why she scores so high.

Late in the story, Marlin and Dory fall out. Dory ends up helping Nemo as well, and she shows real courage when a whole school of fish is in danger. Her "just keep swimming" attitude becomes the film's best-known message.