‘Finding Dory” isn’t the funniest or zippiest Pixar picture. In fact, it takes a while to get going.

But when it comes to portraying the angst of existence, this “Finding Nemo” sequel might be the soul-searcher of the year. If it sounds like I’m kidding, read on.

Dory is the adorably forgetful blue tang who helped the orange clownfish Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) find his son in the original film.

Marlin and Nemo are still around. But this time, Dory (voiced again by Ellen DeGeneres) is front and center. She’s searching the deep blue sea for her parents (Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy), whom she misplaced some years earlier.

I had my doubts about this Pixar outing at first. Yes, the visual palette is stunning, as we expect. Yes, there are some wonderful new marine characters.

But the idea of building a film around a character with short-term memory loss has challenges. For one thing, it’s a repetitive joke. For another thing — wait, what was the other thing?

Oh yes. Dory’s memory issue is one way Pixar maintains its tradition of making movies that have an actual sense of fragility and loss. Despite plenty of agreeably silly gags, “Finding Dory” is, at times, almost too poignant to laugh at, and the Pixar folks have a tall order in balancing light and dark.

This becomes especially pointed in one late sequence, when Dory is alone in the vast, cold ocean, and wonders about the purpose of it all. I haven’t seen a more existentially searching scene in an American movie since — well, since the confrontation with death in “Toy Story 3.” Seriously, are their other Hollywood blockbusters that probe the indifference of the universe the way Pixar does?

Happily, director Andrew Stanton (“Wall-E”) rebounds with an uproariously crazy climax. He and co-director Angus MacLane and the Pixar team mix things up by setting the second half of the film in an oceanside aquarium (or rehabilitation unit, actually).

This allows for some great new characters — a nearsighted whale shark (Kaitlin Olson), a beluga (Ty Burrell) with a wonky sense of echolocation, and especially an octopus named Hank (Ed O’Neill). Hank is a gem: a gruff guy with a soft heart (well, he’s all soft, species-wise), who allows the animators do wacky things with his tentacles.

The voices are excellent, and DeGeneres gives one of the all-time best cartoon performances, especially when Dory gets lost.

“Finding Dory” could be funnier. It relies on some callbacks to “Finding Nemo” and a lot of over-the-top action. But you’d have to have a briny heart to deny there’s something special about it.

“Finding Dory” (3 1/2 stars)

Pixar’s sequel to “Finding Nemo” is maybe not as funny as it could be, but its tale of a forgetful fish (Ellen DeGeneres) searching for her parents is unusually touching—and an existential soul-searcher to boot. The visual palette is stunning, and Pixar invents some wonderful new marine characters.

Rating: PG, for subject matter

Showing: Alderwood Mall, Cinebarre, Edmonds, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Stanwood Cinemas, Meridian, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Blue Fox, Cascade Mall, Oak Harbor Plaza