April 3, 2013

Pixar sequel 'Finding Dory' set to hit theaters November 2015

Pixar is diving into its back catalog of beloved characters for a new movie set to hit theaters November 25, 2015. Finding Dory, the sequel to 2003's Oscar-winning Finding Nemo, will center on the loquacious, memory-deficient Blue Tang fish supporting character voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. The story will focus on reuniting Dory, who was seen swimming alone in the original film, with her loved ones. DeGeneres will return as the voice of Dory and Andrew Stanton will resume directing duties. Albert Brooks was previously confirmed back onboard, too, reprising his role as the voice of Marlin.
Finding Nemo won the 2003 Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature; the film was nominated for three additional Oscars® (Best Writing, Original Screenplay; Best Music, Original Score; Best Sound Editing). It was also nominated for a Golden Globe® Award for Best Motion Picture–Comedy or Musical. In 2008, the American Film Institute named “Finding Nemo” among the top 10 greatest animated films ever made. At the time of its release, “Finding Nemo” was the highest grossing G-rated movie of all time. It’s currently the fourth highest grossing animated film worldwide. The film has more than 16 million Likes on Facebook, and Dory — with more than 24 million — is the most Liked individual character from a Disney or Disney/Pixar film.
 

"I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time," DeGeneres said in a Disney / Pixar press release today. "I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating Toy Story 16. But the time they took was worth it. The script is fantastic. And it has everything I loved about the first one: it’s got a lot of heart, it’s really funny, and the best part is — it’s got a lot more Dory."

Aside from the obvious narrative potential for a sequel, the new film makes good businesses sense: Finding Nemo won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2004 and remains the fourth-highest grossing animated movie in the world (without adjusting for inflation). Lately, Pixar has been cranking out iterations of its most successful movies: besides the sequels Cars 2 and Toy Story 2 and 3, the prequel Monsters University will hit theaters this summer.