Last summer, we heard that Disney and Pixar had officially given the go-ahead for the anticipated Finding Nemo 2, the sequel to 2003’s Oscar-winning animated film. Andrew Stanton is set to return behind the camera, and now the studios have announced that the sequel’s title will be Finding Dory.
And not only that, but they’ve set the US release date for November 25th, 2015.
Naturally, the title gives you an idea of what we can expect for the second time around, with Ellen DeGeneres returning to voice the sequel’s titular character from the original.
“I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” said DeGeneres. “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.”
“There is no Dory without Ellen,” said Stanton. “She won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world—not to mention our team here at Pixar. One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In ‘Finding Dory,’ she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.”
Finding Dory will take place about a year after Finding Nemo, with Marlin, Nemo, and the Tank Gang all returning, along with other familiar faces. The sequel will be set in part along the California coastline, and will also feature plenty of new characters to look forward to.
The original film brought home the Best Animated Feature just under a decade ago, with further nominations in the Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, and Best Original Screenplay categories. It’s certainly not often an animated movie cracks either of the screenplay categories, and that’s undoubtedly part of the reason why it’s been so long for the sequel to take shape. If you’re going to make it, you really ought to make it right. And if DeGeneres’ comments above are any indication, it looks like the wait will have been worth it.
Finding Dory will be released on November 25th, 2015 in the US. No word yet on a UK release date, but here’s to hoping that it will be arriving on the same day. That release date puts its opening at just five days after the final instalment of The Hunger Games, but with fairly different target audiences, we can expect both to excel (and then some) at the box office.
BURBANK, Calif. (April 2, 2013) – When Dory said “just keep swimming” in 2003’s Oscar®-winning film “Finding Nemo,” she could not have imagined what was in store for her (not that she could remember). Ellen DeGeneres, voice of the friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, revealed details today about Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Dory”—an all-new big-screen adventure diving into US theaters on Nov. 25, 2015 – UK release date TBC.
“I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” said DeGeneres. “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.”
Director and Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton takes audiences back to the extraordinary underwater world created in the original film. “There is no Dory without Ellen,” said Stanton. “She won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world—not to mention our team here at Pixar. One thing we couldn’t stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In ‘Finding Dory,’ she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.”
According to Stanton, “Finding Dory” takes place about a year after the first film, and features returning favorites Marlin, Nemo and the Tank Gang, among others. Set in part along the California coastline, the story also welcomes a host of new characters, including a few who will prove to be a very important part of Dory’s life.
“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.
DeGeneres’ distinctive comic voice has resonated with audiences from her first stand-up comedy appearances through her work today on television, in film and in the literary world. Her syndicated talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” is in its 10th season and has earned 38 Daytime Emmy® Awards. DeGeneres has won 12 People’s Choice Awards and the Teen Choice Award for Choice Comedian for three consecutive years. Additionally, her show won two Genesis Awards and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Talk Show Episode. For her unforgettable turn as Dory, DeGeneres was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance.
