Representatives from Disney’s Pixar Studios announced today that Dory, the lovably forgetful blue tang fish from Finding Nemo, will star in a sequel of her own. Finding Dory will premiere November 25, 2015.
In the 12 years since the original, Ellen DeGeneres, the voice behind Dory, has made no secret of her desire to revive the role. As such a vocal advocate for a Finding Nemo sequel, it was only fitting that she also announced the news on her show.
The comedienne also released a statement: “I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time. 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.”
Just like the original, Finding Dory will be directed by Andrew Stanton. No word yet on whether the other voice actors will return, although Pixar assured the movie will feature Marlin, Nemo and other recognizable characters. The action will take place one year after Nemo’s tale and it seems safe to say the plot will involve Dory getting lost.
The bar is certainly set high for Finding Dory. The original grossed $921,743,261 worldwide and won the 2003 Academy Award for best animated film.
The good news is that Pixar sequels traditionally fair well with fans and critics. Toy Story 3, which premiered 15 years after the original, actually has the highest rating of the three films on IMDB. Cars 2 was also a hit and a prequel to the popular Monsters Inc. will premiere this summer.
Although fans of the original are likely thrilled by the news of a long-awaited sequel, a few Pixar diehards argue the movie studio needs to focus on original ideas.
