Nope, this isn't a late April Fool's joke, you know that Finding Nemo sequel we've been hearing about for months now? Well, it's happening, it's coming in November 2015 and it's called Finding Dory. The sequel was as good as confirmed anyway, but Ellen DeGeneres, who voices the now-titular blue tang (and was said to be in talks to return to the role last summer) officially announced the film earlier today.
Ellen is clearly exuberantly excited that the film's happening, and you know what? So am I. Andrew Stanton is returning to direct, Albert Brooks (voice of Marlin) seems set to reprise his role too. A release date of 25th November, 2015 is being targeted, which would mean Pixar would output two films that year (Pete Docter's Inside Out is due in June) - it wouldn't be unusual for it to drop back to 2016 though. Excitingly, the press release Disney rolled out elucidates what exactly the film will be about too.
“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.”
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| Ellen DeGeneres with Finding Dory director Andrew Stanton. |
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.
This sounds more like a spiritual "Finding" than that of the first film, and it's certainly an interesting premise - nothing that jeopardises the great ending of the first film, while also not just marking another prequel so shortly after Monsters University (due this June). And for the worriers amongst you who are throwing out the "I hope this doesn't mean they're making Dory the main character like they did with Mater in Cars 2" card, just remember that Nemo was hardly the main character in the first film.
One can't help but wonder, would people be complaining quite so much if The Incredibles 2 had just been announced? I'd wager that the good folks at Pixar know a little bit more about how to make a good movie than we do, and they've more than earned our trust. Plus, let's not forget the string of original features on the way in the coming years too.
But one thing's for sure, with Finding Dory, Inside Out, The Avengers 2 and possibly Star Wars: Episode VII, Disney are going to completely wreck the box office in 2015.
Sidebar: Is anyone else getting a Memento vibe? Nope? Just me and Damon Lindelof then?