Nemo & Co. Swimming Back Into Theaters In 2015

No, this is not some elaborate, belated April Fool's joke. Although I originally thought so myself when I first read this news.

Rumors first surfaced this past summer that a sequel to Pixar's critically acclaimed and commercially successful masterpiece Finding Nemo was in the works, with reports that director Andrew Stanton would return to helm the film and that stars Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks were in talks to reprise their roles. Today, Disney and Pixar have stepped out to declare that the rumors are indeed true.

On November 25th, 2015, prepare to immerse yourself once again into the world of Nemo, Marlin and Dory when they swim onto the big screen once again in an all-new undersea adventure, Finding Dory.

From the official press release:

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 theaters on Nov. 25, 2015.

“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.

Now, I'm one of the people that, for many years, dreaded the idea of a second Nemo film. I simply did not think it necessary; the original told the story of an overprotective father (who just so happened to be a clownfish) and his son, and finished off beautifully and flawlessly. But then again, no film needs a sequel. There are films that beg for a sequel, but no film needs one. Toy Story certainly didn't need one, and yet we still got two unbelievably good follow-ups to it. And yes, Finding Nemo did conclude with the words "the end" written across the screen, but it may have been the end of that particular story, and that doesn't mean a new one can't begin.

Why exactly is this happening though? Many believe that its purpose is to overwrite the Nemo sequel that was originally planned by Disney when it appeared that the Mouse House and Pixar would split (head on over to Kyle's Animated World for some great insight on that). Others say it's only a chance for Andrew Stanton to compensate for his live-action debut John Carter bombing at the box office so that Disney will give him another shot at directing another live-action film, although I find this notion ridiculous. First of all, it wasn't even Stanton's fault that the film performed poorly, and I find it hard to believe that he would agree to make a sequel just for the sake of, say, John Carter 2, or whatever else he may have in mind. He's an incredibly talented writer, director, and filmmaker, so for the time being I refuse to believe he is simply treating Finding Dory as his ticket to continuing with his live-action career.

"I'm glad I got that off my chest," as Dory would say.

I have to say, I've fallen in love with the story that was announced today. It sounds like the film won't be about Dory literally getting lost, but about her finding herself and who she is, and there are countless of wonderful things Pixar could do with this. And who doesn't love Dory? Plus, this is not only a chance to explore one of the most beloved characters to ever emerge on the big screen, but it's a great way to revisit the other characters without doing something ridiculous like having Nemo get lost again. And just imagine, if the original 2003 film was one of the most visually stunning films Pixar has ever produced, just think what they could accomplish 10 years afterward! What's more, Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks are both returning! Seeing as the film is supposed to take place just one year after the original, it's pretty much certain that Alexander Gould (now 18 years old) will not be returning to voice little Nemo, so it'll be interesting to see who they recast as the lovable handicapped clownfish.

Ellen is obviously thrilled, and made the announcement today on her show after several years of politely demanding Pixar make a sequel to Nemo. I can't imagine her reaction when she was told Dory would in fact be the main focus of said sequel! Watch her announce Finding Dory to an ecstatic audience in the clip below:

Well? What are your thoughts on today's big reveal? Are you excited, or maybe not so much? What do you think of the plot? Why do you think this movie is being made? Do share your opinion in the comments!

Finding Dory swims into theaters November 25th, 2015 (I can't tell you how much pleasure it gives me using that pun)!

February In Review

This month has been bursting with exciting Pixar news, so in case you missed any of it, here it is in a nutshell.

It was a big month for Monsters University, and it looks like Pixar have got their marketing campaign for the film in full swing. This month marked the release of the film's first full-length trailer, as well as the debut of a marvelous new poster - plus several other little tidbits, like a fantastic little promo.

Director Mark Andrews and producer Katherine Sarfian posing with the golden trophy 

The 85th Academy Awards took place just this past Sunday, and the Best Animated Feature statuette ended up going to Pixar's Brave. Congratulations to Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews, Katherine Sarafian and all the talented artists and filmmakers that put together a wonder of a film!

Monsters, Inc. arrived on Blu-ray 3D this month, bringing with it Partysaurus Rex and a sneak peek at MU! I'll hopefully be picking it up shortly, but if you have already gotten around to buying it, feel free to share your thoughts on the release!

The latest short film to come up of the animation powerhouse, The Blue Umbrella, premiered on the 12th of this month at the Berlin International Film Festival, and a gorgeous poster (above) for the short was also released.

Reports began to show up that the hilarious Albert Brooks, voice of Marlin the clownfish in Finding Nemo, had officially signed on the voice the character once again in the rumored sequel to the 2003 film. If Nemo 2 is indeed a go, then at least it seems Brooks would likely return, because let's face it, you can't make a sequel to Nemo without him. Ellen DeGeneres (voice of Dory) is reportedly in talks to return as well, and director Andrew Stanton would helm the follow-up for sure.

I was originally skeptical of a sequel to Finding Nemo, but if it is really happening then I trust Pixar's judgement, and I doubt they would ever make a sequel just because it would be a huge box office hit. And apparently Stanton has got quite the idea, so I see little chance of them screwing up, especially if they've got the main cast back.

Regarding upcoming films from the studio, the official logo for Bob Peterson's The Good Dinosaur was revealed, and while it had already been rumored, the title for Pete Docter's ambitious 'Inside the mind' film has been officially confirmed to be The Inside Out. Hooray!

So now February comes to a close and we begin March. Rumor has it that a new Monsters University trailer may show up this month, so fingers crossed!

Finding Nemo Sequel In the Works?

You've probably heard the peculiar news that popped up Tuesday morning regarding a sequel to one of Pixar's most beloved films, Finding Nemo. A story by Deadline claims that Andrew Stanton (director of the original Nemo as well as Pixar's WALL-E and the recent Disney live-action film John Carter) is currently back at Pixar developing a Finding Nemo 2.

According to Deadline, Stanton hopes that by making a sequel to his Oscar-winning animated film to make up for the $200 million loss that his live-action directorial debut John Carter cost Disney (although the film's bad marketing is likely to blame, not Stanton), the company would give him another chance at directing another live-action film.

I, along with many others, find it incredibly hard to believe that Stanton would be agreeing to do a sequel to Nemo (one of the studio's finest films in my opinion) just for the sake of getting to possibly do a, say, John Carter 2. It just doesn't seem right, given that Pixar has stated it will only produce sequels if it has a story just as good as or even better than the original. Deadline does state, however, that Stanton "has a concept the studio loves", but we're still unsure about how much of this story is actually true. If we really are getting a Finding Nemo 2, however, then Andrew must have come up with a heck of a story.

The Hollywood Reporter later stated that Lindsey Collins (co-producer on WALL-E and producer of John Carter) will be producing the Nemo sequel, and that Victoria Strouse is supposedly writing. Again, nothing has been officially confirmed by neither Pixar nor Disney.

I had always somewhat dreaded the idea of a sequel to Finding Nemo, as it is a perfect stand-alone film and even has the words "the end" in its final shot, but when I think about it now, a Nemo 2 might not be quite as bad as I imagined it in the past. I am confident that Pixar has not lost its touch and still has the ability to make films that can be forever cherished by audiences around the globe, so if Andrew Stanton really does have an idea so great that it deserves to be made into a film, so be it. I have no doubt that it would be a great film. Although I would much rather see a sequel to The Incredibles, as I am sure most people would too.

Finding Nemo 2 would no doubt break box office records, possibly even beating Toy Story 3 for the title of highest-grossing animated feature of all time. After all, the original Nemo held that record until the Toy Story threequel came along in 2010.

The news of Stanton working on a Finding Nemo sequel was met with uproar on the Internet when it broke on Tuesday. Most die-hard Pixar fanatics weren't too keen on the idea of a Nemo 2, but many others seemed to be overjoyed at the idea of a sequel. "Finding Nemo 2" quickly rose to the top of the list of worldwide trends on Twitter, and stayed on there for the rest of the day. Of course, many ignorant people quickly jumped to the conclusion that Finding Nemo 2 had been officially announced, and seemed to all of a sudden think the same about a Toy Story 4 and Monsters, Inc. 2. Although we do indeed have another entry into the Monsters franchise coming next year, it's been a while since it was announced that the film would be a prequel titled Monsters University, and a teaser trailer for the upcoming film was even released last month. "Toy Story 4" and "Monsters Inc. 2" soon joined the Twitter trends list. But just to clear things up, contrary to popular belief, Toy Story 4 and Monsters, Inc. 2 are in no way whatsoever being produced at the moment.

Andrew Stanton himself soon tweeted:

"Didn't you all learn from Chicken Little? Everyone calm down. Don't believe everything you read. Nothing to see here now. ‪#skyisnotfalling"

Now this isn't entirely denying the fact that Nemo 2 isn't indeed being worked on at Pixar, but it is implying that some element of the news reported on Tuesday may not be completely true; whether it be that a Finding Nemo 2 is coming our way, or simply that Stanton is doing the film just for the opportunity to do another live-action flick.

I guess we'll have to wait for official confirmation from the studio.