After it became known that director Andrew Stanton was developing a follow-up film to Finding Nemo, speculation ran wild on what the story would involve. Would Nemo get lost again? Would all of the main characters return? It was previously reported that Albert Brooks (Marlin) and Ellen Degeneres (Dory) would be back. Today, we have learned that the film will be titled Finding Dory. Find more details after the break!

The title confirms that the follow-up will center on the hilarious character with severe memory impairment. Below is the press release released just now by Disney/Pixar.







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.

This is the first official confirmation of the film’s development by Pixar and Stanton. Creating a film around Dory, who stole many of the scenes she was in in the first film, will be a delicate balance, as too much of the character could overwhelm the audience. Her character’s inability to develop close relationships in Finding Nemo was tragic but came to a satisfying conclusion when she was able to recall Marlin and Nemo and found a way to connect with them. It will be interesting to see where Stanton and his team take Dory and the rest of the cast this time. I am sure they are aware of the dangers of retreading the ground of the first film, so I am looking forward to seeing how this sequel will differ thematically as well as in the overall story.

Finding Dory arrives in theaters on November 25, 2015.