Ellen DeGeneres' character in "Finding Nemo," a forgetful Blue Tang fish named Dory, is the subject of the sequel titled "Finding Dory," which will be release on Nov. 25, 2015, Disney's Pixar announced on Tuesday.
Andrew Stanton, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning "Nemo," will direct the story that takes place one year after the first film. Set along the California coastline, the animated movie features returning characters like Marlin, Nemo and the Tank Gang, as well a number of new ones.
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“I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” DeGeneres said in a statement. “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,” Stanton added. “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 have some big expectations at the box office since 2003's "Nemo" grossed nearly $1 billion globally to become the fourth highest-grossing animated film worldwide.
The 3D re-release of "Nemo" scored an additional $41 million domestically and $13 million internationally last fall.