The long-anticipated sequel to Finding Nemo has a name: Finding Dory. That means that the goofy, scatter-brained Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) will be the star of the show in the CG-animated feature, which will release November 2015.
DeGeneres made the announcement about Finding Dory on "The Ellen Show" this morning. The talk-show host has been a huge advocate for moving the sequel forward, voicing frustration when Pixar went ahead with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 instead of developing a follow-up to the 2003 animated feature. Now, twelve years after the original, Dory will release in November 2015. That's actually earlier than the 2016 date originally projected.
The shift from the serious father-son relationship in Finding Nemo to a project centered on its primary source of comic relief, Dory, is something of a trend in animated features. The minions in Despicable Me weren't used too heavily, but they were a comic highlight. They will be featured more prominently in this summer's Despicable Me 2, and they're also getting their own spinoff. Minions will release through Universal in December 2014, and focus entirely on the tiny peanut-like creatures.
DreamWorks Animation is also trying to give its comic characters a role in the spotlight. After appearing in three Madagascar films, its penguins will finally get to star in their own movie in The Penguins of Madagascar, which is set for a release in March 2015. It's worth noting that the penguins also have their own show on Nickelodeon with the same name, which is very popular.
While Dory was a great comic character, she managed to be multi-dimensional even in the brief span of the movie. Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, Finding Nemo) will be directing the feature, and he's one of Pixar's best. Especially with how far animated technology has come in the last decade, the visuals, so stunning in the original, will likely reveal even more luminous oceanic plants and animals.
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