New Finding Dory Trailer!

Everyone's favorite forgetful fish Dory is back this summer in an all-new animated feature. It's no surprise that Andrew Stanton's Finding Nemo is one of Pixar's most beloved hits. For many years, the studio resisted going back for a sequel and this summer, the time is just right to return to the ocean gang. With returning characters Marlin, Nemo, and Mr. Ray, Dory sets out to find her real family, her mom and dad. Along the way, she meets new characters Bailey, a white beluga whale; Destiny, a whale shark; and Hank the octopus at the Monterey Marine Life Institute. Finding Dory's latest trailer kicks off the campaign #HaveYouSeenHer leading up to the film's release on June 17, 2016.  So have you seen Dory yet?

Pixar Delays The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory to 2015 and 2016

Since 2006, Pixar Animation Studios has been churning out film after film after film. Some have been sublimely good (see: Ratatouille, Up, Wall E) and some may have slightly missed the mark for some (see: Cars 2) but whatever the case was, it was treat to see a Pixar film on the release calendar.

Next year however, there will be no Pixar film out in theaters due to two developments this summer.  The Good Dinosaur was supposed to release on May 30, 2014 but as director Bob Peterson has stepped down from the project, the film will now release on November 25, 2015. No new director has been named yet and co-director Peter Sohn, Mark Andrews, Lee Unkrich and John Lasseter will oversee things until then.  

This has happened before in the studio’s history, most recently with 2012’s Brave when original director Brenda Chapman was replaced with Mark Andrews.  Story is king at Pixar and they will leave no stone unturned to make sure the film they want to release is up to their standards.  Toy Story 2 (1999) was scrapped in totality and it still remains (in my opinion, the best animated sequel ever).  This is not worrying at all. I’d be worried if Peterson had left and the film still released next May.

But what happens to the film that was supposed to release on November 25, 2015? That would be a big little film called Finding Dory.  The anticipated sequel of Finding Nemo might be facing a few script changes. In early August, there were stories that Blackfish director Gabriela Cowperthwaite had shown the film at Pixar and the documentary's content caused the heads at Pixar to rethink their ending that involved the fish ending a marine park similar to Sea World, which is featured in Blackfish.  This too would push production back a bit. Now the film will release on June 17, 2016.

At the D23 expo in early August, Disney unveiled the voice cast for Finding Dory with actors Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy as Dory’s parents, Ty Burrell as a whale (remember Dory can speak whale) along with returning cast Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks as Dory and Marlin.  Meanwhile, The Good Dinosaur voice cast features John Lithgow and Frances McDormand as Poppa and Momma, Bill Hader, Neil Patrick Harris and Judy Greer as their kids and Lucas Neff as the lead Arlo.

While it will be strange not to see a Pixar film at your theaters next year, it leaves the door wide open for other animation studios to step up their games in an open field.  As for the two films themselves, despite this delay, I'm sure they'll bounce back quickly. 

Finding Nemo gets a sequel!

Big news coming out of Disney Pixar today! It's official... Finding Nemo is getting a sequel titled Finding Dory.  Initially I thought this was an April Fools' prank but seeing that's now April 3rd in my part of the world, the news is starting to sink in. 

(Photo: Dory on Facebook)

Director Andrew Stanton, who definitely needs a win after the dismal failure of John Carter, is back to what he does best: computer animation.  He said of the new film and its lead character: “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.”

This is a good move as Dory is practically everyone's favorite character and is voiced by everyone's favorite comedienne, Ellen DeGeneres who will of course be back as Dory.  "I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” DeGeneres said in a release. "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."

Suddenly I am warming up to an idea of a sequel to my favorite Pixar film because if anyone can manage to get herself lost, it's the lovable yet forgetful Blue Tang fish.  The film will release November 2015.