Andrew Stanton‘s career in live-action filmmaking may be on hold for right now, but there is no question that he knows his way around directing an animated film. It was announced last year that he along with Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks are returning for a Finding Nemo sequel. Now Disney has announced that the sequel is officially titled Finding Dory, and Pixar has scheduled the film to be released on November 25, 2015.

It’s a big ocean, so we’ll be seeing brand new characters enter the fold, and the film will take place a year after the events of Finding Nemo, where our fish friends from both the ocean and the fish tank find themselves swimming along the California coastline.

After lots of negotiating, DisneyӢPixar has reached a deal with Albert Brooks to reprise his role as Marlin the clown fish in Finding Nemo 2.

We found out that a sequel was on the way with Andrew Stanton returning to direct back in July, and that Ellen DeGeneres had signed on to reprise her role as Dory just month later. Brooks, however, was apparently a little bit trickier to lock up, and it’s said that he’ll be paid rather handsomely for the gig.

Finding Nemo
3-Disc Blu-ray/DVD l 5-Disc 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital
Directed by Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Written by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Starring Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Stephen Root, Geoffrey Rush, Vicki Lewis, Austin Pendleton, Joe Ranft
Disney-Pixar
Release Date: December 4, 2012

Ready to return to the Great Barrier Reef? Nearly one decade after its initial theatrical release, Finding Nemo 3D swam onto film screens, and now film fans can possess this in their Blu-ray libraries. Mine!

For my thoughts on the brilliant fifth feature from Pixar, read my original review of the movie here. This review is dedicated to all of the special features to be found on the latest version.

Somewhere beyond the sea, Finding Nemo returns to theatres in 3D! The breathtakingly gorgeous animated feature first provided audiences with a glimpse into the environments and lives of the ocean’s inhabitants just about ten years ago. Only Pixar could develop such an enchanting atmosphere with a heart-tugging story that grasps the audience’s full attention as much as the visual “eye candy.” For a number of reasons, this is quite possibly the most immersive and entertaining 3D film I have experienced.

To be considered in this extraordinary league requires several components, and Nemo delivers in all of these ways. For one, you need a compelling plot. Who can argue with gripping storytelling that ties us to the universal theme of parents allowing their children to let go? In this case, little clownfish Nemo’s surprising capture by a diver startles us. Here, caring father Marlin (voiced by the perfectly-cast Albert Brooks) finally brings Nemo (Alexander Gould) to his first day of school, and in a matter of minutes and an act of defiance, Nemo wanders beyond the reef. Caught. Gone. We feel for Marlin, lost without his little boy, and also for his son, now stuck in a dentist’s office aquarium. Now it’s up to each of the fish to face their fears, overcome their doubts, and attempt to reunite. Compelling, check.

Recently it was revealed that a sequel to this writer’s personal favorite Disney*Pixar movie, Finding Nemo, was on the way with original director Andrew Stanton locked in to return to what’s currently known simply as Finding Nemo 2, and Ellen Degeneres the first star to sign on for another trip into the Deep Blue.

Stanton recently stepped outside of the family of geniuses over at Pixar in order to make his live-action feature debut, John Carter, for Disney. The movie was considered by many to be a decent popcorn flick, but, for numerous reasons, it would become one of the biggest box office flops of all time, costing over $250 million and only making $73 million domestically ($282.7 million worldwide).

Because of this unfortunate result, a sequel to the movie was scrapped, moving Nemo 2 to the top of Stanton’s list.