'Finding Nemo' sequel set for November 2015

LOS ANGELES - Agence France-Presse

This film image released by Disney Pixar shows the character Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. AP photo

A sequel to animated fish saga "Finding Nemo" is set to splash onto the big screen in North America in November 2015, Disney Pixar announced Tuesday.
 
"Finding Dory" will focus on the character brought to life by the voice of comedian and TV host Ellen DeGeneres, which swam its way into the hearts of young and old in the 2003 original animated hit.
 
"I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time," DeGeneres said in a statement.
 
"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." The film will be directed by Andrew Stanton, a Pixar veteran, who also wrote and directed "Finding Nemo" and "Wall-E." The announcement suggests Disney has forgiven Stanton for directing the mammoth 2012 flop "John Carter," which led to some $200 million in losses.
 
"Finding Nemo" won an Academy Award for best animated feature in 2004 and is the second most lucrative film in Pixar's history after "Toy Story 3," garnering some $865 million around the globe.
 
"Finding Dory" again stars Marlin, Nemo and the Tank Gang and is set about a year after the first rendition of the underwater adventure, according to the statement.
 
But there's a teaser: "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." The next Pixar film, "Monsters University," a prequel to "Monsters, Inc" (2001) is due out on June 21 in North America.