Pixar made history with Toy Story, which also earned the studio an Oscar for making the first feature-length animated movie that was entirely computer-generated. From Monsters, Inc. to The Incredibles to WALL-E, the studio’s early years had an impressive track record, as its releases were both box-office hits and well-received by critics. However, the more time that went by, the more the studio either developed sequels to their hits, to the point that we lost track of these franchises, or moved forward with projects that didn’t have as strong a creative vision, earning some critical and financial disappointments.
While the studio’s first efforts were all impressive by their own metrics, Andrew Stanton’s Finding Nemo and its gorgeous underwater animation felt like it pushed the medium forward even further than the movies that came before it. At the time, it became the most successful offering from Pixar with $871 million worldwide, a record it held from 2003 to 2010, when it was surpassed by Toy Story 3. In 2016, we got the sequel Finding Dory, which would take in more than $1 billion. A new report from Deadline confirmed that a new entry in the series is being developed.
Rather than being a feature-length film, this new project will instead be a short. Pixar is known for debuting new shorts ahead of their theatrical releases, but with the popularity of streaming service Disney+, it’s currently unknown if the short will accompany one of their new movies or land on the streamer. The report also confirmed that Ellen DeGeneres will be reprising her role of Dory.
No other details about other creatives or cast members involved have been revealed at this time. Given the lengthy development process of all of Pixar’s projects, there’s also no confirmed release date for the new short.
While the Toy Story and Cars franchises both feel like they regularly churn out new installments, and with The Incredibles getting a third chapter, the Finding Nemo series feels like one of the more unlikely of Pixar’s properties to be getting a new entry. And, given recent events for DeGeneres, it feels surprising that she’s the only one confirmed for the project.
Between her stand-up and sitcom, DeGeneres was a beloved comedian in the ’90s and ’00s, and her name and notoriety only grew further when she launched the daytime talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Despite earning large viewership numbers and winning multiple Emmy Awards, in 2020, allegations emerged of on-set bullying and a toxic work environment. An investigation was launched, and multiple executives left, with DeGeneres announcing in 2021 that her show would conclude at the end of Season 19 in 2022.
In 2024, DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi moved to the UK and she has significantly decreased her time in the public eye.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
