Finding Dory plot and cast details trickle out ~ #FindingDory news

When it came to a sequel for Finding Nemo, director Andrew Stanton wasn’t going to settle on the first idea that came along.  He thought long and hard.  Years passed.  He finally realized that there had been a tiny question nagging at the back of his mind: Where did Dory, that lovable blue tang fish with no short term memory, come from?

Other questions quickly followed:  Who was Dory’s family?  Would she ever see them again?

Andrew Stanton recently described these questions as the “unaddressed curiosity” about Finding Nemo at the D23 Disney fan convention in Anaheim.  As he pondered them, “the story [for Finding Dory] started to take shape.”  Stanton explained that he didn’t want to rush the development of the Finding Nemo sequel because it might compromise the quality of the production: “We are filmmakers first,” he said.

For those who missed Disney Pixar’s Finding Nemo, Dory is the lovable sidekick to the clown fish Marlin, who must search for his lost son in the ocean depths and even on land.

While Stanton didn’t reveal many of the Find Dory plot details, he did say that a “traumatic event” causes Dory to want to look for her family.  Stanton confirmed that Ellen Degeneres will be returning as Dory, while Albert Brooks will play Marlin.

It was revealed that Diane Keaton (acting legend—it all started with Annie Hall) will portray Dory’s mother Jenny.  Eugene Levy, most known for playing the father in American Pie, will get to play another dad, this time Dory’s.  Ty Burrell will voice a brand new character, Bailey, a Beluga Whale.  Screen Rant also reports that Willem Dafoe will be back as Gill, the wise and optimistic Moorish Idol fish with battle scars, and Vicki Lewis will be back as Deb and Flo (her reflection, whom she believes to be her sister).

The New York Times recently reported that some story changes had been made to the ending of Finding Dory, which incorporates a marine park similar to Sea World.  A documentary called “Blackfish” takes a harsh look at Sea World, revealing negative aspects of marine life in confinement.  In order to distance themselves from the controversy, filmmakers at Disney Pixar adjusted the Finding Dory plot: The fish and mammals in the park are now provided with the option of leaving the park as part of the story.

The Finding Dory plot continues to be kept under wraps.  Animated storylines tend to change frequently in development, so other story tweaks are likely.  Hypable reports that Andrew Stanton made the decision to do the sequel primarily from a business standpoint, but it seemed clear at D23 that his heart was in it by now because he’d found the right storyline.

Finding Dory swims into theaters in 2016. The opening date was pushed due to production delays on the film “The Good Dinosaur.”