In 2003, Walt Disney Pictures released Finding Nemo, one of Disney’s most successful animated movies, grossing at 70 million dollars in its opening weekend. However, everyone is wondering will its sequel meet the standards set by its predecessor? The beloved animated film, Finding Nemo, tells the story of an over-protective clownfish father named Marlin who, along with an amnesic fish named Dory, searches for his abducted son, Nemo. In 2016, Walt Disney Pictures will release a sequel to this classic film, Finding Dory, but will it surpass the success of the original film? The sequel will follow Marlin’s sidekick Dory as she searches for her parents. The thirteen-year wait for the film means that many have high expectations.

Jim Morris, Pixar President, revealed the long-awaited news regarding the story and setting of the sequel in December 2014. The highly anticipated film will pick up just several months after the last one, and Marlin, Nemo, and Dory will all live together in the same reef. Best friends, Dory and Nemo, will join their classmates on a field trip, during which memories of Dory’s past and family will be triggered. The majority of the film will then take place at the Marine Biology Institute of California, where Dory was born and raised, prior to her release into the wild at a very young age. Along with fan favorite fish characters, viewers can expect to see new amusing characters such as a Beluga whale named Bailey, some sea lions, and an octopus.

In addition to giving fans what they have waited so long for, Pixar plans to go above and beyond, even incorporating an environmentally friendly attitude into the film, one that is attributed to the documentary “Blackfish.” All of Finding Nemo’s animal-loving fans will appreciate the fact that the fish and mammals occupying a marine park in the movie will have the freedom to choose whether to stay or not. This outlook on marine life sparked comments from Phil Trainer ’15, who said: “Being honest, my reaction to [Pixar] giving the fish a choice to leave an aquarium is asking myself, ‘How can you tell if a fish wants to leave an aquarium?’” Many people may have this question, and the answer will come next year when we watch just how this approach is to be taken.

With all the excitement ‘swimming’ around in the air, eager students shared their opinions about the new Finding Dory movie. Thomas Hilder ’17 stated, “If Finding Dory is anything like Finding Nemo and can live up to the hype, I’m pretty excited to see it next year.” Some students do not express concern with how this movie will live up to Finding Nemo. Kelly Hodge ’15 shared eagerness for the movie, detailing some of her expectations: “I am very excited for it to come out. I honestly have no idea what to expect, but I know that it will be amazing. Dory was my favorite character in Finding Nemo, so I’m excited for the new movie to focus more on Dory.” Many students like Hodge shared characters that they hope to see return in this movie. Matt Hinderhofer ’17 mentioned, “I really hope that Squirt and Crush (the turtles) are in Finding Dory.”

Although some students hold high expectations for the movie, other students, like Hinderhofer, also had concerns to voice. Hinderhofer expressed some of these worries and shared, “Yes, I am excited for it to come out. I really enjoyed the first movie. I don’t think it will be better than the first one because sequels usually aren’t.” Concerns range from whether the movie will have success to the previously mentioned strange animal-friendly aspect. Although some fans share negative opinions on Finding Dory and different aspects about the movie, most people express excitement.

As the release date for Finding Dory approaches, the anticipation builds. Will Pixar be able to make a sequel that measures up to the wonderful reviews of Finding Nemo? Fans have high expectations for Finding Dory, but many believe that Pixar will pull off a memorable movie. Pixar has a crowd of enthusiastic fans counting down the days until they can see the sequel to their favorite movie. Be sure to catch the release of Finding Dory in 2016!