Just keep swimming. Deadline reports that Ellen DeGeneres is set to return as Dory in a new Finding Nemo short. As production is just beginning, plot details for the short are being kept under wraps, but fans of the franchise will likely be very pleased at its return, even as a short.

Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo is one of Pixar’s best movies. It tells the story of an overprotective clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) who, along with a forgetful regal blue tang named Dory (DeGeneres), searches for his missing son Nemo (Alexander Gould). Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and comes to terms with Nemo taking care of himself.

The film was a huge success, grossing over $940 million and even winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Over a decade later, the studio cooked up a sequel, Finding Dory, which followed the amnesiac fish as she journeyed to be reunited with her parents. Once again, it was a huge success, earning rave reviews and grossing over $1 billion worldwide.

A Third Movie?

Given how enormously successful the first two films have been, it’s actually a little surprising that Pixar hasn’t returned for a third installment.

Andrew Stanton, who directed both movies, was initially apprehensive about making a sequel. “I knew nobody was going to argue with making a sequel, and I was actually more of the opposite – I was very paranoid, like, ‘We’re not going to say the words ‘Finding anything’ out loud to anybody, including in-house.” he said. “I just knew the minute those words came out of my mouth, I’d never be able… the horse would be out of the barn, and we’d never be able to put it back in.“

As for a third movie, he wasn’t about to rule it out. “I really do feel like this was the missing piece, emotionally, for the first movie,” he explained. “Now, I’ve stopped saying never for anything because there are a lot of new characters that get introduced and we’ve broadened the universe for this movie. And again, I’m very used to seeing that world continue to open up from the Toy Story movies… so I’ve learned to just say, to my knowledge, I think everything that was born of the first movie is wrapped up. But we’ll see.“

In 2024, Pixar CCO Pete Docter teased more Finding Nemo. “Where else have we not gone in the ocean?” he said. “The ocean’s a big place. I think there’s a lot of opportunity there. We’re kind of fishing around.” Would you like to see another Finding Nemo?