Finding Dory saw Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks return to voice Dory and Marlin, respectively, with teen actor Hayden Rolence lending his voice to Nemo. They were ed by a star-studded ing cast that included Modern Family duo Ed O'Neill and Ty Burrell, along with Kaitlin Olson, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Idris Elba, Dominic West, Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, Willem Dafoe, and Sigourney Weaver, to mention a few.
Directed by Stanton and co-written by Stanton and Victoria Strouse, Finding Nemo, which had come out in 2003. This time, the story revolves around the lovable amnesiac fish Dory, who embarks on a journey to be reunited with her parents (played by Keaton and Levy). The film received numerous praise from critics and general audiences alike upon the time of release and became a smash hit, earning over $1 billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Looking back at the film's success, it seemed like a no-brainer for Stanton to direct, but he wasn't always going to helm the project.
While speaking to The Wrap in a recent interview, Stanton was asked about whether Disney had tipped him to direct Finding Dory following the release of 2012's underperforming John Carter. Stanton revealed that while he was set to write and produce the potential sequel while it was in "early development stages," he decided to switch from his "producer hat" and hop onboard as director. He also stated that the project already being "in motion" convinced him that it was the "right move" for him at the time. Check out his full quote below:
“That was something that I was producing from 2010. From 2010 to 2011, I was always in early, early development and going to produce somebody else to direct. And the second the movie came out, and I realized I didn’t have anything else to do, I was like, ‘Okay. I’m going to switch from my producer hat.’ I was always going to write it and produce it but I went from there to directing. I needed to go to a safe place where I was with family. And since it was already in motion, it seemed like the right move. But the only reactionary thing about that movie was me deciding to direct it versus just write it and produce it.”
Pixar Animation Studios has developed an irable reputation over the years for sticking with creating original content as much as possible and only making sequels or prequels when there's a possibility of telling a great story, with Stanton also being a major advocate of their successful formula. Monsters University showed Disney and Pixar that it'll take a lot more to satisfy fans of their most popular titles.
Having ed the American animation studio shortly after its inception, Stanton has proven himself to be a master at helming animated feature films since his first co-director credit for 1998's A Bug's Life. Finding Dory marked a turning point for Pixar sequels as it kickstarted a run of films, including Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4, that displayed consistency in good quality storytelling coupled with commercial success. It's undeniably clear that directing Finding Dory was one of the best decisions the WALL-E director has made, as the film more than met expectations, giving audiences a heartfelt story while still matching the energy of its charismatic and fan-favorite titular character.
Source: The Wrap
