# Finding Dory
**Finding Dory** is a 2016 American computer-animated feature film from Pixar Animation Studios and a sequel to *Finding Nemo* (2003), in which the forgetful blue tang fish Dory searches for her long-lost parents with the help of her friends Marlin and Nemo. It was directed by [Andrew Stanton](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-stanton), co-directed by Angus MacLane, and produced by Lindsey Collins, and was released on June 17, 2016.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/finding-dory-film/) • [2](https://movies.disney.com/finding-dory) The film grossed $1,029,266,989 worldwide[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2277860/) and holds a 94% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/finding_dory)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | June 17, 2016 (United States); earliest release June 15, 2016 (Philippines); rated PG; running time 1 hr 37 min[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2277860/) • [2](https://movies.disney.com/finding-dory) |
| Directors | Andrew Stanton (director and writer), co-directed by Angus MacLane; produced by Lindsey Collins[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/finding-dory-film/) |
| Setting | One year after *Finding Nemo*; Dory's search takes her to the Marine Life Institute in Morro Bay, California[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/finding-dory-film/) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-andrew-stanton-finding-dory-feature-20160531-snap-story.html) |
| Principal voices | Ellen DeGeneres (Dory), Albert Brooks (Marlin), Ed O'Neill (Hank), Hayden Rolence (Nemo), Diane Keaton (Jenny), Eugene Levy (Charlie), Kaitlin Olson (Destiny), Ty Burrell (Bailey)[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/finding-dory-film/) |
| Box office | $1,029,266,989 worldwide; $486,295,561 domestic (47.2%); $135,060,273 domestic opening[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2277860/) |
| Critical scores | 94% Tomatometer from 341 reviews; 84% Popcornmeter from 100,000+ ratings[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/finding_dory) |
| Theatrical short | Preceded by *Piper*, a wordless short about a sandpiper hatchling[6](https://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/findingdory) |
## Spoilers
### Story and characters
The story begins one year after the events of *Finding Nemo*, with Dory living on the [Great Barrier Reef](https://www.edgepedia.org/great-barrier-reef) with Marlin, a clownfish father, and his son Nemo.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/finding-dory-film/) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-finding-dory-review-20160613-snap-story.html) Dory, who suffers from short-term memory loss, suddenly remembers she has a family who may be looking for her, and the trio sets out across the ocean to California's Marine Life Institute, a rehabilitation center and aquarium.[8](https://www.pixar.com/finding-dory)
At the institute Dory enlists the help of three residents: Hank, a cantankerous "septopus" (an octopus missing one tentacle) who wants a ticket on a transport truck to a quiet facility in [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland); Bailey, a beluga whale convinced his biological sonar skills have failed; and Destiny, a nearsighted whale shark who was Dory's childhood friend.[8](https://www.pixar.com/finding-dory) • [9](https://time.com/3999387/disney-finding-dory-characters/) Dory's parents, Jenny and Charlie, voiced by [Diane Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-keaton) and [Eugene Levy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eugene-levy), appear in flashbacks showing how they taught the young Dory to manage her memory problems before an undertow separated them.[10](https://time.com/4371173/finding-dory-review/) The film's public-address announcements at the institute are delivered by a voice cameo from Sigourney Weaver as herself.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/31/finding-dory-review)
The Marine Life Institute setting drew on real places: the Los Angeles Times described it as "the jewel of Morro Bay, California," and The Guardian noted the aquatic park was based on the [Monterey Bay Aquarium](https://www.edgepedia.org/monterey-bay-aquarium).[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-andrew-stanton-finding-dory-feature-20160531-snap-story.html) • [12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/28/finding-dory-review-pixar-nemo-ellen-degeneres) According to a 2014 report, the plot was reworked after the documentary *Blackfish* drew attention to the treatment of killer whales at SeaWorld; the ending was changed to make clear that the sea creatures in the marine park can leave if they want to.[13](https://time.com/3625776/finding-dory-movie-details-blackfish/)
## Production
Stanton, who wrote and directed *Finding Nemo*, returned thirteen years later, working with co-director Angus MacLane and producer Lindsey Collins.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/finding-dory-film/) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-andrew-stanton-finding-dory-feature-20160531-snap-story.html) He had not planned a sequel, saying after the first film that he was "done with fish," but returned to the character because of lingering concern for Dory; producer Lindsey Collins said the decision to give the film "a lot more Dory" stemmed from that concern.[14](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/pixar-directors-animation-secrets-finding-dory) • [15](https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/media/dvc/languagespecific/eng/member/justformembers/disneyfilesmagazine/2016/Disney-Files-2016-Summer-web.pdf) Stanton had time to write while finishing his live-action debut *John Carter*, a commercial failure for Disney, and the script went through as many as 10 drafts in Pixar's 18-month to two-year development process.[16](https://anygoodfilms.com/the-making-of-finding-dory/)
**Rebuilding the technology.** Because thirteen years had passed, none of the original film's assets could be reused. Stanton compared the problem to rebooting software from thirteen years earlier: everything, including scenes that appeared to reuse the old movie, was redone from scratch.[14](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/pixar-directors-animation-secrets-finding-dory) During production Pixar also changed its shading and lighting system, which required artists to learn the new software and recreate sixty percent of the character work already completed.[17](https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstreams/3adc6c9f-426e-4968-9cb3-68e3859e8ab3/download) The Pixar team called Hank, the seven-tentacled octopus, the hardest character they had ever had to animate.[14](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/pixar-directors-animation-secrets-finding-dory) One scene took nearly two years to animate.[18](https://ads.eonline.com/news/802525/the-making-of-finding-dory-why-it-took-13-years-to-make-the-finding-nemo-sequel)
The predecessor's success set a high bar: *Finding Nemo* grossed $867 million worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 2003.[18](https://ads.eonline.com/news/802525/the-making-of-finding-dory-why-it-took-13-years-to-make-the-finding-nemo-sequel)
## Box office
The film opened to $135,060,273 domestically and finished with $486,295,561 in the United States and Canada (47.2% of the total) and $542,971,428 internationally (52.8%), for a worldwide total of $1,029,266,989.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2277860/) The original release rolled out across 51 markets between June 15 and September 29, 2016.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2277860/) Its largest markets outside North America included Japan ($65,982,721), the United Kingdom ($56,327,874), China ($38,052,302), Germany ($35,307,381), and Australia ($34,865,933).[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2277860/) A 2020 re-release in APAC markets added $169 worldwide.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2277860/)
## Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 94% Tomatometer from 341 reviews and an 84% Popcornmeter audience score, with the critics consensus calling it "funny, poignant, and thought-provoking" and "a beautifully animated adventure that adds another entertaining chapter to its predecessor's classic story."[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/finding_dory)
Reviewers frequently measured the sequel against *Finding Nemo*. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw called it a "moderately entertaining, borderline-pointless sequel" whose parallels with the first film made it seem "less like a sequel and more like a clone," while the same paper's second review praised it as "strikingly lovely."[12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/28/finding-dory-review-pixar-nemo-ellen-degeneres) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/31/finding-dory-review) The Los Angeles Times wrote that it "fails to find that 'Nemo' magic, but is still occasionally entertaining."[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-finding-dory-review-20160613-snap-story.html) Positive notices singled out Hank: Time called [Ed O'Neill](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-oneill)'s selfish, irascible octopus, first seen camouflaged as the dangling kitten in a "Hang in there!" poster, a "small flash of genius," and The Guardian's first-look review placed Hank alongside Mater, Sulley, and WALL-E among Pixar's standout characters.[10](https://time.com/4371173/finding-dory-review/) • [19](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/14/finding-dory-review-nemo-sequel-disability-ellen-de-generes)
The film's treatment of disability drew particular attention. The Guardian's first-look review called it "arguably one of the more frank depictions of raising a special-needs child in a mainstream film," while faulting a heavy-handed approach that "threatens to drown the film's disability message."[19](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/14/finding-dory-review-nemo-sequel-disability-ellen-de-generes) Academic analyses have examined both *Finding Nemo* and *Finding Dory* for their portrayal of mental health and disability, with one thesis concluding that the newer film offers a more positive portrayal of Dory's short-term memory loss while still wrapping her in a larger story about family and belonging.[20](https://auetd.auburn.edu/bitstream/handle/10415/6178/Markovich%2C%20Hayley%20T%20Final%20Thesis.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=2)
## Related works
*Finding Dory* was preceded in theaters by the Pixar short *Piper*, about a sandpiper hatchling taking its first steps toward independence.[6](https://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/findingdory) In 2025 Pixar announced a new animated short featuring Dory, titled *Loving Dory*, directed by Lou Hamou-Lhadj and scheduled for 2027, which will be the fifth short based on the *Finding Nemo* franchise.[21](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/animation/gatto-could-bring-back-an-old-pixar-tradition)
## References
1. [Finding Dory (film), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/finding-dory-film/)
2. [Finding Dory, Disney Movies](https://movies.disney.com/finding-dory)
3. [Finding Dory (2016), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2277860/)
4. [Finding Dory, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/finding_dory)
5. [How writer-director Andrew Stanton found 'Dory' 13 years after 'Finding Nemo', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-andrew-stanton-finding-dory-feature-20160531-snap-story.html)
6. [Finding Dory (2016), Decent Films](https://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/findingdory)
7. [Review: 'Finding Dory' fails to find that 'Nemo' magic, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-finding-dory-review-20160613-snap-story.html)
8. [Finding Dory, Pixar Animation Studios](https://www.pixar.com/finding-dory)
9. [Disney Previews New Finding Dory Characters, Time](https://time.com/3999387/disney-finding-dory-characters/)
10. [Review: A Little Fish Goes a Long Way In Pixar's Bubble-Light Finding Dory, Time](https://time.com/4371173/finding-dory-review/)
11. [Finding Dory review – strikingly lovely, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/31/finding-dory-review)
12. [Finding Dory review – Pixar sequel treads water, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/28/finding-dory-review-pixar-nemo-ellen-degeneres)
13. [Finding Dory Will Reportedly Take Place at a Marine Institute, Time](https://time.com/3625776/finding-dory-movie-details-blackfish/)
14. [Pixar directors reveal Finding Dory animation secrets, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/pixar-directors-animation-secrets-finding-dory)
15. [Disney Files Magazine, Summer 2016, Disney Vacation Club](https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/media/dvc/languagespecific/eng/member/justformembers/disneyfilesmagazine/2016/Disney-Files-2016-Summer-web.pdf)
16. [The making of Finding Dory, Any Good Films](https://anygoodfilms.com/the-making-of-finding-dory/)
17. [Production pipeline study, Texas A&M Oaktrust repository](https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstreams/3adc6c9f-426e-4968-9cb3-68e3859e8ab3/download)
18. [An In-Depth Look at the Making of Finding Dory, E! Online](https://ads.eonline.com/news/802525/the-making-of-finding-dory-why-it-took-13-years-to-make-the-finding-nemo-sequel)
19. [Finding Dory review – fishy sequel awash with emotional manipulation, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jun/14/finding-dory-review-nemo-sequel-disability-ellen-de-generes)
20. [Stereotypes and signifiers of cultural change, Auburn University thesis](https://auetd.auburn.edu/bitstream/handle/10415/6178/Markovich%2C%20Hayley%20T%20Final%20Thesis.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=2)
21. [Gatto could bring back an old Pixar tradition, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/animation/gatto-could-bring-back-an-old-pixar-tradition)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Animated and family franchise film entries › Comedy and adventure entries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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