Nemo Sequel Worries Fan

Casey Miller, Co-Sports Editor

P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney.

Perhaps you recall this address.  Maybe you memorized it before your own.

Finding Nemo is a childhood favorite for the teens of our generation.  No one could ever forget overprotective Marlin, adventurous little Nemo, and of course, Dory, who suffers from retrograde amnesia.  These characters are accessible for all generations, from independent second graders to smothering parents to absent-minded elders.

Now, a new Pixar movie called Finding Dory is scheduled for release in 2015.  It was announced on April 2 by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who voiced Dory in the first film.

“I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” DeGeneres said in a statement. “I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating Toy Story 16. But the time they took was worth it.”

Rumors have swirled for weeks since DeGeneres’ announcement about the plot of the sequel, including claims that Dory will be searching for her family, that it takes place off the California coast, and that the “Tank Gang” will return.  Very little plot details have been revealed, but according to The Wall Street Journal, director Andrew Stanton will return along with Albert Brooks as Marlin and Alexander Gould as Nemo.

Finding Nemo is probably my favorite animated movie of all time, with The Incredibles as a close 2nd.  With a film so legendary, it will be hard to top the first with a sequel.  I’m scared that I’ll end up disappointed.

Honestly, I’m going to miss the Australian accents if it is set on the California coastline. Will the seagulls even sound the same?  I doubt Bruce the shark will even make an appearance if the movie isn’t set in Australia. Part of Finding Nemo’s charm was its setting, and to be fair, I’m somewhat sick of California as a film location. Countless California locations have been the basis for movies, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.

Is it too hard to come up with something more original?

If it’s a repeat of a classic original like Cars 2 was, I may experience a disappointment like never before.  On the other hand, the sequel could be as funny and unexpected as the first.  Obviously it wasn’t rushed, considering it’s been ten years since Finding Nemo was released, but I’ve truly grown attached to the idea of Finding Nemo being one of those great, standalone films like other Pixar films, Wall-E and Up.

I’m worried; however, I trust Pixar (they haven’t failed me yet) to keep to the storyline, maintaining the identities of the characters we have come to know and love.