By Samantha Small and Justine Herving
Disney is finally set to release the sequels to the hit Pixar films “Finding Nemo” (2003) and “The Incredibles” (2004). Twelve years have passed since viewers filed into theaters to view Marlin search the seas for his son, Nemo, or the Parr family of undercover superheroes fight the evil villain, Syndrome.
According to Box Office Mojo, the two films grossed $1,568,185,353 together worldwide. Now, viewers anticipate the sequels, “Finding Dory” and “The Incredibles 2,” which they are hoping will bring the same renowned Disney spirit to theaters.
“Finding Dory” is slated to release on June 17, 2016 and will follow the frequently forgetful blue fish on her next adventure through open waters. Virginia Wesleyan students are excited for the release.
“I’ve been looking forward to this movie for so long. I just hope it holds up to all the hype,” senior Amber Liones said.
Andrew Stanton, director of the original film, told Entertainment Weekly he originally thought the story was a closed circuit, but then he began to wonder if the “charming forgetful fish ever got lost again.” The story involves an ocean sanctuary facility where wounded animals are treated and re-released into the wild. The new characters will include Hank the septapus (he’s missing a leg), a white beluga whale who thinks he has a head injury because of the lump on his head, and a whale shark named Destiny, reported Entertainment Weekly. Ellen DeGeneres will once again play Dory.
“The Incredibles 2” is expected to release sometime in 2016, although a specific date has not been set. The original film left viewers with a memorable cliffhanger. At the end of the movie, the audience learns of Jack-Jack’s powers as well as the town’s acceptance of superheroes in their world. Though Director Brad Bird has not yet revealed details about the plot, Virginia Wesleyan students anticipate a continuation of the original story.
“I’ve always had my mind on that cliffhanger. Disney did a great job of it. But for eleven years? Oh my goodness, that’s crazy,” sophomore Erlene Daniels said.
Bird is hard at work on the sequel. He told Collider that he is three-quarters of the way through the script and already started boarding parts of it.
“The Incredibles 2” faces a unique challenge that the original film did not— the increasing number of superhero films releasing nowadays. Bird plans to tackle this challenge by focusing on the family aspect of the film.
“What you don’t want to do is trot over the same turf in the same way everyone else is,” he said to Collider. “So we’re trying to keep it focused in the area that our film was, which was a little bit more about characters and relationships and stuff like that, and see where that takes us.”
Students at Virginia Wesleyan, such as senior Kali Fletcher, say they appreciate Disney’s devotion to continuing these fan favorites.
“I’m honestly pretty stoked that we get to see these sequels… I think Disney has really listened to its audience, and that’s why I love them so much,” Fletcher said.
On top of the sequels, Disney continues to release remakes of classic Disney stories like “Cinderella,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Jungle Book.”
