Pixar today announced that the previously-announced sequel to Finding Nemo will be called Finding Dory, and is set for release in November 2015. Yes, it’s Finding Nemo, but also another sequel, raising the question of whether Pixar is still Pixar, or whether they’re now just a name that Disney will slowly bleed the credibility out of for money. Mickey blows goats, I have proof.

Ellen DeGeneres, who provided the voice of Dory, an affable but forgetful blue tang fish, in the original film, said in a statement that she had been waiting a long time for the movie to be launched. “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. The script is fantastic. And it has everything I loved about the first one: It’s got a lot of heart, it’s really funny, and the best part is—it’s got a lot more Dory.”

Phew, I’m glad we’ve got a quote from the person who will do at least two days of work on the project.

The new film will be directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, who directed the original film. “Finding Nemo” which won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

According to Stanton, the new movie is set along the California coastline about a year after the first film, and features such returning characters as Marlin and Nemo, as well as some new characters.

Only one of Pixar’s previous films, “Brave” (2012), has centered on a female protagonist. “Brave” won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film earlier this year. [WSJ]

Oh Jesus, thanks for bringing up the female protagonist thing again. Hey, can I just watch a movie without having to worry about my reaction being a litmus test for sexism? Thanks. Anyway, at the very least, Andrew Stanton gives me hope. Besides the original, he directed Wall E, which was amazing, and John Carter, which was a lot better than people said (it was silly and goofy and loud and big, pretty much exactly what it was supposed to be). And watching the original Finding Nemo was one of the all-time best marijuana experiences of my life. Probably less so for those kids I tried to pet on the way out, but hey, everyone needs an anti-drug.

“Does he ever stop yelling?”

Originally meant to be a straight-to-DVD excuse to let your TV babysit your children for two hours, Disney’s Planes was instead given an August 9 theatrical release date because producer John Lasseter needs another swimming pool. The animated spin-off of the wildly successful Cars franchise was also originally supposed to star Jon Cryer as the voice of the lead character, Dusty the Cropduster, but he dropped out, so Disney decided to go with someone who is even more relevant – Dane Cook.

Planes is about Dusty’s ambition to become a champion racer against all odds, as he has to overcome his fear of heights. A plane with a fear of heights? Now THAT I have to see! Especially if that plane is voiced by Frat House Weekly’s three-time Man of the Year.

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“Toy Story 4″ is currently trending on Twitter, and there are a lot of “Toy Story 4 coming in 2015″ headlines across the internet, but they all seem to have question marks after them. So what’s going on? NO ONE REALLY KNOWS, OBVIOUSLY! But beyond that, the report is that Toy Story 4 is happening, and that Disney Pixar has confirmed. Though the report is coming from sources in Colombia, which seems like an odd place for Disney to break the news.

Two Colombian news sources are reporting that Toy Story 4 has been made official with Pixar promising a 2015 release date and the return of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack.

The story has appeared on the news website Terra, as well as in the Twitter feed of Jorge Luis Balaguera, “entertainment co-ordinator” for the radio station, RCN.

Both treat the news as though they’ve received an announcement from Pixar. [ScreenCrush]

So how did the Colombians get this news before us? My guess is that they were up all night doing cocaine. HIYO! I kid, I kid. Obvious jokes, am I right? Anyway, take this news with a grain of salt until it’s confirmed by Disney. They haven’t confirmed it, as of now. But given that Toy Story has that rare combination of drawing power, critical acclaim, and merchandising opportunities, the only way Disney wouldn’t make a fourth one, in 2015 or otherwise, is if they were allergic to money. And if Walt’s company has proved anything over the years, it’s that they’re not allergic to money. Jews, maybe, but not money.

I didn’t watch much of the BCS Championship game last night, but my outdoor friends tell me that the Roller Tidings of Alabama easily overwhelmed the Golden Hunchbacks of Nostradamus by scoring more end touches in the sprots match. But more importantly, the marketing team behind Monsters University took a commanding lead in the cool advertisements contest with this parody of an enrollment commercial. I have nothing to add to this other than that it’s very, very cute. I especially liked the cat’s-eye glasses. Cat’s eye glasses seem like an older demo than college (I think? Oh God, I’m too old to know anymore) but I don’t even care. Cat’s eye glasses plus bug-eyed monster is just a winning design concept.

Monsters University opens June 21st, and a short called The Blue Umbrella will play before it. I’ve got a clip of that after the jump. It’s about sentient umbrellas.

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Andrew Stanton made his live-action debut with John Carter earlier this year, which, despite being what I thought was a pretty enjoyable movie, lost Disney $200 million dollars. (Probably on account of the dumb title and poor marketing, which were supposedly dictated by Stanton himself). So, how does a director redeem himself after something like that? He tucks his tail back under his scrote and agrees to direct a sequel of his most successful film, of course. Still waiting on that Seventh Sense movie, M. Night.

Andrew Stanton is heading back to animation, signing on to direct a sequel to Pixar’s Finding Nemo, the 2003 modern classic he co-directed.
Victoria Strouse, who wrote the 2008 Black list script The Apostles of Infinite Love, is writing the script and Lindsey Collins is producing. A 2016 release date is being eyed.
The Toy Story sequels were considered exceptions to the rules but Cars 2 was seen as a pure commercial play, even by Pixar’s own animators, who weren’t happy to work on it. [THR]

I love Finding Nemo so much that I would probably fight anyone who disparaged it (unless they looked tougher than me), but even I’m not so hot on the idea for a sequel. I mean what’s going to happen, he gets lost again? (I know, I know, they tried it in The Hangover II). Still, I can’t think of much that’s less in my wheelhouse than an adaptation of a homo-erotic pulp novel from the turn of the century, and Stanton still managed to make me enjoy John Carter. Stanton hasn’t steered me wrong yet, so I see no reason not to try to kick the football on this one. And if it works out, I’ll be that much closer to selling Pixar this pitch for Weekend at Burn-E’s. It’s about me and the welding robot going on a ski trip to Aspen and having adventures.

[banner picture source. Is there anything cuter than Asian children in costumes? I say no.]