Pixar had a different plan for a Finding Nemo sequel at first, and here’s what we know about the story. With the successful launch of Toy Story in 1995, Pixar quickly established itself as an animated movie powerhouse in Hollywood. Fueled by original, standalone stories early on - except for the quick turnaround on Toy Story 2 - Pixar saw Finding Nemo become a huge hit in 2003. The film earned $871 million at the box office on the backs of glowing reviews for the underwater adventure and went on to win the Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.
It was shortly after the success of Finding Nemo that Disney then announced the launch of Circle 7 Animation. This division of Disney’s animation studios was founded in 2004 as a way for Disney to generate sequels to Pixar properties. Circle 7 Animation began development on three projects: Toy Story 3, Monsters, Inc. 2, and Finding Nemo 2. However, Circle 7 Animation was shut down in 2006 before any of these movies were produced. In each case, these Pixar franchises were created, but differently than originally planned.
As discussed in the latest Screen Rant video, the original plot for Finding Nemo 2 was very different than the quasi-sequel, Finding Dory, released in 2016. The early story for Finding Nemo’s sequel would’ve flipped the script on the first film, as Marlin was going to be the one who was captured and missing. This would lead to Nemo and Dory setting off to find the over-protected clownfish. They would’ve also been joined by Nemo’s long-lost twin brother Remy.
This version of Finding Nemo 2 didn’t move forward once Disney acquired Pixar, and the entire script was then published online. When it came time for Disney and Pixar to consider what to do next with this franchise then, they had to start from scratch. Instead of telling a story similar to the original plan, the next installment of the franchise put the focus on Dory. She was the one who left the group to try and find out where she came from, leaving Marlin and Nemo to try and find her. Finding Dory was wildly successful - earning over $1 billion worldwide - and received very positive reviews.
Even with the performances of Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, there has been no real traction on another installment. Finding Dory only picked up steam in the midst of Pixar’s sequel craze, which brought their versions of Toy Story 3 and Monsters University to the screen. The Toy Story franchise has continued since then with Toy Story 4’s release earlier this year, while the Monsters, Inc franchise will continue on Disney+ with Monsters at Work. Even if a third movie in the Finding Nemo franchise doesn’t happen, a show set in that world on Disney’s streaming service could keep it alive.
MORE: Disney+: Every Pixar Movie Available At Launch (& What’s Missing)
