10 Years Ago, Pixar Released Its Most Underrated Sequel

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Next June will be the tenth anniversary of Finding Dory, a Pixar sequel that deserves more recognition for how good it is. Back in 2016, Pixar wasn’t making sequels as often as they do today. Before Finding Dory, their only follow-up films were Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, which were huge hits, along with the prequel Monsters University and the less successful Cars 2. While the Toy Story sequels and Monsters University were well-received, Cars 2 is still often considered Pixar’s weakest film.

After the huge success of Finding Nemo, Pixar faced pressure with its sequel, Finding Dory. Nemo was a groundbreaking film – it earned Pixar its first Best Animated Feature Oscar and still boasts an incredible 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While Finding Dory didn’t quite reach the same critical acclaim as Nemo, it’s still a wonderful sequel and ranks among Pixar’s very best movies.

That’s a huge compliment, and it really shows how wonderful Finding Dory is. Considering its financial success as well, Finding Dory easily ranks among the best animated sequels of all time.

Finding Dory Continued What Worked In Finding Nemo

Many factors contributed to the success of Finding Nemo. Its heartwarming story of a father’s search for his son resonated with audiences, and the film boasted gorgeous animation – Pixar truly brought the ocean to life! Plus, characters like Marlin, Nemo, and Dory were instantly endearing. Finding Dory wisely stuck with what worked, delivering more of the same beloved elements.

Unlike the first film, Finding Dory centers on Dory’s journey to find her long-lost family. She was separated from them as a child, and her memory problems made it difficult to search for them. Now, with the support of Nemo and Marlin, she’s finally able to try. This gives the movie a heartfelt story, because audiences have come to care about Dory and want to see her reunited with her loved ones.

The animation in Finding Dory is even more stunning than in Finding Nemo, thanks to advancements in Pixar’s technology over the past thirteen years. Many consider it one of the most beautiful animated films of the decade – if you enjoyed the look of Finding Nemo, you’ll love this! The movie wisely builds on what made the first film successful, giving us plenty more of Dory, Nemo, and Marlin. This approach clearly worked, earning Finding Dory a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Finding Dory Was A Billion Dollar Hit

Finding Dory was a critical and commercial success. It received positive reviews and an Annie Award nomination, and while it wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, the competition that year – including films like Zootopia, Moana, and Kubo and the Two Strings – was particularly strong. More importantly, the film performed exceptionally well in theaters, becoming a major box office hit.

While Finding Nemo was a huge success, earning $941 million worldwide, Finding Dory actually surpassed it, bringing in over $1 billion. This made it only the second Pixar film to reach that milestone, following Toy Story 3. Currently, it’s the fifth-highest-grossing Pixar movie of all time. Despite its critical and financial success, Finding Dory often gets overlooked when people talk about great Pixar sequels – the Toy Story sequels and Inside Out 2 tend to receive more attention.

Where Finding Dory Ranks Among Pixar’s Best Sequels

It’s hard to rank Finding Dory among Pixar’s best sequels because the studio makes such consistently high-quality films. Cars 2 is generally considered their weakest sequel, and while Cars 3 was an improvement, it still doesn’t compare to Pixar’s top movies. That leaves us with the Toy Story sequels, Finding Dory, Inside Out 2, Incredibles 2, and Monsters University as the strongest contenders.

Given its success with both audiences and critics, Finding Dory is easily better than Monsters University and Toy Story 4. Most Pixar fans consider Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 to be the best sequels the studio has made. That puts Finding Dory in contention with Incredibles 2 and Inside Out 2 for the number three spot. Honestly, any of those three could be ranked in any order—they’re all very similar in quality. This really shows how consistently excellent Pixar’s films are.

Is There A Future For This Pixar Franchise?

If a movie earns $1 billion, particularly if the previous one almost reached that milestone, it usually means more sequels are on the way. However, it’s been ten years since the last installment, and there haven’t been many updates about a new film. Director Andrew Stanton has mentioned wanting to build a rich, expansive world with future movies, similar to how the Toy Story franchise has evolved over time.

This information dates back to 2016. More recently, in 2024, Pixar’s Pete Doctor mentioned considering future stories set in the ocean due to its immense size. However, Ellen DeGeneres, the voice of Dory, stated during her farewell comedy tour that she wouldn’t reprise the role. This could be a problem for the franchise, as DeGeneres is strongly associated with and crucial to Dory’s popularity. Still, anything is possible in Hollywood.

Pixar revealed in April 2026 that they’re making a new short film continuing the story of Finding Nemo. Ellen DeGeneres will reprise her role as Dory! While details about the story are still unknown, and it’s unclear if the original cast will return, fans are excited to revisit this beloved world in any way possible. It doesn’t sound like a full-length movie is in the works, but anything connected to Finding Nemo and Finding Dory is welcome news.

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2026-06-16 19:39