Finding Dory

It’s officially 2016. Our Best of 2015 lists have all been published and the new year is upon us, which means it’s time to start looking to the future. Yes, 2015 was a particularly good year for movie fans, but 2016 looks pretty impressive too. You like Coen Bros. movies? We got one of those. You like Star Wars? Yup, one of those too. Critically acclaimed horror movies? Sure. Pixar? Of course. Movies where your favorite superheroes beat the crap out of each other? WE GOT TWO OF THOSE. We put together a quick list of the 25 movies — a mix of both blockbusters and indies — that we can’t wait to see next year. This will probably change as the year goes on (our 2015 list included Jupiter Ascending, Aloha and Tomorrowland so we’re not perfect), but based on what we know right now, this is it. Here are the movies we’re looking forward to the most in 2016, in the order of release date (those with no release date are listed in alphabetical order).

As it turns out, Ellen DeGeneres’ Dory isn’t the only sea creature having a bit of trouble in the world of ‘Finding Dory.’ Pixar’s forgetful blue tang may suffer from short-term memory loss, but in the upcoming ‘Finding Nemo’ sequel we’ll meet a couple new characters also struggling to get by in the deep blue sea. Enter: The rehabilitation center in ‘Finding Dory’s marine life facility.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Finding Nemo didn’t really need a sequel. It was a completely charming, yet contained adventure, wrapped up pretty neatly. But, it was a very, very successful Pixar movie and, these days, that means sequel. Of the first seven Pixar movies, only Finding Nemo and A Bug’s Life (which has seemed to be almost ret-conned out of existence in the Pixar universe) hadn’t yet had sequels, but that’s about to change next summer as Finding Dory opens in theaters.

By the time Finding Dory hits theaters next summer, it’ll have been 13 years since we met everyone’s favorite neurotic and forgetful fish in Finding Nemo. Ellen DeGeneres’ Dory is returning to the big screen with her very own exciting adventure, and while we’re still waiting for the trailer, Pixar has revealed a rather charming poster for the sequel.

Disney and Pixar had a whole lot to reveal at last night’s D23 animation panel, including new details from Finding Dory, the upcoming, long-awaited sequel to Finding Nemo. In addition to sharing more plot details about the sequel, the presentation also offered a couple of photos, and announced Ed O’Neill’s casting as a new character — an octopus named Hank.

Shortly after Pixar revealed the first footage, art designs and additional casting for 'The Good Dinosaur' at D23 Expo 2013, director Bob Peterson was pulled from his position. According to the studio, the film still needs more production time and has, therefore, been moved to a later release date in 2015 -- but that leaves next year without a feature.

'Finding Dory,' the sequel to the Pixar hit 'Finding Nemo,' was featured during this year's D23 Expo in California. While no new footage was offered, as production has only just begun, director Andrew Stanton and producer Lindsey Collins revealed some of the new cast members in the film, as well as a few interesting plot details.