Pixar reveals new Finding Nemo short film

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival dropped a major surprise on June 26, 2026 : Pixar officially unveiled a brand new short film set in the Finding Nemo universe. The title is Loving Dory, and the announcement came straight from the director and producer during a special Disney presentation. For anyone tracking what's worth watching across streaming platforms, this is genuinely good news.

Loving Dory : what we know about the new Pixar short film

Director Lou Hamou-Lhadj and producer Mary Alice Drumm were the first to share plot details publicly at Annecy. The story centers on Dory, who mistakes a plastic bag for a jellyfish. She finds the creature fascinating, gets emotionally attached, and quickly falls head-over-fins for it. What starts as a quirky infatuation escalates into something far more problematic : the relationship becomes clingy, then outright toxic, to the point where an intervention becomes necessary.

It sounds like a sharp, slightly absurdist take on romantic obsession, filtered through Dory's famously chaotic memory and boundless optimism. Loving Dory leans into comedy while touching on something surprisingly relatable. The concept art Disney released alongside the announcement confirms the visual style stays faithful to the original films, with warm underwater palettes and expressive character animation.

Here's a quick breakdown of what has been officially confirmed so far :

• Title : Loving Dory
• Director : Lou Hamou-Lhadj
• Producer : Mary Alice Drumm
• Setting : The Finding Nemo universe
• Announcement date : June 26, 2026, at the Annecy Animation Film Festival
• Release date : Not yet confirmed

No official release window has been communicated. The short could land directly on Disney+, or it could get a theatrical run first. We'll come back to that question in the next section, because there's a reasonable theory worth exploring.

When and where will Loving Dory be released ?

Disney hasn't confirmed a date yet, but there's a strong case to be made for a theatrical release in early 2027. Pixar's next original feature, Gatto, is currently scheduled for March 5, 2027. Historically, Disney and Pixar have used short films tied to beloved franchises as warm-up acts for new releases, a strategy that both delights existing fans and draws broader audiences into cinemas.

Think about how this has worked before : established characters in a short format generate goodwill, and that goodwill transfers to whatever full-length film follows. Pairing Loving Dory with Gatto would be a textbook move. It's not confirmed, but it fits the pattern almost perfectly.

In the meantime, both Finding Nemo and Finding Dory are available to stream right now on Disney+. If you haven't revisited either film recently, this announcement is a good excuse. The original Finding Nemo earned over $940 million at the worldwide box office back in 2003, which tells you everything about the enduring pull of these characters.

Why this short film matters beyond nostalgia

Pixar returning to the Finding Nemo world with a short rather than a full sequel is an interesting creative choice. Short films give the studio room to experiment : smaller stakes, tighter storytelling, and a chance to explore character dynamics without the weight of a two-hour narrative arc. Loving Dory seems built around a single, punchy premise, which is exactly what the short format does best.

There's also something pointed about choosing Dory, specifically, for a story about toxic attachment. Her short-term memory loss has always been played for warmth and comedy, but it also makes her uniquely vulnerable. She can't remember why a relationship turned bad. She keeps falling back in, over and over. That's not just funny, it's genuinely poignant if the writing commits to it.

For fans who follow Pixar's animated output closely, this announcement sits alongside a broader wave of franchise revisits. If you want to get a sense of how Pixar handles legacy storytelling across multiple films, our Toy Story movies ranked : complete guide to all films is a solid reference point for understanding the studio's approach to its most iconic universes.

The announcement at Annecy signals that Pixar isn't finished with the ocean. Whether Loving Dory arrives in theaters attached to Gatto or drops directly onto Disney+, it's already generating genuine interest. Keep an eye on Disney's upcoming slate for a confirmed release date, and check your streaming subscriptions so you're ready the moment it becomes available.