Overview
- Pixar announced Loving Dory at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Friday and presented a recreated story session plus in‑progress footage that included a romantic montage between Dory and a plastic bag.
- Director Lou Hamou‑Lhadj and producer Mary Alice Drumm introduced the project and confirmed the production is underway with the original voice cast said to be returning, with press reports indicating Ellen DeGeneres is expected to reprise Dory.
- The team described the short as roughly 50% complete and made by a small crew of about 10 people, and Pixar said Loving Dory will reach theaters “soon” while declining to name which feature it will play in front of.
- The short is being used as a technical lab for a new real‑time character 'puppeteering' tool that lets animators stage performances live for previs while still producing editable animation curves for final polish.
- Pixar’s choice to release a theatrical short tied to well‑known characters signals a return to big‑screen shorts and layers an emotional story with an environmental subtext about marine plastic being mistaken for sea life.