Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks reprise their roles from the first film, with Hayden Rolence (replacing Alexander Gould), Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy joining the cast.

Disney planned to make a sequel to Finding Nemo since 2005, tasking its new studio Circle Seven Animation after disagreements with Pixar.

Hank, who fears being released back into the ocean, agrees to help her find her parents in exchange for her tag.

In a post-credits scene, the Tank Gang, still trapped inside their plastic bags,[c] reach California after floating across the Pacific Ocean for a year.

Elements of the unmade script included the introduction of Nemo's long-lost twin brother, Remy, and a storyline wherein Marlin is caught and must be saved.

[15] In July 2012, Andrew Stanton was announced as the director of a Finding Nemo sequel, with Victoria Strouse writing the script.

[17] That August, Ellen DeGeneres had entered negotiations to reprise her role of Dory,[18] and in September, the film was confirmed by Stanton, saying: "What was immediately on the list was writing a second Carter movie.

Stanton described MacLane's role as a "jack of all trades", particularly utilizing his experience in animation and story, as well as in production, having created a few short films himself.

[32][33] Louis Armstrong's version of "What a Wonderful World" is played during the scene in which fish are released into the ocean as the truck Dory and Hank are driving crashes into the water.

[34] On May 20, 2016, Sia performed a cover of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show following an announcement that it would be featured in the film.

[34] All music is composed by Thomas Newman, except where notedFinding Dory premiered on June 8, 2016, at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles.

[35] The film was initially scheduled for release on November 25, 2015,[21] but was later pushed back to June 17, 2016, with The Good Dinosaur taking its slot.

[49] Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $296.6 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it fourth on their list of 2016's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".

[50] The film was released with Central Intelligence on June 17, 2016, in 4,305 theaters: 3,200 in 3D, approximately 100 in IMAX, and 425 in premium large format.

[76] In just 30 days, it overtook Shrek 2 ($441.2 million) to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, breaking the latter's record of 12 years.

[80][81] Worldwide, Finding Dory received a staggered release in a span of four months from June to September, with Germany being the last country.

[82] In the same weekend along with its $73 million take in North America, the film helped Pixar cross the $10 billion mark worldwide since Toy Story (1995).

Otherwise, family films earn the vast majority of their takings on Saturday and Sunday, and showtimes typically reduce on weekdays.

For the entire three-day holiday weekend, including Marine Day on Monday July 18, the film earned $11 million on 922,000 admissions.

Its critical consensus reads, "Funny, poignant, and thought-provoking, Finding Dory delivers a beautifully animated adventure that adds another entertaining chapter to its predecessor's classic story.

"[100] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned Finding Dory a score of 77 out of 100 based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[101] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale,[53] and PostTrak reported a 91% overall positive score and an 81% "definite recommend" among kids.

[3] Mike Ryan of Uproxx wrote, "I never thought I wanted a sequel to Finding Nemo, but here we are and I'm pretty happy it exists.

[103] In his review for Variety, Owen Gleiberman wrote, "It's a film that spills over with laughs (most of them good, a few of them shticky) and tears (all of them earned), supporting characters who are meant to slay us (and mostly do) with their irascible sharp tongues, and dizzyingly extended flights of physical comedy.

"[104] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal said that "Finding Dory can be touching, sweet and tender, but it's compulsively, preposterously and steadfastly funny.

"[108] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan said that, "As the 13-year gap between Nemo and Dory indicates, this was not a concept that cried out to be made.

"[109] Armond White of National Review wrote: "For anyone who is not a legally bound babysitter, Finding Dory offers nothing that will please a taste for finer humor, freer fun, or genuinely expressive filmmaking.

"[110] Conservationists warned that, very much like Finding Nemo, the film could lead to uninformed customers buying regal blue tang fish, Dory's species, for home aquariums.

[113] While promoting the film, actress Ellen DeGeneres reminded audiences that Nemo and Dory's real-life home, the Great Barrier Reef, is under enormous threat, mostly due to coral bleaching, a process induced by climate change, which has killed coral reefs on an enormous scale.

[146] In May 2024, Pixar CCO Pete Docter suggested that the studio was considering making a third installment in the Finding Nemo franchise.