Finding Dory Interview with Filmmakers Andrew Stanton & Lindsey Collins #FindingDoryEvent

Finding Dory Filmmaker Interview

By Erin

*I was invited to Monterey courtesy of Disney • Pixar for a media event. All thoughts and opinions remain my own*

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Finding Dory will be here before we know it! It only took what, 13 years? 😉 When I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium back in March, our group had the chance to sit down with Director Andrew Stanton and Producer Lindsey Collins to learn more about Finding Dory and their thoughts about casting and creating the film. First, here’s a little bit of background info on these two amazing filmmakers, so you can get an idea of who they are and what they have accomplished so far.

Andrew Stanton (Director) and Lindsey Collins (Producer )at the Finding Dory Long Lead press day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. Photo by Marc Flores. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Andrew Stanton (Director) and Lindsey Collins (Producer )at the Finding Dory Long Lead press day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. Photo by Marc Flores. ©2016 Disney•Pixar.

Andrew Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company’s elite group of computer animation pioneers. Stanton wrote and directed the Academy Award®-winning Disney•Pixar feature film “WALL•E,” for which he received an Oscar-nomination for best original screenplay. Making his directorial debut with the record-shattering “Finding Nemo,” an original story of his that he co-wrote, which he was also awarded an Oscar® for best animated feature film of 2003, the first such honor Pixar Animation Studios received for a full-length feature film. He also helped to create  many other award-winning beloved films like “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” and “Monsters, Inc.,”  “Monsters University,”  “Ratatouille,” “Brave,” and “The Good Dinosaur.”

Director Andrew Stanton during the film production of "Finding Dory" on December 11, 2015 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Director Andrew Stanton during the film production of “Finding Dory” on December 11, 2015 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Lindsey Collins, Producer, joined Pixar Animation Studios in May 1997.  She has worked in various roles on a number of Pixar’s feature films.  Collins’ film credits include “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and the Academy Award®-winning films “Finding Nemo” and “Ratatouille.” Another neat fact about her is that she provided the voice of the character Mia in Pixar’s 2006 release, “Cars.”  Before joining Pixar, Collins worked at Disney Feature Animation for three years, managing creative teams on the films “Pocahontas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Hercules.”

WALL*E Co-Producer Lindsey Collins has her photo taken on March 12, 2008 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

WALL*E Co-Producer Lindsey Collins has her photo taken on March 12, 2008 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar).

Now that you have an idea of all the amazing films they have had a hand in so far (if you didn’t already know), here are some fun facts that were shared with us during the interview about “Finding Dory!”

Finding Nemo & Finding Dory were written with Ellen DeGeneres in mind as Dory-

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For Nemo, Andrew Stanton wrote with only Ellen in mind to do Dory.  And that’s rare.  He hasn’t ever done that with anybody else. For Dory he didn’t do that with anybody else except that he always had wished that if Dory ever did have parents, it was Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy.  They were the dream cast, and he was very thankful they agreed to the roles. Andrew shared with us how quick of a call it was with Ellen to ask if she would take on the role of Dory, “The quickest phone call I ever had with her was taking the role of Dory.  I basically wrote with her in mind cause I couldn’t figure out Dory, I couldn’t figure out.  It wasn’t even a female Character at the time, and I just needed this Character to have short-term memory loss and I didn’t know how to do it.  And she had an original Show in the ’90s called “The Ellen Show” that was a Sit-Com.  And it was on in the room while I was trying to deal with Writer’s Block and suddenly I heard her change the sentence 5 times in one sentence, and I went that’s it, that’s how you do it. But I knew there was no guarantee you can get her and I’m really pinning myself in a corner if I do that but it ended up working so then I sent her the script, called her out of the blue, and I said, Ellen, I wrote the part for you and if you don’t take it, I’m completely screwed, completely screwed.  She didn’t know me, she was like, well then I better take it.  It was that short of a phone call, and I’ve been so thankful to her ever since and then probably the second shortest phone call was calling for “Finding Dory.”

DO I KNOW YOU? -- In Disney?Pixar's "Finding Dory," everyone's favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory (voice of Ellen DeGeneres), encounters an array of new?and old?acquaintances, including a cantankerous octopus named Hank (voice of Ed O'Neill). Directed by Andrew Stanton (?Finding Nemo,? ?WALL?E?) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer ?WALL?E?), ?Finding Dory? swims into theaters June 17, 2016.

Watch for Easter Eggs

There are plenty.  A1-13, the pizza planet truck, a character from the next movie they’re doing (Cars 3), Darla, KeeKee and then John Ratzenberger are all gonna be in there. Plus plenty of others. 😉

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Dory’s Story with Co-Director Angus MacLane & Story Supervisor Max Brace #FindingDoryEvent

Dory’s Story

By Erin

*I was invited on a press trip as a guest of Disney & PIXAR to share with you about the Finding Dory movie. All opinions are my own.*

Max Brace (Story Supervisor) and Angus MacLane (Co-Director) present at the Finding Dory Long Lead press day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. Photo by Marc Flores. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Max Brace (Story Supervisor) and Angus MacLane (Co-Director) present at the Finding Dory Long Lead press day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. Photo by Marc Flores. ©2016 Disney•Pixar.

Back in March I was a part of a magical trip to Monterey Bay to discover how Dory’s story came to be. Story is king at Pixar Animation Studios. Whether a film revisits old friends or introduces us to some new ones, it all starts with a story that needs to be told. We had the pleasure to learn all about how Dory was developed and taken from script to storyboards to screen with Co-Director Angus MacLane and Story Supervisor Max Brace. Finding Dory, swims in theaters everywhere June 17th, 2016.

Angus MacLane, Director of Toy Toons short film Small Fry, is photographed on October 18, 2011 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Angus MacLane at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar).

Animator and Co-Director Angus MacLane joined Pixar Animation Studios as an animator in June 1997 whose work includes such beloved films such as Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, WALL*E, and Toy Story 3.

Max Brace is photographed on February 16, 2016 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Max Brace at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Max Brace joined Pixar Animation Studios in July of 1996 straight out of college as a story artist on the feature film A Bugs Life. As a story supervisor, Brace leads the story team and helps directors realize their vision for the story. In addition, he casts story artists for specific sequences, reviews artists’ work, both individually and with the director, and guides the artists to understand and execute the director’s vision.

FINDING DORY – Lighting Exploration Concept Art by Visual Consultant Sharon Calahan. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

FINDING DORY – Lighting Exploration Concept Art by Visual Consultant Sharon Calahan. ©2016 Disney•Pixar

What is a Storyboard?

Basically it is a group of rough sketches on paper used to indicate an idea. Storyboards are very tiny and not too detailed. It is just enough information for the other animators, artists, actors, and writers to get a feel for the direction they want the story to go in.  This process is gone through many times until it is perfect. After completion, the storyboard goes to the directors where they will walk through the scene together and discuss any corrections or improvements that need to be made. The storyboards are reviewed by the “Brain Trust” and studio every 4 months. These storyboards create the overall blueprint for the final film. For Finding Dory, 103,639 storyboards were generated to get Dory’s Story just right.

FINDING DORY – MLI Overview Painting (Concept Art) by Artist Tim Evatt. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

FINDING DORY – MLI Overview Painting (Concept Art) by Artist Tim Evatt. ©2016 Disney•Pixar.

It’s all about finding the story and the process of creating the story through sequencing when it comes to animation.  The story process starts with brainstorming. It was decided that they wanted part of the story to take place at the Marine Life Institute. Brace shared with us an experience he had at an aquarium with his son that ended up being inspiration for some of the scenes for Finding Dory. Seeing the touch tank with all of the kids touching, poking and prodding the poor creatures, got him to thinking, “What would it be like if Dory got stuck in the touch tank?”  The humor and horror of being in an aquarium touch pool was just too good to ignore. Hank and Dory end up in some hairy, yet funny situations that the animators created for the touch pool scene based on reality and humor. After organizing their ideas, they are handed off to the writer to write the scene. The team worked hard on the touch pool idea and went on to research and photograph the idea, then moved on to make, improve, and  create the perfect scene for the movie. It was a bit of a challenge to keep the main focus on Dory, but 240 sequences later it was accomplished.

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Swim Along With Me to the Finding Dory Event in Monterey Bay! | #FindingDoryEvent

Swim Along With Me to Monterey Bay!

By Erin

*I have been invited by Disney to cover this media event. All expenses and materials for this event have been provided courtesy of Walt Disney Studios, but all opinions remain my own.*

(Pictured) DORY. ©2013 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

DORY. ©2013 Disney•Pixar

Have you seen her? Come take a deep dive with Dory and I as we swim along with 24 other swimmingly amazing bloggers to the #FindingDoryEvent! It all starts bright and early Monday morning, as I’ll be flying into San Jose. Throughout the event, we will be meeting a ton of amazing filmmakers, including 2-time Oscar-winning Director Andrew Stanton, and animators, and I am so excited! One of the other major highlights of the trip that I cannot wait for, is that we will be spending some time at the Monterey Bay Aquarium! I have had a lifelong love of sea life, at one time wanting to be a marine biologist, and even earned a special medal for Marine Biology and the Life Sciences my senior year in high school. I also have logged in hundreds of volunteer hours at our local aquarium, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, so you can say I am just a little excited to get to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium again! 🙂

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The mission of the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the ocean. Having the opportunity to learn so much about the follow-up to Disney’s 2003 Finding Nemo at the Monterey Bay Aquarium makes for the perfect setting, going behind the scenes to learn of all the research that went into the making of Finding Dory.

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Photo @Monterey Bay Aquarium

 The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a showcase for the habitats and sea life of one of the world’s richest marine regions. Housing more than 35,000 creatures and representing over 550 species fill 34 major galleries. With nearly 200 exhibits in all, the Aquarium is a window to the wonders of the ocean.

Dory returns to the big screen in Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Dory”—in theaters Nov. 25, 2015. ©2013 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Dory returns to the big screen in Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Dory”

Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory reunites everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory, with her friends Nemo and Marlin on a search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale? Directed by Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E”) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer “WALL•E”), the film features the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton. Finding Dory swims into theaters June 17, 2016.

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Have you seen the new trailer yet? You will fall in love with Dory and Nemo all over again! Follow this famous fish with a big heart and a bad memory in her journey to find her family. Just keep on swimming and watch the adventure unfold!

For all the action, make sure to check out all of the Finding Dory  links below to follow along! Finding Dory swims into theaters June 17th!

Also be sure to follow the fun of the #FindingDoryEvent hashtag on Twitter and Instagram for some amazing photos and for the latest information about the movie and some cool facts about the sea life in the film!