It’s a Pixar tradition that sits right up there alongside the Pizza Planet Truck, A113 and the iconic Luxo Ball – the beloved animated short that comes tethered with each new release.
For Inside Out, we had Lava; Toy Story 3 heralded the arrival of Day and Night; while The Good Dinosaur introduced the world to Sanjay’s Super Team. Now, it is (almost) Finding Dory‘s turn to usher in a new bite-sized yarn.
Set to make a beeline for theaters on June 17, it’s been revealed that Andrew Stanton’s long-anticipated sequel will be accompanied by Piper, the cutesy animation that “tells the story of a hungry sandpiper hatchling who ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline.”
Pixar stalwart Alan Barillaro will make his directorial debut with Piper, chronicling the tale of the spirited sandpiper that faces off against the “scary waves” as it looks to snatch a decent meal. Given that Barillaro’s tenure with the animation giant stretches all the way back to 1998’s A Bug’s Life, where he served as animation supervisor, we’re quietly optimistic that Barillaro and the Pixar team are cooking up another heartfelt gem that is short, sweet and a joy to behold.
Before joining Ellen DeGeneres and Co. on a high seas adventure, Finding Dory will introduce Pixar’s peckish sandpiper on June 17 in North America.
