Finding Dory named highest-grossing animated movie in the US ever

The Finding Nemo sequel has raked in $445.5m at the US box office to overtake Shrek 2

Ellen DeGeneres voices forgetful fish Dory in Finding Dory

Finding Dory has proved that fish have more pulling power than ogres by beating Shrek 2 to become the highest-grossing animated movie in the US ever.

Pixar’s follow-up to 2003’s Finding Nemo has raked in a massive $445.5 million at the US box office since its release on 17 June, surpassing Shrek 2’s $441.2 million in 2004.

Finding Dory, which arrives in UK cinemas on 29 July, grossed $11.1 million over the last weekend alone to be named the top domestic earner of 2016 so far, overtaking Captain America: Civil War’s $406.5 million.

The sequel has remained at the top of the US box office for its first four weeks after scoring the biggest domestic opening for an animated movie ($136.2 million).

Internationally, Finding Dory is approaching the $1 billion milestone, with a current worldwide gross of $721.7 million.

Stars at Finding Dory premiere

Finding Nemo writer and director Andrew Stanton has returned for the hugely well-received sequel, which puts Ellen DeGeneres’ forgetful fish Dory front and centre of the story. It is expected to enjoy similar success upon its UK release next week.

Pixar’s upcoming slate of sequels includes Cars 3 (2017), Toy Story 4 (2018) and The Incredibles 2 (2019). Original film Coco from Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich will also drop in 2017.