9 things you didn't know about 'Finding Dory'

This story originally appeared on Oh My Disney and is reprinted with permission.

After 13 long years of waiting for a sequel to Finding Nemo, we finally got it on June 17 with Finding Dory - which centers on our favorite forgetful blue fish. In celebration of the film's launch a couple of weeks back, we've got some fun facts to share! Just keep swimming through the list below to learn a thing or two about the big blue.

1. Filmmakers studied psychology to help with the story.

Following the events of Finding Nemo, Dory found a new home with Marlin and Nemo. To better understand how she would adjust to her new family, yet still wonder about her past, animators studied the psychology of adoption.

2. Nemo was recast.

Because Alexander Gould (the original voice of Nemo) is 22, 12-year-old Hayden Rolence had to step in to voice the character. He was offered the job before recording ever began, and had to keep it a secret from his friends and family. Despite being replaced, Gould does make a special cameo in the film.

3. Al Brooks (Marlin) was able to improvise more.

In Finding Nemo, Marlin (voiced by comedian Albert Brooks) was dealing with a lot. With that burden lifted in Finding Dory, he was able to do a bit more improv for the film-and the results were hilarious!

4. Hank has seven tentacles for a reason.

The octopus' tapered tentacles were designed separately from his body. When they tried to attach them, only seven fit. Later on, they decided to work the affliction into the script. Another fun fact regarding the tentacles is that there are 50 suckers per arm, which makes for 350 in all!

5. Finding Nemo cast members weren't the only casts reuniting for the film.

While many characters from the first film were reunited for the project, filmmakers had another reunion in mind when they were looking for actors to portray the sea lions, Fluke and Rudder. Idris Elba and Dominic West, who were cast in the roles, also worked together on the television show The Wire.

6. Becky is named after a production manager.

Her name is Becky Neiman-Cobb, and she insists the wacky character bears no resemblance to her.

7. Destiny is the one who taught Dory how to speak whale.

Because she's technically a shark, it explains why Dory doesn't have a great understanding of the language.

8. Animators spent a lot of time making Hank the right shade.

It took 22 weeks of shading to give the character extra texture and color, and to make it possible for him to camouflage himself. On average, this process typically takes about eight weeks.

9. 103,639 storyboards were delivered to editorial.

For reference, only 49,651 were submitted for Toy Story 3. If you think that's an amazing statistic, 289,240,840 key animation frames were created for the film. Now, that's impressive!

What was your favorite fact? Let us know in the comments!

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