'Nemo' sequel 'Finding Dory,' starring Ellen DeGeneres, due out 2015

It's been a decade since Ellen DeGeneres voiced Dory, the lovable-but-forgetful breakout star of "Finding Nemo," which won the Academy Award for Animated Feature back in 2003. Fresh off her trip to Australia, where "Finding Nemo" takes place, the 55-year-old talk show host announced that she would return as Dory for the long-awaited "Nemo" sequel, called "Finding Dory."

DeGeneres, who has joked about the possibility of a "Nemo" sequel for years, made the announcement on her show, and on Facebook and Instagram Tuesday.

“I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” DeGeneres said. “I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating ‘Toy Story 16.'"

Director Andrew Stanton said Marlin, Nemo and the Tank Gang would return for the new film, which will take place a year after the original. He praised DeGeneres' performance as the forgetful Dory.

"There is no Dory without Ellen," Stanton said in a press release.

She won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world—not to mention our team here at Pixar. One thing we couldn't stop thinking about was why she was all alone in the ocean on the day she met Marlin. In 'Finding Dory,' she will be reunited with her loved ones, learning a few things about the meaning of family along the way.

"It won't be in theaters till 2015," DeGeneres said on her show. "But in Australia I think that's tomorrow," she quipped.