On June 27, 2026, at the Annecy International Film Festival, Pixar announced that Nami Melumad was scoring their upcoming animated short, Loving Dory. They also released some details about the film and its potential release date.
Keep reading to learn more about the short and Melumad’s involvement with it.
Nami Melumad Will Score Pixar’s Loving Dory with Thomas Newman
Summer is finally here! Luckily too, since Pixar’s taking us back under the sea.
That’s right! Nemo and his friends are back and this time they must deliver some harsh truths to Dory. That’s because she fell in love with a strange new jellyfish, which turns out wasn’t a jellyfish at all. So, her friends must stop her from being bagged, literally.
Pixar is calling this wonderful tale of misplaced love Loving Dory, with plans to release it sometime in 2027. They already hired Ellen DeGeneres to voice Dory, our lovable memory-impaired blue fish. Furthermore, they bagged composer Nami Melumad to write the music.
What Is Pixar’s Loving Dory About?
As I noted, Loving Dory follows Dory’s misadventures trying to court a plastic bag she found, which she thinks is a jellyfish. Furthermore, Pixar plans to release the animated short sequel to 2016’s Finding Dory sometime in 2027. As a result, some people speculate that it will drop alongside Pixar’s upcoming Gatto film.
Director Lou Hamou-Lhadj described the short as a blend of humor and whimsy, similar of Pixar’s Wall·E. In other words, it will have that classic Pixar formula:
- Comedy
- Simplicity
- Emotional tenderness
- A distinctive environmental message
Plus, it could serve as a springboard to let Pixar bring the world of Finding Nemo back into theaters. Consequently, they are going all out with this one to ensure its success. For instance, they already dropped some work-in-progress footage at their 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival panel. Time will tell if they can sustain that push, though.
Why Nami Melumad Is an Inspired Choice for Loving Dory
Luckily for them, they hired Melumad for the Loving Dory soundtrack. She already has a good track record writing music for such hits as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Prodigy, An American Pickle, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Pixar’s own Dream Productions series.
Moreover, her musical style favors clear melodies, expressive orchestration, and a sense of forward motion. All of this helps the story feel alive and emotionally direct without being obvious. She can also do sweeps and adventure as seen with her work on her Star Trek projects, only going intimate, curious, or character specific as needed.
In other words, her style should work well alongside Pixar’s whimsical animation and storytelling, all the while offering that sincere, genre-say flexibility that a film lie Loving Dory needs.
Then, there’s the Thomas Newman connection.
Yes, Melumad should prove to be a good pick for the Loving Dory soundtrack. However, she won’t be scoring the short film on her own. That’s because Pixar-veteran Thomas Newman will help her write it as a producer for the film. Newman knows how the Nemo universe should sound like since he’s been writing music for the franchise since the beginning.
Together, they should be able to produce a soundtrack that could stand alongside the best music Disney and Pixar have ever produced.
Final Thoughts: Just Keep Listening
Thus, in conclusion, Pixar’s new Loving Dory short is in good musical hands. Either Melumad or Newman could easily handle whatever oddball idea Pixar has for the film. However, together, they have the chance to make something truly special.
But that’s just my opinion. What’s yours?
Post your thoughts in the comments below, then check out Newman’s work on Finding Dory here.
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