Andrew Stanton is heading back to animation, signing on to direct a sequel to Pixar’s Finding Nemo, the 2003 modern classic he co-directed. Victoria Strouse is writing the script and Lindsey Collins is producing. The film is set for a 2016 release date.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the move could be perceived as a return to a safer ground after the disastrous results of Stanton's big live-action debut, John Carter, which forced Disney to take a $200 million write-down.

The news follows another upcoming Nemo release: the original, converted to 3D, will be re-released on September 14. Already, Pixar has released two sequels to Toy Story, and one followup to Cars. And before Nemo gets its part two, the studio will release a sequel to 2001's Monsters, Inc., 2013's Monster's University.

Pixar also has three new original projects in the works which will hit screens in the coming years: The Good Dinosaur (directed by Bob Peterson and slated for May 30, 2014; untitled inside the mind project (from Up's Pete Doctor, with a June 19, 2015 release); and an untitled movie about Dia de los muertos (directed by Nemo co-director Lee Unkrich).