Marlin, left, a father whose son Nemo has been unexpectedly taken from his home, enlists the aid of a Dory in Finding Nemo. (PHOTO COURTESY PIXAR)

Director Andrew Stanton has confirmed he is working on a sequel to hit film Finding Nemo, almost a decade after the original movie was released.

The Disney Pixar tale about a clownfish's desperate attempts to locate its missing son was a huge success at the box office, raking in $867 million in ticket sales.

Fans have been desperate to catch a follow-up since the film's release in 2003, and now Stanton, who directed and wrote the original, has announced a sequel will hit screens in 2016.

Finding Nemo will also have a second chance of success: It will be re-released in 3D in September.