'Finding Dory' News & Update: 'Piper' Short Film To Run Before Dory - Meet Pixar's Newest Adorable Star!

"Finding Dory" will be swimming to theaters on June 17, but before the audience watches her story, Pixar is showing a six-minute clip to pair with the movie. The short film will feature an adorable new star. Her name is Piper and she's a sandpiper bird.

Entertainment Weekly (EW) reports that Piper's story will take place along the beach and will center on the bird's fear of the water. She's described as a "big-eyed, diminutive little beach-dwelling bird," who's just learning to hunt her food.

The idea to develop Piper's story comes from director Alan Barillaro after observing sandpipers on the beach. "Seeing the way these sandpipers react to waves and run, I always felt, 'Gosh, that's a film, that's a character,'" he told EW.

Meet 'Piper,' Pixar's cutest new short-film hero: https://t.co/okZw4SVhfJ pic.twitter.com/TfstNJj3i8

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) April 6, 2016

The short film has no speaking part and there had been challenges to convey the story from Piper's perspective. But Barillaro went on to develop his idea with his mentor and "Finding Dory" director Andrew Stanton, who suggested they enlist Adrian Belew for the musical score.

Three years later, the Pixar bosses told Barillaro that "Piper" will be running before "Finding Dory" once it's out in theaters. "To work with Andrew so closely over the years, it means a lot to me that I'm in front of his film," he said.

Pixar has had a list of successful short films that were paired up their box office features. Some of these, such as "Geri's Game" and "For the Birds," have won awards, including the prestigious Oscar, per Screen Rant. Take a look at "For The Birds," which won for Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards in 2002:

Meanwhile, "Finding Dory" will follow six months after the events of the first movie. This time, Dory is enjoying an uneventful life among Nemo's species, but she starts to develop homesickness and decides to find her family.

Are you curious about "Piper"? Will you watch "Finding Dory" with the family on the first day?