Ellen DeGeneres talks ‘Finding Dory’ story, getting to ad lib
Finding Dory director Andrew Stanton and producer Lindsey Collins finally got the greenlight for a sequel to 2003’s Finding Nemo and star Ellen DeGeneres gave fans a preview of the film while speaking with EW, beginning with her thoughts on the character after the first film.
“I thought about what would happen if we do a sequel, what the journey would be for her. I wondered if she would somehow get memory back. But I didn’t really think about her that much, and I honestly just kind of gave up on it because it had been 10 years. I didn’t really think about it as much as he did, but I think I kept reminding him… At first, it was kind of serious, joking on the [Ellen] show about all the other sequels that Pixar was making and that they weren’t making a sequel to Finding Nemo…”
Finding Dory centers on the popular Blue Tang, who now embarks on a quest across the ocean (this time, the Pacific) to find her parents after a chance mention of “home” sparks her deeply-rooted memories of her family. She winds up at a marine life institute in California, where she teams up with a new companion, a surly octopus named Hank, voiced by Ed O’Neill, to track down her lost belonging.
“…the story is the story and I liked what it was. I thought it was a beautiful story and of course the cast is incredible, and they always let me ad lib and play. I do what’s written and then I also go off in different directions and that’s really a fun experience. And then sometimes going off in those directions sparks an idea of something else, but no, I totally trust them.”
Ellen shared with Entertainment Weekly why she feels Dory is so popular.
“Finding Dory” teases fans thirsting for a new adventure
“I think [people love] Dory persevering and helping someone even though she really is in no way in that kind of position to be able to help anybody, and she still does it. Just because she wants to, just because she just keeps swimming, just because she just keeps going. I think the story is something everybody resonated with, and the fact that when I mentioned it was coming back, the amount of energy in the room from my audience… I think there’s an anticipation and an excitement about it that I don’t know how to explain. There’s just something that taps into the ethos.”
Check out the full EW interview, click HERE
Joining the adventure is Ty Burrell (as beluga whale Bailey) and Kaitlin Olson (as eyesight-impaired whale shark Destiny) with newcomers Diane Keaton and Idris Elba (who plays a lazy sea lion opposite his The Wire costar Dominic West).
Plenty of voices from the original film will also return to reprise their roles, including Albert Brooks as Marlin, Bob Peterson as Mr. Ray, and Stanton as sea turtle Crush. Weeds star Alexander Gould, voiced Nemo in 2003, but is now 21, therefore was replaced as young Nemo by 11-year-old Hayden Rolence
Finding Dory arrives in theaters on June 17, 2016.
I am so excited for this movie. I loved Dory in Finding Nemo!