EXCLUSIVE: Ellen DeGeneres is returning to voice Dory, her lovable, ditzy blue tang fish, in a new short out of Pixar‘s Finding Nemo universe, Deadline has learned.
Plot deals for the still-untitled short are under wraps and there’s no information available yet as to other creative attachments. Release plans are also currently to be confirmed as production is just beginning on the short.
One of Pixar’s most beloved franchises, Finding Nemo kicked off with Andrew Stanton’s 2003 of the same name, centered on an overprotective clownfish’s (Albert Brooks) journey through the ocean in search of his missing son, Nemo (Alexander Gould). Breaking out as a cultural phenomenon, the film grossed over $941 million worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
DeGeneres’ Dory, clownfish Marlin’s companion in tracking down Nemo, broke out as the franchise’s most memorable character and thus became the centerpiece of the 2016 sequel Finding Dory, bringing back Stanton as director, which became one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time at the time of its release, grossing over $1 billion worldwide.
Beyond the two films, DeGeneres has voiced Dory for Disney theme park attractions like Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland, as well as in various shorts and cross-platform integrations.
One of the most iconic stand-ups of all time, DeGeneres is known for her 19 seasons hosting syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which earned garnered 64 Daytime Emmys since winding down in 2022.
The new Dory short marks one of DeGeneres’ first projects for the screen since For Your Approval, a 2024 Netflix stand-up special, in which she got candid about her controversy-laden exit from her talk show. DeGeneres is repped by CAA and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.
