STACK NZ November 2016 Issue 79

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visit DVD&BD FEATURE
12 NOVEMBER 2016
DVD
&
BD
“It’s amazing to
me that Dory
has resonated
with people so much,”
says Ellen DeGeneres,
who lends her voice
to the funny regal tang
fish in the latest Disney
animated blockbuster.
“Dory was such a big part
of Finding Nemo that it makes
sense that people might wonder
about her journey. We want to see how it
worked out for her: are Marlin and Nemo her
family now? Does she have a family and will
she ever remember them?”
Of course, these days the comedienne
is probably better known for The Ellen
DeGeneres Show, which went to air a few
months after Finding Nemo and has grown
into a hugely popular chatshow that is
broadcast around the world.
However, DeGeneres
never gave up on the
idea of reprising the role,
so she was delighted
when much of the old
team reunited for the hit
sequel Finding Dory.
“I was campaigning for
a sequel to Finding Nemo
for 13 years,” she jokes, “But I
never imagined it would be Finding
Dory. So that was the real surprise when
I finally got the call.”
Finding Doryfinds the titular character
living happily in the reef with Marlin and
Nemo about a year after their life-changing
adventure. However, when Dory suddenly
remembers that she has a family
out there who may actually be
looking for her, she recruits Marlin
and Nemo for a life-changing adventure
across the ocean to California’s prestigious
Marine Life Institute, a rehabilitation centre/
aquarium.
The film reunited DeGeneres and Albert
Brooks as Marlin with Finding Nemo
director Andrew Stanton, who helms
the sequel with Angus MacLane (Toy
Story of Terror!). New additions to the
cast include Modern Family stars Ed
O’Neill and Ty Burrell, and Eugene Levy
and Diane Keaton as Dory’s parents.
The new story features a deeper side
of the ever-optimistic fish, challenging
DeGeneres to showcase a wide range
of emotion. “Doing an animated film is
really fun,” she says. “But it can be difficult
because every emotion has to come from
your voice. You can’t pretend to cry, because
that just sounds like you’re pretending to
cry. So it’s all real – real conversations, real
emotion.
“It’s a story about family,” DeGeneres
continues. “It’s about finding the courage to
do something she’s always wanted to do—
even if she couldn’t remember she wanted
to do it.”
When Ellen DeGeneres first voiced
Dory in Finding Nemo, she had yet to launch
the US talkshow that catapulted to a whole
new level of global fame. But she had always
wanted to return to the role – and with Finding
Dory, she gets the chance to swim centre stage.
Also on board for Finding
Dory is the chart-topping singer-
songwriter Sia, who performs
the film’s end-credit song
Unforgettable.
The Australian star agreed
to sing the song when the voice
of Dory herself – DeGeneres –
phoned her personally. "Dory’s
story makes me teary,” says Sia.
“When Ellen asked me, I couldn’t
refuse!”
Unforgettable is a standard
from the great American
songbook and was one of Nat
King Cole’s signature songs.
However, just as Robbie
Williams did with Beyond The
Sea on Finding Nemo, co-director
Andrew Stanton believes the
singer offers a fresh new take on
the beloved song.
“Sia captures the soulful truth
of the Nat King Cole classic and
makes it all her own,” he says.
“They are a perfect complement
to one another.”
• Finding Dory
is out on
Nov 16
DORY’S
STORY
Ellen DeGeneres and
Andrew Stanton
It’s about
finding the
courage
to do
something
... even if
she couldn’t
remember
she wanted
to do it.