Ellen DeGeneres is heading back to the ocean. The former talk show host is set to reprise her role as Dory in a new project set in Pixar’s Finding Nemo universe, returning to one of the most beloved characters of her career.
According to reports, the new project will be a short film. Plot details and a release date have not yet been announced.
DeGeneres first voiced the forgetful blue tang in Finding Nemo in 2003, before returning for the 2016 sequel Finding Dory. Her performance helped turn Dory into one of Pixar’s most iconic characters, known for her memory problems, fierce loyalty and endlessly quotable optimism.
This new short marks DeGeneres’ first acting role, apart from appearing as herself, in five years.
The original Finding Nemo was a global smash, earning nearly US$950 million worldwide and winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2004. Finding Dory later expanded the story by following Dory’s search for her parents after being separated from them as a child.
DeGeneres has also voiced Dory in Disney theme park attractions, video games and other short-form projects over the years, so the character has remained closely tied to her even outside the two main films.
For fans of the franchise, the return of Dory is likely to be welcome news — especially given how deeply the character has remained embedded in animation culture more than two decades after her first appearance. That final point is an inference based on Dory’s long-running popularity and repeated reappearances across Pixar and Disney projects.
