Dory has been a beloved animated character for years. Her debut in ‘Finding Nemo’ in 2003 brought widespread popularity to the character. Viewers fell in love with the ditzy, funny fish on the screen.
Dory saw so much love from ‘Finding Nemo’ fans that she got her movie in 2016! Her film ‘Finding Dory’ was the highest-grossing film in 2016. Her personality evokes a lot of empathy and compassion from viewers
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Animated films require so much skill from voice actors to portray the emotions they are trying to display. Some big-screen actors are good at this, while others struggle to show emotion through only voice.
In this article, we look behind the scenes at the history of Dory, her growth in popularity, the voice actor behind the beloved character, and some of her best quotes from ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘Finding Dory’!
History of Dory
Dory is a regal blue tang fish who lives in the Indo-Pacific ocean.
In ‘Finding Nemo’, a clown fish named Marlin meets Dory when he is trying to find his lost son, Nemo. Together, the two swim the ocean to find Nemo.
There is one problem: Dory suffers from short-term memory loss. Because of her memory loss, she never remembers Nemo’s name. This leads to many issues as she helps search for a lost fish.
While her memory loss makes it difficult for Marlin and his friends to keep on track with finding Nemo, her optimistic outlook on life encourages Marlin when he is feeling down.
Dory does not let these inconveniences get in the way of her optimism. Even though she can be hard on herself, she is always there to help her friends when they need it most.
After Marlin finds Nemo, Dory acts as a parental figure in Nemo’s life. Her sunny, optimistic personality gets Nemo through the tough times.
‘Finding Dory’ takes the focus off of Nemo and his father Marlin and puts it on the life story of Dory. She had a troubled childhood where she was separated from her parents, put in quarantine, and left in a bucket of dead fish meant to feed the whales.
She escapes with the help of an octopus named Hank. Her story entangles Marlin and Nemo. Despite all the trouble she has been through in her life, she keeps her optimism and wants to help others because she remembers how much it hurts not to have anyone.
One of the creators of ‘Finding Nemo’, Andrew Stanton, initially thought of Dory as a male fish named Gill. In 1999, the character was conceived as an expert guide who would lead Marlin across the sea to find his son.
After a Saturday Night Live skit about memory loss struggles, Stanton’s idea of a fish with memory loss grew until he eventually created the fish we all love today.
Dory’s Growth in Popularity
Since ‘Finding Nemo’ came out in 2003, fans have fallen more in love with the memory-loss fish. Her positive outlook on rough times and life, in general, has made so many people fall in love with her.
Dory is an integral character in ‘Finding Nemo’. She brings a light and sarcastic side to the somewhat sobering film. She does not let her troubled past get in the way of having a positive outlook.
Her motto “just keep swimming” has become popular in many people’s lives. Dory is a people pleaser and wants to help those around her and make everyone around her laugh. So many of us can resonate with Dory and her wish to make the world happier.
Her popularity in ‘Finding Nemo’ brought so much attention that she got her own film in 2016, ‘Finding Dory’. Fans raved over the movie, bringing even more popularity to the fictional character.
Dory would not be Dory without the talented voice actor that brings the character to life. Ellen DeGeneres makes Dory one of the most-loved Disney-Pixar characters to date.
Who is the Voice of Dory?
When Stanton was conceiving the idea of ‘Finding Nemo’ and the character of Dory, his original thought was a male fish. When he heard Ellen DeGeneres during the Saturday Night Live skit focusing on memory loss, all of the pieces fell together.
Ellen DeGeneres already had a successful comedy career leading up to the creation of Dory in ‘Finding Nemo’. Fans already loved the sarcastic, quick-witted woman she was.
DeGeneres not only has one of the most recognizable voices in the film industry, but she brings a certain warmth to the ever-apologizing blue tang fish.
Angus MacLane, one of the directors of ‘Finding Dory’, comments about how similar the character of Dory and DeGeneres are. DeGeneres puts so much of herself into the character that it brings Dory to life.
DeGeneres’ ability to make simple lines into jokes brings so much joy to the films. The creators could simply give DeGeneres her script and let her run with it. They knew that how she interpreted the lines was exactly how Dory should be.
Ellen DeGeneres grew in popularity after ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘Finding Dory’.
Dory’s Best Quotes
Dory’s most well-known motto is undoubtedly “just keep swimming.” Fans worldwide have adopted the saying to stay optimistic in troubled times.
Dory has many other notable sayings that we have to include!
Dory as a young fish learning from her parents what to say to others about her short-term memory loss. One of her most-known traits is her memory loss.
Dory’s adorable character makes everyone fall in love with her innocent eyes. Of course, her jokes are a hit too!
From her debut film ‘Finding Nemo’, Dory has some other notable lines. One favorite is when she sees some sea mines and shouts, “Hey, look, balloons!” Oblivious to the fact that they are explosives and not balloons.
She talks to her conscience a lot, too. You can hear her saying “Hey conscience” multiple times throughout the film.
You can find the trailer for ‘Finding Dory’ here to see some of the best scenes from the film!
Wondering who’s the voice of Nemo? Read this article to find out.
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