Ellen DeGeneres is all set to reprise her iconic voice role as Dory in a new Pixar short film. She has been quietly splitting her time between the English countryside and California ever since stepping away from Hollywood after her talk show ended in 2022, briefly breaking her screen silence with a Netflix stand-up special in 2024. And now her latest move is something fans of a certain Pixar franchise were not expecting.

Ellen DeGeneres is officially returning to voice Dory in a brand new short film set within the Finding Nemo universe, as first reported by Deadline. The project is still untitled, has no confirmed release date, and no other cast or crew have been announced. Production has only just begun, making details extremely scarce.

"Excited about this," DeGeneres kept it simple on Instagram, sharing Deadline's report with nothing more than those three words.

This marks DeGeneres' first screen project since Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, her 2024 Netflix stand-up special, where she candidly addressed her dramatic exit from The Ellen DeGeneres Show after 19 seasons. That special was a personal reset of sorts, and now this Dory short signals a clear creative return, this time back to the animated world where she built one of her most beloved characters.

As DeGeneres steps back in front of the microphone, it is worth remembering just how massive the franchise she is rejoining truly is.

The staggering box office run of Finding Nemo and Finding Dory

The original Finding Nemo grossed over 941 million dollars worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Its 2016 sequel, Finding Dory, which centred entirely on Ellen DeGeneres' character, crossed 1 billion dollars globally, making it one of the highest-grossing animated films ever at the time of release.

Beyond the films, DeGeneres has voiced Dory for Disney theme park attractions, including Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland, along with various shorts and cross-platform integrations. Her return to the role feels like a natural next step, both for her career and for a franchise that still carries enormous audience affection. With production just kicking off, the reunion between DeGeneres and Dory is only getting started.

What are your thoughts on Ellen DeGeneres returning as Dory in a new Pixar short? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Shraddha Priyadarshi

Edited by

Itti Mahajan