EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 31 (UPI) — Disney and Pixar have detailed the additional cast of underwater creatures and the voices behind them for their upcoming animated sequel, “Finding Dory.”
Set for release on June 17, director Andrew Stanton has revealed that since main character Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), swims to her former coral reef home on the west coast to find her parents in the film, it allowed Pixar to introduce a variety of new characters.
“We’re introducing new characters—each with his or her own unique voice,” Stanton said in a statement. “Everyone has something special to offer, which makes it fun and elevates the whole story. ‘Finding Nemo’ was a great calling card when it came to casting this movie. I don’t take that for granted.”
Dory and her friends Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolence) will encounter Dory’s parents, Charlie (Eugene Levy) and Jenny (Diane Keaton), a beluga whale named Bailey (Ty Burrell), a whale shark called Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), and the curmudgeonly octopus named Hank (Ed O’Neill).
“The ocean is teeming with literally millions of species. People don’t want to feel like they just spent the movie in a pond,” says Stanton. “There are just certain species of animals or fish that are fun to watch in real life and you can’t help but to throw a character on them. If they can find a home in Dory’s story, great. It’s a win-win.”
The animated feature will also serve as a reunion for “The Wire” stars Idris Elba and Dominic West who will appear as two East London gangster sea lions Fluke and Rudder. “Idris and Dominic are well-trained, dramatic, Shakespearean actors, but they can do comedy like nobody’s business,” Stanton to USA Today about the actors. “They just ran with it. They played jolly and lazy really well.”
“But the truth is, I really wanted to witness a ‘Wire’ reunion,” he adds. “So we got them together,” he joked.
