Twenty-three years after “Finding Nemo” first charmed audiences around the world, kids and adults alike still adore the franchise and its adorably forgetful fish, Dory, voiced by comedian and former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
On April 24, 2026, Deadline reported that DeGeneres, who also served as a judge on “American Idol” for one season, will return to voice Dory in a new animated short that will further expand Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” universe. That’s big news not only for Dory fans, but for DeGeneres fans, given that she declared two years ago that she was done with showbiz.
Details on Ellen DeGeneres’ New ‘Finding Nemo’ Project Are Top Secret
The plot of the untitled animated short is being kept secret, according to Deadline, and it’s not clear if any other “Finding Nemo” stars will be back alongside DeGeneres.
When “Finding Nemo” was released in 2003, directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, the story about an overprotective clownfish dad named Marlin (played by Albert Brooks) searching for his missing son, little Nemo (played by Alexander Gould), was a massive hit. It grossed over $941 million, per Deadline, and won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
DeGeneres’ lovable and chronically forgetful Dory, who tried to help Marlin locate Nemo, was the stand-out character. She got her own spin-off, “Finding Dory,” also directed by Stanton. According to Deadline, that movie was even bigger than “Finding Nemo,” becoming one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time in 2016, grossing over $1 billion worldwide.
Dory has given DeGeneres steady work over the years; she has also voiced Dory attractions at Disney theme parks, like Disneyland’s Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and other animated projects like a 2021 episode of “Pixar Popcorn,” per IMDb.
After the news broke on April 24 about her new Dory project, DeGeneres shared a report about it on Instagram and wrote, “Excited about this.”
Ellen DeGeneres Said in 2024 That She Was Done With Showbiz
The new Dory film will be one of DeGeneres’ first on-screen projects since her 2024 Netflix stand-up special “For Your Approval.” The comedian used the special to address leaving her beloved talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” after 19 seasons amid a fury of controversy when a group of staffers complained about her leading a toxic workplace.
In July 2024, as DeGeneres was winding down her âEllenâs Last Standâ¦Upâ comedy tour in California, according to the SF Gate, she said that tour would be her last foray in show business. During a Q&A portion of her show at Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, one fan asked DeGeneres if she had any interest in starring in a new movie or on Broadway after her comedy tour, the outlet reported.
âUm, no,â DeGeneres answered. âThis is the last time youâre going to see me. After my Netflix special, Iâm done.â
DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia De Rossi, moved to a farmhouse in the U.K. that November. The comedian told the BBC it wasn’t the “ideal time” to move, but that she got to see snow “for the first time in my life.”
“We love it here,” she said. “Portia flew her horses here, and I have chickens. And we had sheep for about two weeks.”
However, DeGeneres eventually started to miss her creative life and warmer weather back in California, People reported in February 2026. The couple purchased a $27 million home in Montecito, Fox News reported and said she and De Rossi planned to split their time between the U.K. and U.S.
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