D23 Expo: Details About The ‘Finding Dory’ Movie That Ellen DeGeneres Begged For [Video]

Finding Dory couldn’t have a better celebrity voicing its titular character. Ever-enthusiastic Ellen DeGeneres was on hand to help promote the upcoming Finding Nemo sequel at the Disney D23 Expo, but the humble star didn’t brag about the huge part she played in the animated film’s existence. Ellen thought that her forgetful fish character had more of a story to tell long before anyone at Pixar did, and she’s been pushing for a Finding Nemo sequel for years.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Ellen DeGeneres attended the D23 Expo over the weekend, and she was extremely excited to talk about what’s in store for her regal tang character. Instead of focusing on another fish that must be rescued from becoming a bratty little kid’s pet, Finding Dory will follow Ellen’s beloved blue character as she sets out an epic journey to find her way home.

While she’s hanging out with Nemo and his father, she remembers something very important — she has a family, and they have no idea where she is. She believes that her family is in Monterrey, California, so she decides to make the long trek back to her home. One of the movie’s settings will be a rehabilitation center for aquatic life that treats animals and releases them to the wild, and somehow Dory eventually ends up there. Perhaps one of the researchers at the ocean sanctuary will be able to do something about her major memory loss problem.

While she’s at the rehab facility, Dory meets a few new characters. Ellen DeGeneres had the honor of introducing the famous men and women voicing these new characters at the Disney D23 expo, and Modern Family fans should be very excited — two members of the TV series’ cast are voicing Finding Dory characters. Ty Burrell voices a Beluga whale who thinks that his natural head hump is actually a head injury, and Ed O’Neill plays an octopus that doesn’t quite live up to his species’ name — he’s missing a leg. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actress Kaitlin Olson also joins the cast as a friendly whale shark who doesn’t like her “shark” designation. You can check out Ellen’s introductions below.

An ocean sanctuary might seem like a safe place to be for a forgetful fish whose memory loss could put her life in danger. However, some commenters on the Finding Dory Facebook page noticed something sinister in the background of a still from the movie that could spell huge trouble for Dory. The photo below shows the regal tang hanging out with her new octopus pal.

If you look closely, you can see a photo of Darla holding a fish in a bag in the background. Finding Nemo fans might remember Darla as the fish-killing little girl who almost got her claws on Nemo. But is Dory in the same dentist’s office where Nemo was once imprisoned? It’s difficult to tell.

According to Slashfilm, Ellen DeGeneres first announced that Finding Dory was in the works during a 2013 episode of her talk show. The clip below is evidence of just how dedicated Ellen has been to getting this movie made.

Maybe Finding Nemo fans will finally learn how Dory learned to speak whale when Finding Dory hits theaters on June 17, 2016.

[Image credits: Disney/Pixar]