Watching your favorite Pixar film on the big screen is thrilling, but equally as thrilling is the excitement of being able to watch it again in the comfort of your own home. You can put your feet up, snuggle with a loved one and enjoy the film again whenever the mood strikes you. Among the benefits of owning the movie, we think the special features are where in-home releases shine.
Finding Dory is no exception and is packed with hours of special features that dig into the character animation, the scoring process, and one of our favorites – a look inside the vocal booth.
In a recent teaser of the Animation & Acting special feature, we see director Andrew Stanton working with many of the cast members as their show off their vocal acting prowess. In addition to the clips below, be sure to read some additional fun facts and bumbles from Ty Burell (Bailey) and Kaitlin Olson (Destiny) during their Dory recording process (interview after the special feature clips).
Along with the Animation & Acting video, Entertainment Weekly released a video clip featuring the Tank Gang with director Andrew Stanton explaining how the characters originally had a larger role in Finding Dory.
The scene which can be viewed here showcases the Tank Gang on a ‘Mission Impossible’ style mission as they attempt to change the course of a freighter to help Marlin and Nemo.
In this extension video of the Creature Features special feature (which we wrote about last week), Ed O’Neill shares some fun facts about Hank the Septopus.
USA Today also recently released a deleted scene featuring Hank meeting Dory for the first time and the hilarity that ensues as he takes her around the Marine Life Institute trying to find her parents.
INTERVIEW
In a recent interview, Ty Burell and Kaitlin Olson sat down to chat about their time in the vocal recording booth (including using a balance board), watching the film at home, and a note about Easter Eggs.
What do you love the most about your quirky underwater characters in Finding Dory?
Kaitlin Olson: I love the fact that Destiny is sweet and lovable because she’s insecure about not being able to swim very well. I love her little brother/sister relationship with Bailey, too. For me, it was really nice to play a really sweet character.
How does your eyesight compare to Destiny’s?
Kaitlin Olson: My eyesight is perfect. Thank you for asking! Although I’m sure it’s headed downhill for me pretty soon…
What do you love the most about Bailey, Ty?
Ty Burrell: I don’t play a pessimist in my day job on Modern Family. Phil Dunphy is an indefatigable optimist, so it’s fun to play a character who is as neurotic as Bailey in Finding Dory. Bailey is a nice, well-intended whale who is very flawed and full of doubt. He’s probably much closer to me than Phil.
How much fun did you have in the recording booth for Finding Dory?
Kaitlin Olson: It was a lot of fun in the recording booth. Working with [Finding Dory director] Andrew Stanton was great. He’s a real actor’s director, so it was a wonderful experience.
What was the funniest thing to happen to you in the recording booth?
Ty Burrell: Bailey is a Beluga whale and when I researched the animal online, it looked like Belugas are heavily congested. Just look at their heads and you’ll see what I mean. I came into the recording booth with the idea that Bailey would have a really congested voice like he had a bad cold. When I finished my first scene, there was a long stretch of silence. They were super, super nice about it – but they said, “Well, now let’s try a different voice. Why don’t we try your voice for the whole film?” That worked out much better.
What funny experiences in the recording booth can you share, Kaitlin?
Kaitlin Olson: For me, the craziest thing was when they decided that my character doesn’t swim very well, so they wanted me to sound like I was swimming off-balance. I think they assumed it would be hard to do, so they brought in this weird balancing board that I was supposed to try and stand on whilst saying my lines. It was so weird! I was like, “Let’s just get rid of this board and let me act it out instead.”
Did you try the balancing board?
Kaitlin Olson: I tried it for two hours, but I wasn’t really off balance. Apparently, my balance is impeccable because I was doing fine, so I had to pretend to be off-balance and that was even worse. We ended up getting rid of it quite quickly, although I had some amazing ab strength the next day. It was definitely great for that.
Have your thoughts on underwater life changed since working on Finding Dory?
Kaitlin Olson: Definitely. The movies made me think a lot about rescue and rehabilitation for ocean animals, as well as ocean conservation. We’ve got to make sure our planet is still here for our children, so that’s very important to me. I’m very focused on making sure that we keep our oceans clean and that we take care of everything down there. We need all of those species. They all serve a purpose.
Ty Burrell: I agree. I love the way that Pixar creates a whole universe that audiences haven’t really experienced before. We’ve never really spent that much time underwater, but we have now with Finding Dory. Today, I see the ocean a little differently. In a weird way, I see it more as a little community down there – but it’s a community that we have to make sure survives.
What excites you the most about the in-home release of Finding Dory?
Kaitlin Olson: I’m really excited about the in-home release because my four- and five-year-olds are addicted to Finding Dory. We’ll be watching it over and over and over and over again! Sometimes it’s hard to take your kids to the movie theater and not every age can sit and watch a whole film. In my house, the greatest thing about watching a movie is that my older kid can sit there for the whole film and the little one can get up and go to the playroom for a bit if he gets antsy – and then he can come back to watch the rest.
How much do you enjoy watching movies at home, Ty?
Ty Burrell: As a family, we love movies. In fact, we have a movie night every Friday at home. Finding Nemo was part of that, and now Finding Dory will be involved.
Why does the world love Dory so much?
Kaitlin Olson: The world loves Dory because she is fallible. She’s a really sweet character who is funny because she’s masking an insecurity. I think a lot of people can relate to being a little imperfect, just like her.
Ty Burrell: For me, I don’t know if Ellen DeGeneres gets enough credit for her acting skills in the movie. Ellen is a really talented voice actor and Dory is lovable because Ellen makes her lovable. She’s great.
What would you like to ask Dory if you met her in the ocean?
Ty Burrell: Boy, that’s a good question! I’d ask her, ‘How do you stay so positive? How do you keep that much optimism in your life?’
Kaitlin Olson: Yes, how does she maintain that optimism? That’s a real skill. Dory doesn’t let anything get her down and that’s impressive. She, “Just keeps swimming.” I think we can all learn from Dory in that respect.
Pixar animators love to hide Easter eggs and secret movie references inside their films. Do you ever pause and try to find them?
Kaitlin Olson: This is all very new to me, but I heard how they like to hide things in Toy Story and its sequels. I can’t wait to try and find them in Finding Dory. I haven’t spotted the Pizza Planet truck yet, but I will soon. My son will help me. He’s a good spotter.
Ty Burrell: You know what? I think I know one of the Easter eggs. You can correct me if I’m wrong, but my friend was saying that she thought she saw a character from Inside Out looking through the glass in the Marine Life Institute. That might be one! I can’t wait to try and find more…
WATCHING Finding Dory
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Pick up Finding Dory on Amazon or Apple TV, or watch it on Disney+.
