Ever since the friendly, but forgetful blue tang Dory insisted she could speak whale, moviegoers have wondered: Can she really speak whale? How did she learn? Can I do it, too? Fans nationwide are invited to celebrate Dory’s unforgettable spirit and her can-do attitude with Speak Like a Whale Day on Saturday, June 11, 2016.
“When ‘Finding Dory’ was just starting to come together, we realized we didn’t know much about this blue tang with the sunny personality,” said director Andrew Stanton. “Dory’s past became the subject of great curiosity—both for us as storytellers and for everyone who’d fallen in love with her. We had very few clues to go on. We knew she’d been separated from her family, we knew she suffered from short-term memory loss, we knew she could read, and we knew she could speak whale—or at least she thought she could.”
Opening in theaters nationwide on June 17, Finding Dory features a fun and talented voice cast, including Ellen DeGeneres as Dory, Albert Brooks as Marlin, Ed O’Neill as “septopus” Hank, Kaitlin Olson as whale shark Destiny and Ty Burrell as beluga whale Bailey. Olson, who can be heard speaking whale in the movie, teamed up with Burrell to share a few tricks in a Speak Like a Whale Featurette.
Fans are encouraged to take part in Speak Like a Whale Day by speaking whale wherever they go, uploading videos of themselves and tagging #SpeakLikeAWhaleDay.
- Guests of the theme parks at Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disney Cruise Line ships will receive a complimentary button to celebrate the day, while supplies last.
- At the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort and Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort, families can dive into undersea themed activities, including a live DJ, games and giveaways. Also throughout the day, young guests can attend “Whale Speak University” and give speaking the language a try.
- At The Seas with Nemo & Friends in Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort, Guests can learn about the real-life counterparts of the characters from the film and see them in the massive 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium home. Experts from Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment Team will be on hand throughout the day to help Guests find Dory and her friends and get a closer look at their world.
- Dory and some of her new friends from Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory have joined Crush at the Turtle Talk with Crush attraction at Epcot and Disney California Adventure park. Guests can now meet Destiny, Bailey and Hank.
- Select theater chains will give away buttons during Speak Like a Whale Day, while supplies last. Participating chains include Goodrich Quality Theatres, Marcus Theatres, Megaplex Theatres and National Amusements.
The efforts will be supported across Disney channels, including ABC, which broadcasts Finding Nemo tonight at 8 p.m. ET & PT/7 p.m. CT & MT, with a special look at Finding Dory, as well as ESPN, Disney Channel, Radio Disney and Freeform. Social media will showcase the event via Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter (#SpeakLikeAWhaleDay, #FindingDory).
