Two women whose sexual preferences have been speculated about far too much in FINDING DORY. Courtesy of Disney-Pixar.
Courtney Howard // Film Critic
A few weeks ago, the internet exploded over one quick shot in the trailer for FINDING DORY – this “blink and you’ll miss it” shot.
Headlines that Pixar had finally included a same-sex couple in one of their animated films swept over social media like wildfire, becoming a trending topic on multiple platforms. Though the trailer had been out for weeks prior, it didn’t cause a fervor until some started speculating that two aquarium-going women, who are essentially extras in the scene where Hank (voiced by Ed O’Neill) and Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) attempt to escape using a baby stroller, were the company’s first same-sex couple.
But not so fast, internet!
At the film’s Los Angeles press conference, director Andrew Stanton and producer Lindsey Collins were quick to address those rumors. Collins stated,
We laugh because our honest answer is, ‘Maybe.’
Stanton said,
We didn’t ask them.
Collins continued,
We populate our world the way we see our world. We don’t sit there and ask everybody’s background when we put them in our movie. If it was a main character, I’d think we’d know the answer to that question.
Stanton added,
It’s maybe more of a reflection of the times because there’s a lot of shots in all our movies with two people of the same gender in it. We have no problem with whatever you want it to be.
Star DeGeneres had a few words to say about it too in her trademarked comical fashion.
I don’t know that there is. When I watched the premiere last night, I was looking for that particular scene. It appears that there are two women – one woman has a very bad short haircut, which I find very offensive that if that’s the definition of a gay woman then how dare you! Just ‘cuz someone has a short, bad haircut doesn’t mean she’s gay – she just has a bad hairdresser. I think if you see the movie several times, there are some gay fish in the background, you’ll notice. It’s not obvious until you see it a few times.
She later continued,
I personally think it’s a great thing. Everything we see in the media should represent everything that’s happening in the world. Everybody that’s in the world should be seen. It’s a great conversation whether they intended it to be a woman with a bad, short haircut being gay or not.
FINDING DORY opens on June 17.
