US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres on Tuesday took a subtle dig at US President Donald Trump’s immigration ban by explaining the plot of her hit animated movie Finding Dory.
DeGeneres, who voices the forgetful fish Dory on a mission to find her parents in the US, noted that Finding Dory was screened at the White House on Saturday, the day after Trump signed an executive order banning refugees and travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations from entering the US.
Speaking to the audience of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in a segment aired on Tuesday, she mentioned the protests sparked by Trump’s order. She said she didn’t want to get political so she talked instead about the plot of the 2016 film, which has taken in $1 billion (Dh3.6 billion) at the global box office.
In the movie, Dory and her friends arrive in America, where they find themselves stuck behind a large wall keeping Dory from finding her parents.
“They all have to get over the wall and you won’t believe it, but that wall has almost no effect in keeping them out,” DeGeneres said.
Trump has also pledged to build a wall on the US border with Mexico to keep out undocumented immigrants.
Dory crosses the border but is still separated from her family. Luckily for her, DeGeneres said, other animals are willing to help Dory and bring her into their world.
“Animals that don’t even need her. Animals that don’t have anything in common with her,” DeGeneres said. “They help her, even though they’re completely different colours. Because that’s what you do when you see someone in need, you help them.” “So that is what I hope everyone watching Finding Dory has learned,” she added.
The remarks by DeGeneres were the latest in a series of direct and indirect attacks by celebrities on the president’s immigration ban, which has caused chaos and protests at airports around the world.
Actors at the Screen Actors Guild awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday also took aim at the ban in fiery speeches that ranged from personal experiences as immigrants or Muslims to calls for solidarity.
