Perhaps the most controversial point is the Indonesian dubbing of Dory. Ellen DeGeneres’ original performance is lightning-fast, fragmented, and hyper-American. The Indonesian version is necessarily slower—because Indonesian sentences tend to be slightly longer than English ones for the same meaning. Critics might call this a loss of comedic timing. However, viewers of the Indonesian dub argue that this slower pace allowed Dory’s kindness to shine through more clearly than her randomness. The Indonesian voice actor emphasized Dory’s gentle naivety over her manic energy. As a result, the famous "Just keep swimming" mantra in Indonesian ("Cuma perlu terus berenang") lost its frantic edge and gained a meditative, almost philosophical quality. It became less a coping mechanism and more a piece of wisdom.
The pelican (Nigel) speaking ngoko (low Javanese mixed with Indonesian) to the fish in the dentist's office is arguably the best 60 seconds of voice acting in the film's history.
Perhaps the most controversial point is the Indonesian dubbing of Dory. Ellen DeGeneres’ original performance is lightning-fast, fragmented, and hyper-American. The Indonesian version is necessarily slower—because Indonesian sentences tend to be slightly longer than English ones for the same meaning. Critics might call this a loss of comedic timing. However, viewers of the Indonesian dub argue that this slower pace allowed Dory’s kindness to shine through more clearly than her randomness. The Indonesian voice actor emphasized Dory’s gentle naivety over her manic energy. As a result, the famous "Just keep swimming" mantra in Indonesian ("Cuma perlu terus berenang") lost its frantic edge and gained a meditative, almost philosophical quality. It became less a coping mechanism and more a piece of wisdom.
The pelican (Nigel) speaking ngoko (low Javanese mixed with Indonesian) to the fish in the dentist's office is arguably the best 60 seconds of voice acting in the film's history.