Gerald is a sea lion in the 2016Disney•Pixar animated film Finding Dory. A running gag is when he comes up on Fluke and Rudder's rock in which both of them bark, "Off! Off! Off!" at him. Though he shows no feeling, Gerald is obviously very sad about this because Fluke and Rudder mistreat him and steal his green pail, despite Gerald trying to be friendly and giving it to them. Ultimately, however, he manages to sneak onto their rock as they sleep, becoming the victor.
Gerald first appears when Fluke and Rudder tell Marlin and Nemo discuss about the Marine Life Institute, in which the two sea lions bark, "Off! Off! Off!" at him for interrupting their discussion with Marlin and Nemo, causing the sea lion to swim away. Gerald next appears when Fluke and Rudder tell him to arrive closer, in which the two trick him in an attempt to let him sit on their rock for a while. By doing this, the two sea lions allow him to sit on their rock for a bit. Once they declared that his time's up, they shoo off Gerald again while leaving the pail for Becky to pick up Marlin and Nemo to help find and rescue Dory in the Marine Life Institute.
Gerald later appears during the climax scene when Fluke and Rudder watch the excitement of Dory preparing to save Marlin, Nemo, and the rest of the fish inside the truck (despite the two sea lions not helping Dory) in which their rock is promptly taken over by Gerald. They let him sit there for now, but told him to leave whenever they got back.
In the post-credits, Gerald appears when he tests to see if Fluke and Rudder would react if he touches their rock. His hypothesis works as he is shooed off again. After Fluke and Rudder witness the Tank Gang being taken by Marine Life Institute volunteers before resuming their nap, Gerald last appears when he finally manages to sneak onto the two sea lions' rock unnoticed, giving a devious chuckle.
Gerald appears in the game along with Marlin and Nemo as a trio of characters (after Huey, Dewey, and Louie). Marlin and Nemo both attack by spitting while Gerald uses his seal cries to silence enemies and attract a flock of seagulls to attack them.
In Disney California Adventure, Gerald can be seen in a Finding Dory-inspired billboard at Pixar Pier, telling visitors to keep Pixar Pier clean, along with some sea otters, Becky, Dory, and Fluke and Rudder.
Trivia[]
He may be named after a pelican of the same name: Gerald in Finding Nemo. Gerald in the first film is a pelican that tried to eat Marlin and Dory until Nigel comes to the rescue to save the two from their demise. Though it is unknown if the creators changed Gerald's species from a pelican to a sea lion or if Gerald has any similar connection to his pelican counterpart.
The cruel treatment of the other sea lions toward Gerald drew controversy and criticism from many audiences, as it appeared that Gerald had an intellectual disability of some sort and his bullying was played for laughs. Pixar denied this, however, saying that Gerald was a caricature of a "playground nerd" who is victorious in the end. Alice Wong, a renderer for the film, even spoke up and said on Twitter that he is not disabled and has "his place in the sun".
Michael Sheen was originally going to voice Gerald in this film, as this would have been his second role for an animal in 2016 after voicing Nivins McTwisp in Alice Through the Looking Glass. However, even after Sheen revealed that his role was cut in March 2016, Gerald was still re-added in this film, though with no spoken dialogue other than his vocal effects provided by Torbin Xan Bullock.
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