In an era of arbitrary holidays, what's one more?
In honor of Finding Dory's digital release on Oct. 25 and Blu-ray/DVD release on Nov. 15, Ed O'Neill—voice of Hank the septopus—has announced a new holiday inspired by his character. "While you may think Dory is the star of this movie, Hank actually has his own day. It's not Oct. 8: World Octopus Day. It's Friday, Oct. 7. We celebrate World Septopus Day. Seven tentacles. Get it?" he jokes. "Why in the world would I want to celebrate with everyone else on Oct. 8?"
In addition to O'Neill, Albert Brooks, Ty Burrell, Ellen DeGeneres, Idris Elba, Alexander Gould, Bill Hader, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Kate McKinnon, Kaitlin Olson, Bob Peterson, Hayden Rolence, Sigourney Weaver and Dominic West and more lent their voices to Finding Dory.
Hank was the breakout character from the biggest blockbuster of 2016. Thirteen years passed between the releases of Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, and now, audiences are hoping that Disney•Pixar will give Hank a standalone film. It's not an impossibility, either. "I've spent eight years with fish. I really don't need to spend another four," Andrew Stanton, director of both films, recently told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I'm hoping somebody else will pick up the mantle and run with it. Everybody wants Finding Hank—everybody I talk to! So, we'll see."
In the meantime, fans can celebrate World Septopus Day before Finding Dory's home release.