Dolphin Tale was a rare children’s movie that made grown-ups happy to have tagged along to the theater. The fact-based story of how wounded dolphin Winter lost her tail to a trap but regained her life thanks to a prosthetic flipper is undeniably inspiring. The research that created her artificial tail has led to advances that have helped other animals and even people who have lost limbs.
Thankfully, Winter’s story didn’t end when the previous movie did, but the new account of her life in captivity isn’t as charming or inspiring as she is. As with the previous movie, Winter plays herself, but this time her human and aquatic co-stars don’t have the material they did last time.
Director Charles Martin Smith, who ably helmed the previous installment, is also credited with the script this time but he has trouble focusing the story. While the animals that young Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) and Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) rescue are still lovable, this new Tale moves as erratically as Winter did before receiving her prosthesis.
Winter’s story is complicated when the dolphin she shares a tank with dies suddenly. Dolphins are social animals, so finding her a suitable partner is essential. It’s also not easy. If another dolphin doesn’t like having Winter as a roommate, the situation can get violent. For that reason, it’s easy to see why Clay is hesitant to put Winter with the other patient under his care.
Playing roommate finder for a pair of wounded dolphins has some dramatic possibilities, but there are other subplots that keep the story from gaining momentum. Sawyer has been offered a valuable scholarship, but is hesitant to leave Winter when loneliness seems to be ruining her life. In addition, Clay’s daughter Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) is second guessing his judgments as a veterinarian and a father.
None of the people issues this time are as engaging as they were the last time around, which is a shame because the appeal of the previous movie was the way it blended Winter’s struggles with those of the people she encountered. This time around, high-dollar actors like Kris Kristofferson, Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd are used as placeholders. It’s hard to get worked up over the fate of the people because they simply aren’t as interesting.
To be fair, even an Oscar winner like Freeman would be hard pressed to match the appeal of a sea turtle or a delightfully goofy pelican. There’s also a charming scene where surfer Bethany Hamilton plays herself and bonds with Winter. (Hamilton famously lost her arm to a shark attack — a story told in the 2011 film Soul Surfer — and the scene is undeniably moving.)
The movie ends with footage of the actual rescued animals being returned to the wild. That’s considerably more edifying than a Hollywood remake.
Dolphin Tale 2
78 PG Another true story inspired by the life of Winter the dolphin (a resident of the Clearwater, Fla., Marine Aquarium who plays herself in the film), with a new baby dolphin named Hope who was rescued by the aquarium in 2010. With Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Kris Kristofferson, Ashley Judd; directed by Charles Martin Smith. (107 minutes)