Dolphin Tale 2, starring Harry Connick Jr. as Dr. Clay Haskett, Morgan Freeman as Dr. Cameron McCarthy and the dolphin with the prosthetic tail, Winter, as herself, is a continuation of Winter’s story as told in the original 2011 blockbuster movie.
Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Harry Connick Jr. and Morgan Freeman give a heartfelt performance in Dolphin Tale 2.
Winter is a bottlenose dolphin who was found caught in a crab trap on Dec. 10, 2005. The injuries she sustained demanded the amputation of her tail.
Without her tail, Winter was forced to swim abnormally, causing damage to her spinal cord.
Fortunately, a prosthetist was able to design a new tail, giving her a second chance at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
This family drama of loss, love and hope is based on the actual events following Winter’s rescue. When Winter’s pool-mate Panama passes away, the clock starts for the CMA team to find her a new companion.
According to USDA regulations, Winter cannot be kept in a pool on her own, as dolphins’ social behavior requires that they be paired with other dolphins.
USDA officials threaten to transfer Winter to an aquarium in Texas if the team cannot find a new companion for her quickly.
Five years and one day after Winter was rescued, another female bottlenose dolphin, Hope, is rescued at just a couple of months old.
The mission of CMA is to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release, but with Winter’s disability and without a mother to teach Hope the ways of the wild, neither one can be released back into the ocean.
Hope is Winter’s only hope to remain at CMA, but the question arises, “Will Winter and Hope accept each other?”
I give Dolphin Tale 2 a perfect score. It’s a great choice whether you’re out with the kids or even for date night.
I walked into the theater with a yawn, but with the emotional relationships among Winter, Sawyer and Hope and the comic relief from a crazy pelican named “Rufus” and Dr. McCarthy, I walked out with teary eyes and a laugh.
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