Anybody who adored "Dolphin Tale" will like "Dolphin Tale 2," an above-average sequel that resumes where the original aquatic opus concluded. Family friendly films are often far too sentimental for their own good. As hopelessly heartwarming as "Dolphin Tale" was, the filmmakers maintained greater documentary realism than most animal epics. An inspirational yarn, "Dolphin Tale" chronicled the real-life escapades of Winter, a bottle-nosed female dolphin that had lost its tail in a crab trap. A group of marine biologists rescued Winter and later equipped her with a prosthetic tail that enabled her to survive and thrive in captivity. Indeed, "Stone of Destiny" writer & director Charles Martin Smith used the actual dolphin that had lost its tail flipper instead of employing computer generated imagery. Happily, he doesn't tamper with the winning formula of the first film. Another essential part of that formula was assembling the entire original cast again. Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., Kris Kristofferson, Austin Stowell, and Tom Nowicki are back as the principal players, though some garner considerably less screen time than others. Naturally, the appealing adolescent leads, Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) and Hazel Haskett (Cozi Zuehlsdorff), have grown up. Meanwhile, a couple of new seafaring creatures have been added: Mandy the dolphin and Mavis the sea turtle. Of course, Rufus the rowdy pelican supplies most of the comic relief. Comparably, however, "Dolphin Tale 2" isn't as delightful as its stalwart predecessor. The major source of conflict in "Dolphin Tale" was whether Winter would accept a man-made replica of her tail after the veterinarians had amputated her real tail. Smith doesn't generate nearly as much melodrama and suspense with "Dolphin Tale 2" as he did with "Free Willy 2" scenarist Karen Janszen and freshman scribe Noam Dromi in the entertaining 2011 outing. Nevertheless, the characters remain just as sympathetic, and each evolves in terms of character. Not only does Smith generate conflict between the humans, but he also forges clashes between the dolphins.
If you missed the original "Dolphin," you won't be able to appreciate the chaos Dr. Clay (Harry Connick Jr.), his daughter Hazel, and their co-workers confronted. Not only did the fate of Winter hang in the balance throughout "Dolphin Tale," but also the survival of the Clearwater Marine Hospital. The marine hospital was wallowing in debt with no salvation in sight. Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman of "Driving Miss Daisy") struggled twice to equip Winter with a prosthetic tail that the dolphin would accept before he succeeded with the third try. Meantime, Sawyer and Hazel came up with an Internet campaign with Winter as their star attraction to save the facility. Although the public turned out by the thousands to cheer Winter, Dr. Clay learned too late that his Board of Trustees had sold the facility to millionaire Phillip J Hordern (Tom Nowicki of "Flight") who wanted it shut down. The media blitz and the overwhelming public response to Winter convinced Hordern to change his mind. At fade out, Hordern gave Dr. Clay the autonomy to run the hospital without his interference. As "Dolphin Tale 2" unfolds, everything appears sunny. Winter has become a sensation. Nathan and Hazel are older and restless to take on greater responsibilities. The mission of the Clearwater Marine Hospital had always been to rescue, rehab, and release the animals after those critters reacquired their ability to fend for themselves. Since she relies on a prosthetic tail, Winter cannot return to the wild. According to an official with the USDA, Winter had to be paired up with another dolphin. Winter's partner has been a 40-year old dolphin named Panama who had served as a surrogate mom. Predictably, things take a tragic turn when Panama perishes from old age. Winter goes into grief and refuses to perform. Worse, at one point, she retaliates in her grief against Nathan. Winter catches Nathan off guard and rams him. Nathan winds up with bruises galore and a brace on his right arm. Since Winter has withdrawn from the public, attendance has fallen off at the Clearwater facility. Furthermore, the USDA writes up Dr. Clay for not replacing Panama with another dolphin. Things take a turn for the better when the aquarium rescues a beached dolphin suffering from sunburn. They dub this dolphin Mandy. Nathan and Hazel pin their hopes on Mandy as Winter's new partner. Dr. Clay has to shoot down those hopes. As the receipts continue to plunge and the citations pile up, Dr. Clay finds Phillip J. Hordern is breathing down his neck. Indeed, "Dolphin Tale 2" sloshes about in turmoil for a while. Nevertheless, everything ends happily ever after, though you may find your kids and yourself on the edge of your seat before all's well.
Mind you, Winter remains the focus of "Dolphin Tale 2," but things don't get as desperately out of whack as they did in the original. While it doesn't kindle as much melodrama, "Dolphin Tale 2" never sinks into terminal sap. A few genuinely suspenseful moments occur during this 107-minute feature-length film. The Motion Picture Association of America gave "Dolphin Tale 2" a PG-rating for what it terms "some mild thematic elements." The death of Winter's dolphin partner Panama is depicted as immaculately as possible. Panama simply sinks to the bottom of the aquarium and divers descend to retrieve her. Some tense moments take place after Dr. Clay and company release another dolphin and several mysterious marine creatures show up on sonar in response to the release. Meanwhile, Hazel grows increasingly irate with her stubborn father because he refuses to let her participate in a greater capacity. Believe me, "Dolphin Tale 2" could have gotten really soggy with sentiment. Director Charles Martin Smith keeps it swimming smoothly to a shimmering conclusion, despite some rough seas during the final half-hour. Like "Dolphin Tale," "Dolphin Tale 2" wraps up with documentary footage about the new animal characters that joined Winter for the sequel.
If you missed the original "Dolphin," you won't be able to appreciate the chaos Dr. Clay (Harry Connick Jr.), his daughter Hazel, and their co-workers confronted. Not only did the fate of Winter hang in the balance throughout "Dolphin Tale," but also the survival of the Clearwater Marine Hospital. The marine hospital was wallowing in debt with no salvation in sight. Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman of "Driving Miss Daisy") struggled twice to equip Winter with a prosthetic tail that the dolphin would accept before he succeeded with the third try. Meantime, Sawyer and Hazel came up with an Internet campaign with Winter as their star attraction to save the facility. Although the public turned out by the thousands to cheer Winter, Dr. Clay learned too late that his Board of Trustees had sold the facility to millionaire Phillip J Hordern (Tom Nowicki of "Flight") who wanted it shut down. The media blitz and the overwhelming public response to Winter convinced Hordern to change his mind. At fade out, Hordern gave Dr. Clay the autonomy to run the hospital without his interference. As "Dolphin Tale 2" unfolds, everything appears sunny. Winter has become a sensation. Nathan and Hazel are older and restless to take on greater responsibilities. The mission of the Clearwater Marine Hospital had always been to rescue, rehab, and release the animals after those critters reacquired their ability to fend for themselves. Since she relies on a prosthetic tail, Winter cannot return to the wild. According to an official with the USDA, Winter had to be paired up with another dolphin. Winter's partner has been a 40-year old dolphin named Panama who had served as a surrogate mom. Predictably, things take a tragic turn when Panama perishes from old age. Winter goes into grief and refuses to perform. Worse, at one point, she retaliates in her grief against Nathan. Winter catches Nathan off guard and rams him. Nathan winds up with bruises galore and a brace on his right arm. Since Winter has withdrawn from the public, attendance has fallen off at the Clearwater facility. Furthermore, the USDA writes up Dr. Clay for not replacing Panama with another dolphin. Things take a turn for the better when the aquarium rescues a beached dolphin suffering from sunburn. They dub this dolphin Mandy. Nathan and Hazel pin their hopes on Mandy as Winter's new partner. Dr. Clay has to shoot down those hopes. As the receipts continue to plunge and the citations pile up, Dr. Clay finds Phillip J. Hordern is breathing down his neck. Indeed, "Dolphin Tale 2" sloshes about in turmoil for a while. Nevertheless, everything ends happily ever after, though you may find your kids and yourself on the edge of your seat before all's well.
Mind you, Winter remains the focus of "Dolphin Tale 2," but things don't get as desperately out of whack as they did in the original. While it doesn't kindle as much melodrama, "Dolphin Tale 2" never sinks into terminal sap. A few genuinely suspenseful moments occur during this 107-minute feature-length film. The Motion Picture Association of America gave "Dolphin Tale 2" a PG-rating for what it terms "some mild thematic elements." The death of Winter's dolphin partner Panama is depicted as immaculately as possible. Panama simply sinks to the bottom of the aquarium and divers descend to retrieve her. Some tense moments take place after Dr. Clay and company release another dolphin and several mysterious marine creatures show up on sonar in response to the release. Meanwhile, Hazel grows increasingly irate with her stubborn father because he refuses to let her participate in a greater capacity. Believe me, "Dolphin Tale 2" could have gotten really soggy with sentiment. Director Charles Martin Smith keeps it swimming smoothly to a shimmering conclusion, despite some rough seas during the final half-hour. Like "Dolphin Tale," "Dolphin Tale 2" wraps up with documentary footage about the new animal characters that joined Winter for the sequel.