Movie Review: Dolphin Tale 2

Dolphin Tale 2 movie review by yes/no films


I reviewed the first Dolphin Tale back in 2011, and was a little surprised to find out that a sequel was being made, since the first movie wrapped things up nicely. In this installment, Winter needs a new dolphin companion, since her previous companion passes away (at age 40, which is old for dolphins!). Most of the cast from the first movie is back, too, and I actually enjoyed it more than the previous film.

Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) is still running the CMA (Clearwater Marina Aquarium) and things are going well, until Panama, their eldest dolphin, passes away. This puts Winter into a depression, and she even goes as far to accidentally attack Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), another CMA employee and a friend of Winter's. The CMA must find a new companion for Winter and they think they've found it in Mandy, a dolphin that they rescue from the ocean, but Mandy is soon well enough to be released. At the same time, Sawyer has been accepted to a "Sea Semester," which is an academic cruise that departs from Boston, and he has to decide if he can leave Winter and should go on the trip, as it's a big opportunity for him - only one gifted high school student is chosen per year to go.

The best part of this movie were, of course, the animals. My favorites were actually Mavis the turtle, who they rescue from the ocean (she was tangled up in some nets) and Mavis's "friend," Rufus the pelican, who wants to follow Mavis everywhere, and perpetually annoys the CMA staff and tourists. The dolphins were also cute in this film, including Winter, the dolphin from the first movie who wears a prosthetic tale that Dr. McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) has fashioned for her.

Yes, see this movie. It's definitely family-friendly, and although there are some maudlin and/or not-well-written parts of the script, overall it's a movie that I did enjoy. The film takes place in Clearwater, Florida, as well, and has some nice views of the ocean and areas surrounding the CMA. Kids of all ages will like this film because of the animals in it, but it also has themes and a plot that adults will enjoy, too.

Dolphin Tale 2 is in theaters today, September 12th, and is rated PG with a runtime of 107 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.

Comments

  1. Brandy M. September 12, 2014 at 10:02 AM

    This looks like such a cute movie. I think my oldest is ready to watch it so I need to get my hands on the first one so that we can be caught up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shelley Zurek -- Still Blonde after all these YEARSSeptember 12, 2014 at 10:02 AM

    I love feel good family films like this but was interested to see if they could pull it off. I was surprised at the stars in this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz ParkerSeptember 12, 2014 at 10:03 AM

      Morgan Freeman unfortunately isn't in this one that much vs. the first one (he has a cameo appearance) but the stars were good in it.

      Delete
  3. GeekDad248September 12, 2014 at 11:15 AM

    I watched the original movie with my kids last night and they were asking to go see the sequel in the theaters. Appreciate your review giving me some guidance on whether it is worth the price of admission for our family of four.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Katy RoseSeptember 12, 2014 at 11:17 AM

    I haven't seen this one or the first one, but it's been on my list to watch for awhile. The posters for the second one look good. - katy

    ReplyDelete
  5. StephanieSeptember 12, 2014 at 11:52 AM

    I'm glad to hear you liked it better than the 1st one. My girls have been begging to see it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lindsey ClairSeptember 12, 2014 at 12:12 PM

    I totally want to take my girls to see this. As part of the Homeschool movie club this one was highly recommended. Thanks for the great review!

    ReplyDelete
  7. brokenteepeeSeptember 12, 2014 at 1:44 PM

    I didn't see the first one but I read several good reviews for it. It's hard to watch movies with slow DSL

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownSeptember 12, 2014 at 1:49 PM

    I saw this preview in the theaters the other day. It looked pretty good although my boys didn't seem too interested.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Katherine BartlettSeptember 12, 2014 at 2:14 PM

    I saw the first one and loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. DetroitDuchessSeptember 12, 2014 at 2:18 PM

    This sounds really cute. I need to borrow someone's kids and go see it, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  11. SavingsInSecondsSeptember 12, 2014 at 6:43 PM

    We're planning to see it this weekend. Normally we wait until movies come out on DVD but the kids have been begging for this one!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ann Marie DelFabSeptember 12, 2014 at 10:52 PM

    I didn't get to see the first movie but this sounds so cute and the previews looked adorable!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Heavenly SavingsSeptember 12, 2014 at 11:00 PM

    I can not wait to see this movie! My daughter loved the first one!

    ReplyDelete
  14. UnknownSeptember 13, 2014 at 10:55 AM

    I can't wait to see it! In June we were in Clearwater and got to see Winter and Hope at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownSeptember 15, 2014 at 12:14 AM

    Planning on checking this out ASAP. I went to see Winter a couple of years ago. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Charity CramSeptember 15, 2014 at 6:30 PM

    I look forward to seeing this movie! I wish there were more family friendly films!

    ReplyDelete
  17. kmcgrew213September 17, 2014 at 4:13 PM

    i love Harry Connick Jr! and i love the cover- very beautiful!

    ReplyDelete

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