Dolphin Tale

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Dolphin Tale

PG,

2011,

1h 53m,

Kids & Family/

Drama/

Adventure

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Watchlist

81%

112 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

112 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

While swimming free in the ocean, a young dolphin gets caught in a trap and severely damages her tail. Though she is rescued and transported to Clearwater Marine Hospital, her tail cannot be saved, and the prognosis is dire. What the dolphin, now named Winter, needs is a miracle. She gets that miracle in the form of a marine biologist (Harry Connick Jr.), a prosthetics designer (Morgan Freeman), and a devoted boy (Nathan Gamble), who find a way to help Winter swim again.

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Critics Consensus

Wisely dialing down the schmaltz, Dolphin Tale is earnest, sweet, and well-told, a rare family film that both kids and parents can enjoy.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Oct 14, 2011

3/5

Don't expect miracles but this is about a kind of miracle and doesn't sentimentalise it to death.

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Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

Oct 14, 2011

2/5

Two hours of redemptive hugs, triumphant whoops and tearful smiles later we learn that pinning a tail on a dolphin is, on the scale of human achievement, not far behind winning the Nobel Peace Prize and discovering a cure for cancer.

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Michael Hann

Guardian

Oct 13, 2011

3/5

It's easy to roll one's eyes at Dolphin Tale, which is heavy on swelling music and how children - aw, shucks! - can teach adults a thing or two about holding on to hope.

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Jason Best

Movie Talk

Dec 6, 2020

Director Charles Martin Smith tugs a little too hard on the viewer's heartstrings, but Freeman's shrewd underplaying prevents the film from drowning in schmaltz.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 6, 2020

3.5/4.0

The real message of Dolphin Tale is that families aren't just families of birth but families of choice.

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Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

Apr 17, 2020

3/5

A nice little outing for young nature enthusiasts, even if the performances are uniformly stilted. Except for the lead role, which, remarkably, is played by the real Winter herself!

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Kylo R

Mar 28, 2018

A nice and sweet family friendly film.

Hagrid P

Aug 13, 2017

Although you're likely to guess how the film's going to end, especially if your children read a book also regarding the same true story, Dolphin Tale is better than the average biopic. It has a great heart, sweet yet well-told storytelling, good performances mainly from the two adorable kids, with none of that soppy romance nonsense...just great friendship, an inspiring message and even some unexpected laughs. Gotta lighten the mood every now and then, do we not? Most audiences will enjoy it, regardless of age, but I think it'll appeal the most to people who had to have their limbs amputated. One thing I'll truly give the filmmakers credit for is that they cast the actual Winter to play the Winter seen in the movie. It's not a specially trained dolphin, it's the real Winter. Even if biopics aren't your thing, I have a feeling Dolphin Tale just might win you over. Not too sure about the sequel, though.

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Abraham L

Aug 3, 2017

This movie wasn't terrible it was just boring at parts but the dolphins are really cute and the scenes with the dolphins are cute

Albus W

Feb 17, 2017

It's good movie to watch

Harry S

Apr 25, 2016

A humble performance by Nathan Gamble leads this enjoyable comedy-drama film and draws us in enough to endure the sappier scenes.

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Leia W

Oct 4, 2011

https://sites.google.com/view/ttbreviews/our-company/dolphin-tale

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Charles Martin Smith

Director

Harry Connick Jr.

Dr. Clay Haskett

Ashley Judd

Lorraine Nelson

Nathan Gamble

Sawyer

Kris Kristofferson

Reed Haskett

Cozi Zuehlsdorff

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Synopsis

While swimming free in the ocean, a young dolphin gets caught in a trap and severely damages her tail. Though she is rescued and transported to Clearwater Marine Hospital, her tail cannot be saved, and the prognosis is dire. What the dolphin, now named Winter, needs is a miracle. She gets that miracle in the form of a marine biologist (Harry Connick Jr.), a prosthetics designer (Morgan Freeman), and a devoted boy (Nathan Gamble), who find a way to help Winter swim again.

Director: Charles Martin Smith
Producer: Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Richard Ingber
Screenwriter: Karen Janszen, Noam Dromi
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Alcon Entertainment
Rating: PG (Some Mild Thematic Elements)
Genre: Kids & Family, Drama, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 15, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $72.3M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital

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