Dolphin Tale

Director: Charles Martin Smith Charles Martin Smith

Overview

"Must enter redemption code by expiration date to redeem UltraViolet offer. Does not include iTunes file."

Product Details

Release Date:	12/20/2011
UPC:	0883929191680
Original Release:	2011
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:53:00
Sales rank:	6,647

Special Features

Ormie and the Cookie Jar: Original Animated Short; Gag Reel

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Harry Connick Jr.	Clay
Ashley Judd	Lorraine
Nathan Gamble	Sawyer
Kris Kristofferson	Reed Haskett
Cozi Zuehlsdorff	Hazel
Morgan Freeman	Dr. Cameron McCarthy
Austin Stowell	Kyle Connellan
Frances Sternhagen	Gloria Forrest
Austin Highsmith	Phoebe
Betsy Landin	Kat
Juliana Harkavy	Rebecca
Megan Lozicki	Brittany
Jim Fitzpatrick	Max Connellan
Kim Ostrenko	Alyce Connellan
Michael Roark	Donovan Peck
Richard Libertini	Fisherman
Ray McKinnon	Mr. Doyle
Ashley White	Sandra Sinclair
Tom Nowicki	Philip J. Hordern
Rus Blackwell	Coach Vansky
Marc Macaulay	Board Member Fitch
Jennifer De Castroverde	Board Member Marx
Denise Durette	Board Member Christina
Vivian Ruiz	Virginia
Laila Harris	Little Girl in Wheelchair
Kurt Yaeger	Veteran Tim
Mike Maki	Veteran Mike
Mike Pniewski	Actor
Nicholas Turner Martin	Bully #1
Carlos Guerrero Jr.	Bully #2
Paul Amadi	Kyle's Friend
Charlotte Connick	Hordern Grandchild,Actor
Winter	Winter
Abby Stone	Winter Trainer
Cat Rust	Panama Trainer
Elaina Franklin	Dolphin Trainer
Karl Walter Lindenlaub	Actor
Charles Martin Smith	Actor
Mark Isham	Actor,Composer
Richard Ingber	Actor
Karen Janszen	Actor
Noam Dromi	Actor
Andrew A. Kosove	Actor
Steven P. Wegner	Actor
Stacy Ann Rose	Little Girl's Mother

Technical Credits

Charles Martin Smith

Noam Dromi

Karen Janszen

Charles Martin Smith	Director,Screenwriter
Noam Dromi	Screenwriter
Karen Janszen	Screenwriter
Richard Ingber	Producer
Broderick Johnson	Producer
Andrew Kosove	Producer,Producer
Robert Engelman	Executive Producer
Steven P. Wegner	Executive Producer,Producer
Kerry Barden	Casting
Paul Schnee	Casting
Ricou Browning	Stunts
Laura Pinto	Script Supervisor
Scott Clements	Sound Mixer
Howard Berger	Special Effects
Greg Nicotero	Special Effects
Christopher S. Aud	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Keith Bilderbeck	Sound Effects
Ian Herzon	Sound Effects
Roland Thai	Sound Effects
Yolanda T. Cochran	Producer
Keith Melton	Producer
Kelly Cabral	Sound Effects
Rick Canelli	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Dolphin Tale is a heartwarming family film inspired by the true story of an adorable bottlenose dolphin named Winter, who was rescued by a young boy off the Florida coast and taken in by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Sure, the story of a boy and his animal friend is a familiar -- if not dated -- trope, but it works reasonably well here thanks to the earnestness that director Charles Martin Smith brings to the project. He turns Dolphin Tale into the kind of movie that gives "family friendly" a good name, and he does it without compromising the core of the real Winter's experiences -- first surviving without a tail, then learning to use a prosthetic appendage, and finally serving as an inspiration for children and adults with disabilities. The film centers on Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble), a young boy dealing with the absence of his father and spending a summer without any friends. Things change when he finds Winter, an injured dolphin who lost her tail after being tangled in a crab trap. Sawyer, along with veterinarian Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) and Clay's daughter Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff), rescues the mammal and brings her to the marine hospital, where he decides to spend the summer helping with Winter's recovery. Eventually, Sawyer's dedication inspires a local doctor (Morgan Freeman), who agrees to design a prosthetic tail for Winter. While Dolphin Tale boasts an impressive cast -- Ashley Judd plays Sawyer's struggling single mother (who strikes up a romantic relationship with Haskett), Kris Kristofferson makes an appearance as Haskett's grizzled, preachy father, and Freeman plays the cranky military doctor with a sentimental side -- the film's soul lies with the mutually dependent relationship between a troubled preteen and his marine-mammal BFF. Winter is captivating on camera both within the narrative of the film and in documentary footage showcasing Winter interacting with people with disabilities. The underwater sequences are stunning, capturing the unique playfulness of dolphins (with a little CGI help), and they even utilize some effective point-of-view shots from the dolphin, which lends a sense of authenticity to an otherwise predictable story. Ultimately, Dolphin Tale is a comforting throw back to classic family films from the Disney vault, in which the kids are polite, the adults have all the answers, and there's no problem a little good-hearted TLC and dedication can't solve.