Dolphin Tale 2
2.5 Waffles!

“Inspired” by the true story, Dolphin Tale 2 takes us back to Clearwater, Florida to check in on our favorite dolphin with a prosthetic tale, Winter.

It’s a few years later, all of the kids have grown up, and Winter is facing a couple losses.

Her dolphin pal, Panama, has passed away, which has put her into a depression.

Also, her human pal, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), has been accepted into a three month program in the Caribbean for gifted kids who want to learn more about marine biology (He’s not sure he will go, but c’mon! Three months in the Caribbean?!?! I should have worked harder in school).

Of course, all of this is leading to disaster for the aquarium housing Winter and rescuing other marine life. With her depression becoming overwhelming and no such thing as dolphin Zoloft, Winter’s health is deteriorating at a rapid pace. If Dr. Haskett (Harry Connick, Jr.) can’t find another dolphin to pair her with and lift her spirits, Winter will have to be moved to another facility, which will bring an end to their aquarium and the relationships all of the workers have with the special dolphin.

Then, they find a baby dolphin!

Will this new dolphin be compatible with Winter?

Don’t even start to worry. You know how this is going to end.

No one involved with Dolphin Tale 2 wants to worry you and your kids with all sorts of nasty talk about dolphins being moved and relationships being torn asunder. Writer/director Charles Martin Smith wants you to be blown away by how cute everything is in Dolphin Tale 2.

The dolphin is cute.

The turtle is cute.

The pelican is cute.

The kids are cute.

The baby dolphin … OH MY MY THAT BABY DOLPHIN IS CUTE! It’s adorable.

Even Morgan Freeman returns as the old codgery engineer, and he’s cute with all of his one-liners and sage wisdom!

Smith doesn’t hold back with the schmaltz or the forced, contrived drama either as we are subjected to an unnecessary tween love triangle, and a huge, time wasting story about another dolphin that turns out to be the red herring in this dolphin tale (and we know it’s a red herring because every ad and trailer for the movie showed you it’s all about whether or not the super cute, adorable baby dolphin will be Winter’s new buddy!). It all adds up to failed attempts to add some conflict when it is not needed. Just stick with being cute!

Smith should have cut that stuff out and made Dolphin Tale 2 into a solid, quick moving, cute 90-minute movie, because you have to be the second coming of Hitler or Ray Rice not to have your heart warmed by all of that cuteness.

You know the audience will get all wrapped up in the aquarium’s conundrum and root for that super cute and adorable baby dolphin (named Hope!) to warm up to Winter and save the day.

You know the audience will want to see Sawyer take off on that super awesome three month trip.

We’re probably even rooting for Sawyer to wake up and realize his gal pal, Hazel (Cozi “I should have adopted a stage name” Zuehlsdorff), has a huge crush on him, and we didn’t need the little love triangle to make it clear (but, I guess Sawyer needed it to be made clear, we’ll have to talk about the ending after you see the movie).

Despite the negatives, Dolphin Tale 2 is so cute you have to be won over by the movie. The smallest of kids might need to be taught a little lesson about the circle of life to get through a couple intense moments, but this is a winner for someone who wants to take the family, or just go solo and soak in the super adorable cuteness.

Dolphin Tale 2 is rated PG for some mild thematic elements.