Flipper (1996)

Sandy Ricks is sent by his mom to Coral Key, a rustic island in the Florida keys, to spend the summer with his uncle Porter Ricks. Sandy dislikes everything about his new environment until ... See full summary »

Director:

Alan Shapiro

Writers:

Ricou Browning (story), Jack Cowden (story),

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Paul Hogan, Jonathan Banks

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elijah Wood	...	Sandy Ricks
Paul Hogan	...	Porter Ricks
Jonathan Banks	...	Dirk Moran
Robert Deacon	...	Bounty Fisherman #1
Ann Carey	...	Fisherman's Wife
Mark Casella	...	Bounty Fisherman #2
Luke Halpin	...	Bounty Fisherman #3
Bill Kelley	...	Tommy
Chelsea Field	...	Cathy
Jason Fuchs	...	Marvin
Lindsay Treco	...	Little Girl
Jessica Wesson	...	Kim
Mal Jones	...	Russ
Louis Seeger Crume	...	Mr. Dunnahy
Bill Nolan	...	Bartender

Storyline

Sandy Ricks is sent by his mom to Coral Key, a rustic island in the Florida keys, to spend the summer with his uncle Porter Ricks. Sandy dislikes everything about his new environment until a new friend comes into his life, a dolphin named Flipper, that brings uncle and nephew together and leads Sandy on the summer adventure of a lifetime.

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Plot Keywords:

summer | florida keys | florida | dolphin | ferry | 

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Taglines:

This summer it's finally safe to go back in the water.

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Genres:

Family | Adventure

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild language and menacing action

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flipper, to delfini

Filming Locations:

Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas

Box Office

Budget:

$25,530,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$213,370 (USA) (26 July 1996)

Gross:

£1,405,349 (UK) (16 August 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, American Films, Bubble Factory, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) DTS-Stereo (35 mm prints) DTS (35 mm prints) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Alan Shapiro originally wanted 'an entirely unknown' for the role of 'Kim'. However, felt that most of the girls that screen tested with Elijah Wood were too 'giggly'. He decided to cast someone with more experience.

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Goofs

When the boat is bearing down on the boy near the signal marker, the tracking radar shows it ahead of the boat but off to the right, at about the one o'clock position. As they close in on it, the distance on the radar gets shorter but it stays at the one-o'clock position. If they were heading straight toward it, it would be at the twelve o'clock position.

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Quotes

Uncle Porter: To live is to love. All reasons against it. All instincts for it.

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Connections

Referenced in Caroline in the City: Caroline and the Cold Sesame Noodles (1997)

User Reviews

Not "Free Willy", But A Good Family Film Never The Less

1996's remake of "Flipper" may not go down in history as the greatest family film of all time; however, for what it is, "Flipper" is still a pretty good, clean film for the whole family. It all starts when Sandy Ricks (a young Elijah Woods) is forced to spend his summer vacation with his Uncle Rick, (played by Crocodile Dundee himself, Paul Hogan) in the Flordia Keys, since his parents have recently divorced. Unhappy and resentful at first, things change for Sandy when he comes across that lovable and friendly dolphin, Flipper. But its not all fun, as we soon find out there are villains at work, in the form of shady fishermen and toxic waste dumper Dick Moran (played to slimy effect by Jonathan Banks) and by a particularly hungry hammerhead shark, nick named Scar. The story is told with very solid production, in the form of Elijah Woods and Paul Hogan, who make a great pair together, as two characters who come from different worlds but ultimately become close, beautiful underwater photography of the Florida Keys, amazing dolphin choreography, and decent writing. Now, a number of people have said that this was Hollywood's attempt to cash in on the "Free Willy" craze that was happening at the time and I'll admit, there may very well be some truth to that. However, "Flipper" is easily able to stand on it's own flipper (couldn't resist) without any mention of "Free Willy", which is remarkable considering that it is a remake. The film also features a good supporting cast, with Chelsea Field as the local scientist and love interest of Rick, Jessica Wesson as local girl, Kim, Jason Fuchs as Marvin, a shy genius, and in small role, Isaac Hayes as the town sheriff. It may not be "Free Willy", but that doesn't mean "Flipper" isn't worth watching. 8 out of 10.