Dolphin Tale (2011)

A story centered on the friendship between a boy and a dolphin whose tail was lost in a crab trap.

Director:

Charles Martin Smith

Writers:

Karen Janszen, Noam Dromi

Stars:

Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harry Connick Jr.	...	Dr. Clay Haskett
Ashley Judd	...	Lorraine Nelson
Nathan Gamble	...	Sawyer Nelson
Kris Kristofferson	...	Reed Haskett
Cozi Zuehlsdorff	...	Hazel Haskett
Morgan Freeman	...	Dr. Cameron McCarthy
Austin Stowell	...	Kyle Connellan
Frances Sternhagen	...	Gloria Forrest
Austin Highsmith	...	Phoebe
Betsy Landin	...	Kat
Michael Roark	...	Donovan Peck
Juliana Harkavy	...	Rebecca
Megan Lozicki	...	Brittany
Tom Nowicki	...	Philip J. Hordern
Jim Fitzpatrick	...	Max Connellan

Storyline

A lonely and friendless boy finds and untangles a hurt dolphin that is caught in a crab trap. He becomes very attached to the dolphin when the tail must be taken off to save the dolphin's life. The boy believes the dolphin would be able to swim normally if it was given a prosthetic tail.

---

Plot Keywords:

dolphin | boy | tail | trap | prosthetics | 

---

Taglines:

Inspired by the amazing true story of Winter

---

Genres:

Drama | Family

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Winter, O Golfinho

Filming Locations:

Admiral Farragut Academy, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$19,152,401 (USA) (23 September 2011)

Gross:

$72,279,690 (USA) (20 January 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcon Entertainment, Arc Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This marks the third picture that Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman have worked on together, following High Crimes and Kiss the Girls.

---

Goofs

When the news channel shows Winter, there is footage of the dolphin being lifted into the truck at the beach. At the beginning, when the dolphin was first rescued, there were only the rescuers and the boy, but one of the rescuers did have a camera and was filming the events.

---

Quotes

Hazel Haskett: What does your dad do?
Sawyer Nelson: I don't know. He left like 5 years ago. We don't know where he is. He never calls, never writes.
Hazel Haskett: Oh.
Sawyer Nelson: So what does your mom do?
Hazel Haskett: She died when I was 7. Never calls, never writes.
[smiles]

---

Connections

Referenced in South Park: Ass Burgers (2011)

User Reviews

What a great film!

Congrat's Charlie Smith, you've done it again. Congrat's Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson...and Bob Engelman. I've been a part of a lot of films in our industry, as an actress, a choreographer, a director...and there are only a handful of great films you can point too, that you can watch over and over and over, and it never gets old. Dolphin Tale will be added to that list. From Morgan Freeman to Ashley Judd, all of the actors were phenomenal. The child actor Nathan Gamble pours his little heart into this one, and will become the new it young actor. Harry Connick Jr. is the dad of all dads, and the young actress Cozi Zuehlsdorff will will eventually become a wonderful little actress if she stays away from troublemakers in the industry. There were also a lot of successful actors in the supporting cast that helped make this film one for the ages. like, Frances Sternhagen, Kris Kristofferson, Ray McKinnon, Jim Fitzpatrick, Marc Macauly and Richard Libertini. And last but not least Winter. If you love animals and/or Dolphins..you too will love Dolphin Tale!