Dolphin Tale 2

Dolphin Tale 2 is a 2014 American family film written and directed by Charles Martin Smith as the sequel to his 2011 film Dolphin Tale which in-turn was based on the true story about a rescued bottlenose dolphin named Winter who made her final on-screen appearance in this film before her death in November 2021. In addition to Winter, most of the cast from the first film also reprise their roles including Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Kris Kristofferson, Morgan Freeman, Austin Stowell, Tom Nowicki, Austin Highsmith, Betsy Landin and Juliana Harkavy while Hope made her film debut. It was released on September 12, 2014, and tells the story of another dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium named "Hope". After Winter's elderly companion and surrogate mother, Panama, dies, Winter's future is in jeopardy, unless Sawyer, Clay, Hazel, and the rest of the team can find a new companion for her. The film received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics and grossed $57.8 million. Plot Three years after saving Winter, the staff at Clearwater Marine Aquarium rescue a severely sunburned beached dolphin, named Mandy after a little girl who finds her. Sawyer, now aged fourteen, is offered a scholarship to the elite SEA Semester program, which involves three months at sea doing marine mammal research, after impressing his cousin Kyle's advisor Dr. Miguel Arroyo when champion surfer Bethany Hamilton swims with him and Winter. Sawyer is reluctant to go because he is concerned about leaving Winter. Winter needs attention and shows signs of stress and loneliness, especially after her older companion, Panama, dies from old age. Acting on Rufus the pelican’s erratic behavior one morning, Sawyer and Hazel find and rescue a sea turtle from some fishing line. Rufus becomes obsessed with the sea turtle, named Mavis, to the point he even watches her during a CT scan at the hospital where Lorraine works. George Hatton, a USDA inspector, insists that Winter must be matched with a new companion within 30 days or be transferred elsewhere. However, Winter's behavior has become unpredictable, even dangerous; when Sawyer tries to get her out of the tank to prepare to make her a new prosthetic tail, she becomes aggressive and knocks him into the water, injuring him. Dr. Clay prohibits Sawyer from swimming with Winter until further notice.