The Movie
Based upon true events, Dolphin Tale introduces us to Winter, superstitiously named after a season for good luck, a plucky sea mammal who washes up on the beach, tangled in the rope from a fisherman's trap. A sad, lonely boy discovers and helps to rescue her, and the two quickly form a bond that elevates them both.
But Winter's injuries are severe, and soon the marine biologists caring for her have no choice but to amputate her tail, even though no dolphin has ever survived without one. She recovers well at first, but there are unexpected side effects that begin to threaten her life. For her to survive, she must learn to swim like she used to, but how?
A visit to a veterans' hospital soon sparks an idea: Winter will be fitted with an artificial tail. The challenges are great, money is scarce, the odds of success are slim, and when she rejects the first two attempts, hope virtually disappears. But let's just say that if this story ended sadly, it probably wouldn't have made it to the big 3D screen.
Under the guidance of gifted actor-turned-director Charles Martin Smith, Dolphin Tale possesses a tremendous, surprising amount of genuine emotion, so much so that if you or a loved one don't shed a tear or two, you might just want to get fitted for a prosthetic heart.
The Picture
Shot digitally in 3D, the 1.85:1 Dolphin Tale leans more toward an occasional haloing than the more drastic edge enhancement common to 2D-to-3D conversions. The stereoscopic illusion of depth is dynamic when it wants to be, particularly beneath the surface of the water, and more subtle but still appreciable at other times. One sequence really shows off the process as schematic line drawings float and evolve before our eyes.
The movie is further enhanced by a lot of deftly-integrated computer-generated special effects, because dolphins are intelligent creatures but they don't always take direction well. The image is also consistently clean and detailed.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack begins with a smart sonic depiction of Winter's erstwhile life under the sea, and subsequent scenes show off her clear, trebly, resonant "speech." In general I found the mix to be rather restrained however, music mixed into the rears somewhat, a bit of extension of the effects beyond the front soundstage, but not truly as immersive as I'd like. There's an enjoyable bit (sonically if not dramatically) with a toy helicopter, and later a pivotal hurricane brings genuine multichannel menace.
The Extras
The bonus features are located on the accompanying 2D Blu-ray, all in HD. We begin with an animated retelling of the "Hutash Rainbow Bridge" Native American folk tale (two-and-a-half minutes) from the movie, and are later treated to a new, unrelated animated short starring a pig named Ormie.
The filmmakers and real caregivers provide about 13 minutes of general insight on the movie in one segment, and we can also delve deeper into the production of the elaborate opening sequence (seven minutes). "Winter's Inspiration" (18 minutes) reveals more about the advancements in prosthetic devices, based on those originally created for her, as well sharing the hope that she continues to bring to amputees everywhere.
There's also a two-odd-minute deleted scene wherein Winter meets fellow dolphin Panama, plus a brief collection of bloopers. Disc Three is a DVD of Dolphin Tale, and the set also includes a unique unlock code for an UltraViolet Digital Copy of the movie.
Final Thoughts
A beautiful movie that families can enjoy together, Dolphin Tale might not be the absolute best 3D or 5.1 channel demo material, but it might just show off what your heart can do.
Product Details
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