Dolphin Tale

Inspired by the amazing true story of Winter.

2011 • 113 min • Drama · Family

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Synopsis

A sea of animal rescuers — and a lonely boy in need of a friend – nurse an injured dolphin back to health after it loses its tail in a trap.

Our family guide

Best from age 6

Movie Knight Score

691 reviews

100 Reviewers · 1 · 51%
69 Audience · 690 · 49%

A lonely boy finds purpose helping an injured dolphin, Winter, who lost her tail in a crab trap. A dedicated team of marine biologists, a prosthetics doctor, and volunteers work to save Winter, inspiring hope in their community. It’s a touching story of resilience and compassion, based on true events.

Violence & peril: 2/10
Language: 1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 0/10
Romance & sensuality: 0/10
Scary moments: 3/10

Heads up

Some sad moments as Winter struggles with her injury.
Brief scenes of medical procedures on the dolphin.
A character faces challenges related to a physical injury.

What it models well

Compassion for animals
Perseverance and resilience
Teamwork and community support
Finding hope in difficult situations

Talk about it after

How Winter’s story inspired others facing physical challenges.
The importance of protecting marine life and their habitats.
How people from different backgrounds can work together for a common goal.

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Dolphin Tale. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

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Top billed cast

Director: Charles Martin Smith • Crew: Karen Janszen, Noam Dromi

Trailers & clips

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
This was a decent watch, not for cinematic reasons per se but for making the world a better place. I watched this with my son, Julian, and I was pleased with how they took the true story, including the actual dolphin from it, and, especially for kids, promoted environmentalism, caring for animals, etc.--really solid and important aspects that need to be, more than ever, emphasized in the youth of today.…
talisencrw, TMDB Community