Dolphin Tale
Warner Bros. has announced that St. Petersburg/Clearwater’s most famous resident, Winter the dolphin, will return to the silver screen once more in September 2014 for a sequel called Dolphin Tale 2.
Inspired by the true-life events of a plucky little dolphin who tragically lost her tail in a crab trap and was fitted with a prosthetic tail to help her swim, the original Dolphin Tale was released in 2011 and had a glittering cast including Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, who are rumoured to be returning for the sequel.
The plot for the second adventure will focus on Winter’s relationship with another injured dolphin calf called Hope who was also rescued close to the spot where Winter was originally discovered.
Together with her dolphin companion, Panama, Winter plays a huge part in Hope’s recovery and just like Dolphin Tale, this sequel is a fictionalised account of real-life events.
All of the dolphins in Dolphin Tale 2 are permanent residents at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium located in the Floridian community of Clearwater. It was during the wrap party of the original Dolphin Tale that the team learnt of a stranded dolphin who they later named Hope.
The film is currently in pre-production with Alcon Entertainment who handled the original film and will be once again directed by Charles Martin Smith.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium offers visitors the opportunity to meet Winter and go behind the scenes with its exhibit, Winter’s Dolphin Tale Adventure.
With recreated scenes, film sets, images and a variety of authentic props used in the film, the exhibit also showcases early prosthetic prototypes which were created in the quest to craft a successful artificial tail for Winter.
With an annual average of 361 days of sunshine and 35 miles of white-sand beaches, St. Petersburg Clearwater will no doubt appeal to UK visitors, while an average sea temperature of 75 degrees (24°C) provides year-round opportunities for swimming, sailing, kayaking, fishing and stand up paddling.
St. Petersburg Clearwater is also conveniently located just 30 minutes from Busch Gardens in Tampa and 90 minutes from Walt Disney World, making it the perfect destination for families.