Struggling against saving Winter, Dr Clay Hasket and his team of brilliants, who go on a mission three years ago to save Winter, now, after the death of her mother, Tamara, has died, the thing that challenges her, so the team goes in another mission to save her.
Some angst away from the dolphin tank feels like padding, but there's enough bona fide narrative to please tomorrow's marine biologists and their parents.
You know how this ends, right? Of course you know how this ends. So the point of the film isn't the foregone conclusion, but the journey, which is... bland.
Children will revel in Dolphin Tale 2 with its rapturous, lovingly filmed sequences of dolphins playing, swimming, and generally frolicking about with each other and with their human friends.
Barely there Morgan Freeman and Kris Kristofferson pick up the easiest paychecks of their careers, while top acting honors go to Mavis the sea turtle and Rufus the comic-relief pelican.
"Dolphin Tale 2" cares about the right things: the details of marine rescue, the dedication of the individuals involved, and the lives and personalities of the animals under their care.
While the kids talk smart, there is a bit of a condescending tone to the script - where some good old fashioned science might have been more effective.
This is innocuous, heart-in-the-right-place family fare, but its well-earned points about animal rights and preservation would be better taken if the relentless sentimentality didn't force viewers into flippers-in-the-air submission.
