The first Dolphin Tale took me by surprise, a warmhearted family adventure starring the real Winter, something that captures the heart in a way that movie magic can't muster. I'm just in time, then, to be disappointed by Dolphin Tale 2, a mediocre follow-up that makes the mistakes the first film took such pains to avoid. Charles Martin Smith returns as director, and this time hops into the screenwriter's seat as well, but the true story template provides less grist for the mill this time around, and worse, the results are overly focused on the dramas between the human characters, overshadowing the creature that inspired the films in the first place.

Winter's long road to recovery, especially the invention of her prosthetic tail, provided a pretty great template for a movie. Even though the characters and details were all fictionalized for the film (Winter, the fact that she had a prosthetic created for her, and the Clearwater facility are the only true aspects of the story), it still offered a prepackaged, straightforward dramatic arc, and all the writers had to do was attach some menially important human storylines that supported it. Although Winter's need to bond with another dolphin sounds like it could be the basis for another story, it's also one where those dots (the death of Panama, Winter bonding with another dolphin, etc.) are all beats that can be resolved in a scene apiece, which leaves longer gaps the human characters have to fill in, and makes Dolphin Tale 2 feel more like a chapter of Winter's story stretched to feature length than a complete story.

The primary story thread is Sawyer's indecision about whether to join SEA Semester or to stick around and help Winter, but focusing on it is a mistake because Sawyer is unable to control whether or not a suitable dolphin partner arrives. Smith wrings out a minor beat where Winter gets agitated and injures Sawyer, prompting Clay to split them apart for awhile, but it only puts him in the driver's seat for about a scene and a half. The film has been advertised as being about the arrival of Hope, another female dolphin the team discovers as their ASDA time limit for finding Winter a new partner is running out, but it feels as if Sawyer's story pushes this beat up against the climax of the film. Were it moved back near the beginning, Sawyer could be more active in trying to get Winter and Hope to bond, even if it meant stretching the dolphin socialization science a little. Smith could also then dovetail Winter and Hope's friendship with the twinges of teenage affection that appear in Sawyer and Hazel's friendship, which just feel unresolved in the finished film.

There are a few positives. The film is shorter than the original, meaning that despite the awkward nature of the story structure, there's less fat in the film. The core lesson about the group's other female dolphin, Mandy, is also a great one. Before Hope arrives, Clay is pressured to try and pair Mandy with Winter, but Mandy is on the road to a full recovery. Clay reminds Hazel about the need to return wild animals that can survive on their own to freedom, and Smith does a nice job of building a thread about Clay and Hazel's relationship into that lesson. The young cast members still acquit themselves very nicely, and the adult returnees (Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Kris Kristofferson) all generally have at least one nice scene (the most interesting being Hazel and Judd's character Mrs. Nelson bonding), even if they're nearly reduced to cameo appearances. Still, there's a sense that while Dolphin Tale 2 seems like a fine idea on paper, it wasn't quite ready to hit the big screen. A little more time in the tank might've revealed a more rewarding story.

The Blu-ray
Dolphin Tale 2 doesn't stray far from the original, intentionally mimicking the floating head / dolphin design of the original, with Hope replacing Sawyer. This two-disc combo pack features an eco-friendly Viva Elite Blu-ray case with the Blu-ray disc on one side and the DVD copy on the other, and there is a sheet with the code to redeem the UltraViolet Digital Copy included in the package. The back cover is a simple grid, although it follows Warner's recent pattern of summarizing the extra content in a written paragraph rather than using a bulleted list. The entire thing comes in a matte slipcover with identical artwork.

The Video and Audio
It appears that Dolphin Tale 2, like its predecessor, was released in 3D theatrically, but no 3D Blu-ray appears to exist. Instead, this 1.85:1 1080p AVC presentation is what Warner has to offer, and it's perfectly serviceable. The film has a brightly-lit look even during the night scenes. Colors are nicely saturated, fine detail is strong, and no artifacting or banding is noticeable throughout the film. It's nothing to write home about: a perfectly straightforward HD presentation of a brand-new movie that doesn't really present anything visually challenging.

Unlike the first film, which just had 5.1 HD audio, the sequel gets the upgrade to a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. I have to admit, I don't have the equipment to decode the additional two channels, but the core 5.1 mix sounds just fine, offering a similar experience to the first movie, although there are less scenes for the mix to show off with (the first film contained an entire hurricane sequence, for instance). Underwater ambience is immersive and realistic, the sound of the dock captures the authenticity of waterfront life, and dialogue and music sound just fine. Quebec French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also included, as are English captions for the deaf and hard of hearing, and French and Spanish subtitles.

The Extras
The disc's supplements mainly consist of a handful of short making-of featurettes. "Dolphin Tale 2: True Story" (4:02) is a general making-of featurette, covering the additional developments in the real world that led to the filmmakers making a sequel. This segues into "Look Who's Running the Show" (3:20), which talks about what's changed for Sawyer and Hazel, and Nathan and Cozi, since the events and making of the first movie. Dolphin Tale 2: Underwater Magic" (3:03) covers the underwater work, and the training that the cast and crew went through in order to make those scenes possible. Finally, "Bethany Hamilton Meets Winter" (3:19) obviously goes into the time Hamilton, the subject of the film Soul Surfer, came on set both to meet Winter and shoot her cameo in the movie. These are fine, if generic behind-the-scenes peeks, peppered heavily with clips from the film.

The disc rounds out with music videos for Cozi Zuehlsdorff's "Brave Souls" (4:26) and Gavin DeGraw's "You Got Me" (3:53), and a gag reel (7:23). The "Brave Souls" video is kind of weird, an amalgamation of making-of and music video in one, with the making-of frequently taking over, muting the music. There is also a final featurette, "The Mission" (3:34), which covers the real Clearwater Aquarium and its goals in rehabilitating injured animals and providing an ongoing home for the real Winter.

A trailer for Winter: The Dolphin That Can plays before the main menu. No trailers for Dolphin Tale 2 are included. All of the video extras are presented in HD.

Conclusion
Dolphin Tale was a surprisingly charming true life story, but there's not as much meat for Dolphin Tale 2 to dig into when it comes to mining Winter's actual story for further adventures of these characters. The film is genial and far from a disaster, but it's wholly inessential, a footnote in comparison. Rent it.