Dolphin Tale

A family film inspired by the real-life tale of the dolphin Winter, who got her tail caught in a crab trap, and who subsequently was fitted with a prosthetic tail.

Tropes used in Dolphin Tale include:

• Artificial Limb: The whole plot of the movie revolves around Winter getting one.
• Chekhov's Gun: Kyle gives Sawyer a Swiss Army Knife early on. Sawyer later uses it to cut the ropes away from Winter.
• Cloudcuckoolander / The Wonka: Dr. McCarthy. Eccentric...but he knows what he is doing, and he ends up making a prosthetic tail for Winter the Dolphin.
• The Determinator: Sawyer, Hazel, Clay (at least the first time around), Reed, and Dr. McCarthy.
• Dueling Movies: With Soul Surfer.
• Mr. Fanservice: And how! An entire male high school swim team wearing nothing but tight swim trunks appears in the beginning. Harry Connick Jr. in a tight t-shirt and shorts may count as well.
• Feed by Example: When all the more qualified aquatic life hospital employees didn't know how to convince Winter to drink from the bottle she needed to drink from, newcomer Sawyer came up with the idea to drink from it himself in front of her... and it worked, providing this trope's page image.
• Friendly Playful Dolphin: The movie definitely applies this trope strongly to Winter, and indicates it for other aquarium dolphins as well.
• Handicapped Badass: Winter and Kyle.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: The mogul who purchases the aquarium resembles Richard Branson.
• Only in Miami: Averted- and how. Movie takes place in Clearwater, Florida- which is a lesser known, but by no means obscure, city on the West Coast of Florida.
  • Specifically, it's the third largest City in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa and St. Petersburg. It's generally known for nice beaches, but that's about it.
• Parental Abandonment: Sawyer's father left the family 5 years ago, and nobody has heard from him since. Hazel's mother passed away when Hazel was 7 years old.
• Plucky Girl: Hazel for sure. Lorraine could be considered an adult version, since she does not give up on Sawyer or Kyle.
• Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Winter did obtain a prosthetic tail after losing her real one. She lives at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Almost everything else is fictional. After the movie, real footage of Winter's rescue and rehabilitation is shown before the credits.