Dolphin Tale
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The Real Story behind the Movie
"Dolphin Tale", the movie, released September 23, 2011, is based on the story of a young dolphin found caught in a crab trap in 2005. She was found on Mosquito Lagoon at Canaveral National Seashore by fisherman Jim Savage. Savage released her from the trap and so began a cherished love affair between "Winter', the dolphin and the world. Winter's injuries caused her to lose her tail, which raised the question of her being able to survive. Winter's courage and determination inspires others, especially those who have trouble adjusting to losing a limb.
In the film, Winter is found by a lonely kid, whose relationship with Winter was at least partially inspired by a real relationship between the Dolphin with no tail and a little girl named Katrina. See more on her story in the module below. The story line is changed, but Winter still gets to play herself. Her story of courage and perseverance is inspiring both in real life and in the film version.
Photo taken from Winter's Webcam
In the film, Winter is found by a lonely kid, whose relationship with Winter was at least partially inspired by a real relationship between the Dolphin with no tail and a little girl named Katrina. See more on her story in the module below. The story line is changed, but Winter still gets to play herself. Her story of courage and perseverance is inspiring both in real life and in the film version.
Photo taken from Winter's Webcam
This is Winter
The Real Dolphin's Tale
Winter's Very Own Blog!
SeeWinter.com
Winter's Gel
Healing a Dolphin leads to Healing Humans too!
Here's evidence that one good thing really does lead to another.Dolphins move differently than humans, and her prosthetic tail had to be able to move with her. So that the device was not too tight or too loose on her delicate skin, her team developed a special sock for her to use with her tail. The sock was dubbed "winter's gel", and is made of a soft, rubbery material which reduces friction between the skin and the prosthesis. It creates a suction, which helps her tail stick to her body like a surgical glove sticks to your hands.Turns out, many would be users of prosthetic limbs simply could not do it because of the pain of wearing their prosthesis. Enter Winter's gel! Now many who could not wear their prosthetic limbs are able to, because of using Winter's gel. So, if our hero had not helped rescue that baby dolphin caught in a crab trap, many people missing an arm or a leg would still not be able to wear their prosthetic limbs.
Photo credit: wb-3d.com
Way to go, Jim, Winter, and team!
Winter and her real life rescuer
Share a special reunion
After her rescue, Jim Savage lost touch with her progress until he heard of a local school participating in a documentary about her. He was reunited with Winter and visited with her during the filming of the movie.
Winter's Rescue
"When I cut her loose,
..She was kind of bloodied,
but I figured she'd swim away."
"Then, she was just leaning on
her side, and I knew she wasn't
doing real good,"
"I didn't want to lose sight of her,
I definitely wasn't going to
leave at that point."
"We rounded her up a few times,"
"When it was in waist-deep water,
I jumped in and held on to her."
.... Jim Savage,
on his real life rescue of Winter
Katrina Simpkins: Winter's Real Life Friend who Inspired the Story
She Shares a Special Bond with Winter
Before the soldiers and the many others who started visiting Winter for healing, there was a visit from a lonely little girl named Katrina. Back in 2007, Katrina and her Family came to the Aquarium one summer while on vacation. Like Winter, Katrina had mobility issues, but it wasn't just that. She was having a tough time coping with her disability. The prosthetic leg she wore made her feel different. And, to top it all off, there were kids teasing her at school. The visit to Clearwater Marine Aquarium was a quick stop on the way to Disney World. The family had no idea how profound this visit would become.The friendship that blossomed between Katrina and Winter, and the whole staff, was the beginning of what would become the touching story we know today. So much of the inspiration for the movie came from this little girl and her relationship with Winter.
Read the full write up in the Tampa Bay times by John Barry.
Be on the lookout for a book about their bond coming out soon:
Katrina and Winter: Partners in Courage
Written by Nancy Stewart
From "Winter's tale: Entourage"
Katrina crept to the tank's edge.
Winter came to her.
She stopped.
She lifted her head.
She made eye contact.
She seemed to be speaking to Katrina:
We're the same.
John Barry - Tampa Bay Times
Katrina - the Junior Trainer
Katrina's Mom, Maria Simpkins, sent me this picture of Katrina getting to be a Junior trainer at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium with Elaina Franklin. It was Maria who let me know of Katrina's story. Big thanks to both Katrina and Maria for your courage and for sharing your story with us!
Reviews
and other thoughts
all about Winter and the movie "Dolphin Tale"
- Magic Island family movies start Wednesday
- Nathan Gamble stars in "Dolphin Tale," a family drama about the friendship between a boy and a dolphin. It screens Wednesday on Magic Island. CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The free Magic Island Family Movie Night series kicks off Wednesday with "Dolphin Tale.
- Fla. Prosthetics Maker Shares Dolphin Tale
- After hearing that the dolphin's tail had fallen off, Carroll decided to pick up the phone and call Florida Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which was holding the disabled dolphin, now dubbed Winter, and said, "You know, we put prosthetics on people, ...
- With the success of Winter the dolphin and 'Dolphin Tale,' the Clearwater ...
- By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer CLEARWATER ? Less than a year after the film Dolphin Tale quadrupled the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's average attendance, the facility is planning its biggest move yet. Aquarium leaders want to build a splashy and ...
Would you like to meet Winter
in Real Life?
Kevin Carroll
Expert Prosthetist who created Winter's Tail
"I came straight down, saw Winter (and) felt really sorry for her. And I came in and I said, 'OK, we'll fit her little tail. Not a big deal.' Little did I know it was going to take a year and a half to do,"....Kevin Carroll in an interview with CBS News
Dolphin Stories
and one inspired by Winter
Dusky the Dolphin - Tail walking! Maybe Winter can do this with her new tail someday!
Why Doesn't She Wear her Tail All the Time?
Winter's trainers decided it's best to increase her time with the tail gradually, allowing her to build up strength and prevent injury.
Dolphin Tails & Other Tales
You choose!
The Featurette
On Winter, the Dolphin - of "Dolphin Tale"
Background interviews from the cast and crew, including Winter herself!
Twitter Buzz on Dolphin Tale
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- leighbrookshire
- The #Pawscars are a real thing (thank you, American Humane Assoc) & the 2012 winner is DOLPHIN TALE. Watch it, love it. http://t.co/jtRlPgji
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- kuh_laire
- Watching Dolphin Tale with Raffy, na habang pinapanood ko e knkwento din nya ang story! Hahaha.. Cute ni Yay! :)
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- dee_baby92
- Watchn dolphin tale & textn #2omf
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- shapsonic
- Dolphin Tale มหัศจรรย์โลมาหัวใจนักสู้ ดูหนังออนไลน์ [หนังฝรั่ง] [มาสเตอร์] [Nanuan-movies]: Dolphin Tale มหัศจ... http://t.co/09QYNJr7
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- shapsonic
- Dolphin Tale มหัศจรรย์โลมาหัวใจนักสู้ ดูหนังออนไลน์ [หนังฝรั่ง] [มาสเตอร์] [Nanuan-movies] http://t.co/VNbmhYjF
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Did you see the movie?
Or have you heard about Winter's Tail?
Tell us about it! Or just comment on your thoughts about this lens. Thanks for visiting!
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raphaelo
May 15, 2012 @ 5:57 am | delete
- I love dolphins and do fall in love with this wonderfully real story behind the movie lens. Very proud to be here. Have wonderful times.. always.. dear lady Karen Kay :)
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geraldine guillen
Jan 30, 2012 @ 6:04 pm | delete
- i love dolfin tale
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XxSadieLadyxX
Jan 29, 2012 @ 2:39 pm | delete
- Great lense. I really want to see this movie!
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Katrina Simpkins
Jan 21, 2012 @ 4:22 pm | delete
- Loved Dolphin Tale....Love Winter more! She is my greatest inspiration in life.
Thanks for the nice article.
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KarenKay Jan 23, 2012 @ 1:16 pm | delete
- Thanks for the visit Katrina! You're our hero!
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- Load More
This Lens is Part of a Quest!
and it's my 100th lens! Whoo Hooo!
The Sammy the Salmon quest is to create 30 lenses in a new niche. I've had fun exploring the deep, mysterious world of the oceans and waters of the world.
This lens is a bit of a different twist, in that it's about an animal, not a sunken shiip or sunken treasure, but it is definitely something I care about. I love dolphins and other precious creatures of the sea, so I expect to do several more on Winter's ocean friends.
This lens is a bit of a different twist, in that it's about an animal, not a sunken shiip or sunken treasure, but it is definitely something I care about. I love dolphins and other precious creatures of the sea, so I expect to do several more on Winter's ocean friends.
Where to find more on the Movie
and the Real Story of Winter
- IMDb - Dolphin Tale (2011)
- Directed by Charles Martin Smith. With Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., Nathan Gamble. A story centered on the friendship between a boy and a dolphin whose tail was lost in a crab trap.
- Dolphin Tale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Dolphin Tale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Dolphin With Prosthetic Tail Gets Ready For Waves Of Publicity
- Tourists who visit Hollywood are often disappointed when they discover that the celebrities they love aren't exactly walking up and down the street. That's not the case in Clearwater Beach, Fla., where visitors are guaranteed to see at least one celebrity: Winter the dolphin, the star and su
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium
- Visit Clearwater Help Build Winter's New Home-->
Things to Do at CMA - Prosthetic tail dolphin's story made into film - CBS News
- The Early Show: Prosthetic tail dolphin's story made into film - Winter, saved from a net and nursed back to health by a Florida aquarium, stars in movie with A-list celebs
- Meet Winter the Dolphin
- Scholastic and Turtle Pond Interactive invite you and your class on a virtual field trip to an aquarium in Florida! This live event will introduce children worldwide to an extraordinary and inspiring bottlenose dolphin named Winter
- Winter's Tail
- Winter's Tail How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again.
Told by Isabella Hatkoff, Juliana Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Winter is a dolphin. Just over two years ago, when she was a baby, she was rescued from a crab trap,
her tail seriously damaged. Winter was rush - Dolphin Tale
- The movie's site at Warner Brothers
- Yates knew that dolphin with prosthetic tail had a message to share | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
- David Yates never thought much about dolphins while growing up.Oceans were not on his mind during the five years he called West Texas home as a boy. He attended Evans (then) Junior High School and Monterey High School in Lubbock in the late 1970s, back when his dad was a professor at Texas Tech's
- Dolphin Tale Almost Ready to Be Told - Laura MacCorkle Christian Blog
- Dolphin Tale Almost Ready to Be Told - Laura MacCorkle Christian blog and commentary on Crosswalk.com.
- Winter's Tail Helps Humans | Medical News and Health Information
- CLEARWATER, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- She may be the only dolphin to lose her tail and survive. Now her progress in the water is helping amputees on land. The
- New Smyrna Beach angler the real-life savior of cetacean in 'Dolphin Tale' - News
- Local news from The Daytona Beach News-Journal, your hometown newspaper.
by KarenKay
Hi Everyone!
My name is Karen Kay, but everyone calls me "KK"...so you do too, Okay?
I was born and raised in the south (GA,TX,MS) and currently reside...
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