Five Movie Scenes Where Dolphins Were the Main Characters

Dolphins are beautiful and intelligent creatures that are well-known for their capacity to learn and their ability to bond and interact with humans. These are just two of the reasons that people adore these animals so much. Of course, it helps that they are so cute and constantly look like they are smiling. As dolphins are such popular animals, it stands to reason that they are the perfect choice to appear in films. In fact, there are many movies and television series where dolphins actually take a starring role. In some programs and films, the dolphin is even central to the storyline rather than just making an appearance in the occasional scene.

Here are five movie scenes where dolphins were the main characters.

1. Flipper

Of all the famous dolphins in the world, Flipper is probably most people’s favorite. In the 1963 movie, Flipper is befriended by a boy called Sandy. The boy’s father disapproves but soon comes to love Flipper just as much as his son. Following the success of the movie, a TV series was created to continue with the story of their friendship. The scenes that are particularly moving are those where Sandy saves Flipper’s life and later when Flipper returns the favor.

2. The Day of the Dolphin

In this 1973 sci-fi thriller, a scientist and his wife are training Dolphins to communicate with humans. Dolphins Alpha and Beta, also known as ‘Fa’ and ‘Bea’, are stolen by the Franklin Foundation. The final scene of this emotional film is particularly moving. An interesting fact about this film is that the dolphins who ‘acted’ in this film escaped after filming was complete.

3. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Dolphins have also featured in many comedies and one of the best examples of this is Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. One of the funniest scenes in the film is when Jim Carrey pretends he is an experienced dolphin trainer while he is looking for a missing mascot. Originally, the scene with Snowflake, the dolphin mascot, was removed from the 1994 movie but was reinstated in the version for home release.

4. Dolphin Tale

Dolphin Tale is a 2011 family drama that is based on a book by the same name. Both the book and the movie are based on a true story of rescuing a bottlenose dolphin on the coast of Florida. There are many moving scenes throughout the movie. When the dolphin is rescued, it has had an accident with a crab trap and lost its tail. The dolphin is cared for by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and has a prosthetic tail fitted.

5. Dolphins (IMAX Documentary)

Dolphins is a feature-length documentary that was released as a film and became a surprise hit. Released in 2000, this movie follows dolphins in the wild and looks at their family dynamics and how they communicate with each other. Although this is a factual movie, it is fascinating to watch with each and every scene featuring dolphins and it is beautifully filmed. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award and has a soundtrack by Sting.