Dolphin Tale 2 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-Ray Disc. While not as impressive as the stellar visuals found with for the first film, Tale 2 still came with solid picture quality.
Actually, the only minor decline in quality related to sharpness, which seemed a smidgen weaker for Tale 2. Though the majority of the flick showed nice delineation and clarity, I saw a handful of shots that appeared just a little soft. Even so, this was usually a well-defined presentation, and it suffered from no jaggies, moiré effects or edge haloes. Print flaws also remained absent.
Like the first film, colors tended toward a sea blue. Other hues popped up at times but aqua tints dominated, and the various tones seemed well-rendered. Blacks were dark and dense, while low-light shots gave us good clarity and smoothness. All in all, the image satisfied.
If you expect sonic fireworks from the film’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio, you’ll encounter disappointment, but the material suited the story. Much of the film emphasized general environmental information, with only occasional instances during which we found more active material.
Virtually all of those focused on aquatic scenes, as some of those opened up the soundscape in a reasonable manner. Nothing scintillating occurred, but the mix managed to create a reasonable feel for the various circumstances and settings.
Audio quality worked fine. Music was full and rich, and effects gave us clear, accurate material. Speech always seemed crisp and distinctive, without edginess or other concerns. Again, this wasn’t a dazzling mix, but it seemed more than acceptable for the story.
A smattering of extras appear, and we start with a featurette called Underwater Magic. In this three-minute, three-second piece, we hear from writer/director Charles Martin Smith, producer Broderick Johnson and Richard Ingber, director of photography Daryn Okada, underwater cinematographer Bob Talbot and actors Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Nathan Gamble. The piece examines aspects of the movie’s aquatic photography. Due to its brevity, we don’t learn a ton, but we get a few good notes.
Next comes the three-minute, 20-second Look Who’s Running the Show. It features Zuehlsdorff, Smith, Gamble, Johnson, producer Andrew A. Kosove and actors Harry Connick Jr. and Ashley Judd. This one covers the main young characters and actors. It lacks substance and mainly tells us how great the kids are.
Bethany Hamilton Meets Winter fills three minutes, 18 seconds. It delivers info from Smith, Ingber, Johnson, Zuehlsdorff, Connick and surfer/author/guest actor Hamilton. Mostly this relates how awesome and inspirational Hamilton is, so expect virtually no real information from it.
With The Mission, we find a three-minute, 34-second reel with notes from Smith, Johnson, Ingber, Connick, Zuehlsdorff, Kosove, Judd, executive producer/Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO David Yates and actor Morgan Freeman. This one tells us about the work done at the Aquarium. Expect a glorified commercial for the CMA.
Finally, True Story occupies four minutes, one second with info from Smith, Kosove, Connick, Judd, Zuehlsdorff, Yates, Ingber, Johnson, Freeman and Gamble. We learn a little about the facts behind the sequel’s story. It comes with minor nuggets but not much of interest – and even repeats the same quote from Freeman found elsewhere!
Two music videos appear. We get “Brave Souls” from Cozi Zuehlsdorff and “You Got Me” from Gavin DeGraw. For “Souls”, Zuehlsdorff talks a little about her musical career, and we see some studio lip-synch footage. “You Got Me” mixes similar recording material with shots from the movie. Both songs and videos seem bland and forgettable.
A Blooper Reel takes up seven minutes, 22 seconds. It gives us mostly conventional goofs and giggles, but a few amusing moments arrive, usually thanks to Connick.
The disc opens with ads for Winter: The Dolphin That Can and Hillsong: Let Hope Rise. No trailer for Tale 2 shows up here.
A second platter provides a DVD copy of Tale 2. It includes the “True Story” featurette but lacks the other extras.
While not quite as good as its predecessor, Dolphin Tale 2 nonetheless offers pretty good family entertainment. It comes with a good cast, charming animals and a likable story. The Blu-ray provides positive picture and audio along with a minor set of supplements. Fans of the fiirst movie should continue to find value with its sequel.