Dolphin Tale

We went to see the movie Dolphin Tale when it came out on Friday. Crumpet and I have been watching previews for months, and as total animal nuts, we couldn't wait. The movie was also highly recommended by the Homeschool Movie Club, so we had high hopes.
We weren't disappointed! We loved this movie. In fact, Crumpet pronounced it 'the best show ever'. There were so many great messages, and a dolphin. It had to be good.
There is a little girl who is homeschooled in the movie, and I could see Crumpet's ears perk right up. It was good for him to see someone else who is homeschooled - right now he doesn't have any friends who are schooled at home. There is a lesson in the movie about life experiences being as important as anything you might learn sitting at a desk in school, and it was nice to see.
One character is a young man who comes home from Iraq, injured, and we learned a bit about disabled veterans. Yesterday, we went to the airport to welcome home a sailor from my husband's command. He was returning from a stint in Iraq, and when we explained it to Crumpet, he said "Oh, like in the movie?" We said yes, but this soldier wasn't injured. Crumpet thought a good way to welcome the young man home would be to let him come stay with us for a while so we could spoil him. I love my Crumpet! He has such a sweet heart.
The children in the movie end up organizing the adults in order to save the dolphin and the aquarium she lives in. It was great to see children make a dream come true, and to have the adults support them.
There was some brief talk in the movie of having to euthanize the dolphin, and Crumpet's first question when we left was "Why were they going to kill that dolphin?" He was MAD. Given my history as a veterinary technician, the fact that we foster animals periodically, and the fact that we plan to volunteer at the animal shelter, I figured we would have this discussion soon anyway, and I think it's an important one. He handled it well, especially because they saved that dolphin.
The real life dolphin who inspired the movie lives in Florida, and she has become an inspiration to many, many disabled people. At the end of the movie, they have real footage of people with disabilities getting in the water to swim with her. And yes, I cried... And, yes, now that's on our list of "Places We Have to Visit"!