Merely mild and unremarkable, Dolphin Tale 2 seems comfortable in its mediocrity. Yet, the film has heart and manages to avoid being cheap or inorganic, despite its cheesiness.

In this sentimental sequel, the famous Winter swims, prosthetic tail and all, back into theaters. Now, several years after her rescue, Winter has become the star of Clearwater Marine Hospital, drawing thousands of inspired visitors daily. But when Panama, Winter’s best friend and roomie, passes away, Winter is thrust into a depression as her human friends struggle to help her return to her old self and match her with a new roommate.

After telling the real-life tale of a tailless dolphin befriending a troubled boy and learning to thrive with a prosthetic tail,  it’s hard to  imagine what else  producers would be able to squeeze out of Winter’s story. Regardless, they manage to avoid making Dolphin Tale 2 appear forced and, instead, find strong, natural avenues for the film’s plot. The result is a sweet family film with an old-fashioned simplicity that is charming in its own right. However, Dolphin Tale 2 is a bit unfocused and lacks the drama and tension of its predecessor and, therefore, may put parents to sleep. The littluns, on the other hand, will lap up the frolicking dolphins and lovely, well-filmed underwater scenes.

However, many of the characters seemed unnecessary and superfluous. For example, the inspirational amputee and champion surfer Bethany Hamilton (Soul Surfer), was merely an extra cameo appearance. Her character offered nothing to the overall plot and served merely as a distraction. They really could have given poor Bethany a bit more to do than just flap around with Winter for a few scenes. The rest of the characters offer nothing beyond their connections to the dolphins and lack any real depth or life. With such unimportant, dull human characters, it almost makes the cheesy overacting bearable because the humans don’t really matter anyway.

Also, the film’s incessant sentimentality shoves ideas of animal rights down the throats of viewers, making us want to puke, instead of rushing to the aid of our dolphin brethren.

Still, the unambitious Dolphin Tale 2 does, in the end, do what it sets out to. It warms viewers’ hearts, gives us an update on the goings-on of Winter’s world, and perhaps inspires the kiddies to want to be marine biologists for a week or two until they get over it. So, Dolphin Tale 2 is nothing special. It’s modest, simple and borderline dull and forgettable, but it gets the job done.

My conclusion: 5/10