《海豚的故事》

Like many of the best animal films, this one is not so much about the animal in question as about the children who love it.

Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), a good-looking, freckled* 11-year-old, has been in a fear since his father left. His mother Lorraine (Ashley Judd) couldn't be nicer but Sawyer is failing in school, has no friends and spends every second he can in his dad's abandoned* workshop.

But his life changes when he discovers a beached dolphin near his Clearwater, Florida home. Experts from the local marine* hospital save it from a web of ropes before taking it to the hospital, but its tail has been badly damaged* by a large crab trap. Sawyer becomes obsessed* by the fate of the dolphin named Winter.

Sawyer is quickly liked by the hospital's staff, led by Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.), whose daughter Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) is not only about Sawyer's age but doesn't have a mom.

Also on board is Kris Kristofferson as Clay's dad.

After Winter is left with a stumpy rear* after her tail is amputated*, the doctor insists she needs a prosthetic* addition to help a dolphin's normal up-and-down propulsion* movement. A nice, can't-say-no doctor at the nearby V.A. hospital (Morgan Freeman) agrees to design one, but Winter rejects the initial prototype. Then there's a hurricane*, the destruction from which puts the hospital in such debt it'll have to be sold. And there's a subplot about Sawyer's cousin Kyle (Austin Stowell), a local swimming champ* who no sooner joins the army than he comes back with an injury that makes him very sad. The dolphin, with her own disability, inspires him to shape up.

When it looks as if the Clearwater Marine Hospital is doomed, at the snap of a finger those concerned are able to generate TV coverage and stage a huge aquatic benefit* to try to save the day. Kyle gets back in the water competitively. A real-estate developer turns out to have the soul of Santa Claus. Winter gets a new tail. The only set-up that doesn't play out like a Hollywood fairytale involves Sawyer's mom and Hazel's dad getting together.

The film is released in 2D and 3D versions.

freckled 长雀斑的

abandoned 废弃的

marine 海洋的

damage 损伤

obsess 对......着迷

rear 尾部

amputate 截肢

prosthetic 假肢

propulsion 推进

hurricane 飓风

champ 冠军

benefit 义演、慈善活动