was free to come and go from the home to the sea as he pleased, though he had a floating pound and an old bathtub in the family's barn. Billy Baker is a composite character, drawing together a minority of fishermen who used seals as scapegoats for poor catches. The book tells of one such fisherman, named only as he within the text, who became angry with Andre, and who wanted to shoot him, but was quickly talked out of it. Andre really was nursed with an "artificial mother", of the kind depicted in the film, and he did go missing in his first winter, returning in the spring. The storm scene appears to have been added for cinematic and plot reasons, as do many of the subplots and supporting characters. The case really was investigated by the federals in conjunction with a law which prohibited the keeping of wild animals - but this happened later in Andre's life than the film depicts, and the case was quickly dropped on the grounds that Andre had been kept before the law came into play; that is, it was demonstrably his own intention to come home and to remain with the family. During the closing credits, shots from original 16mm films of the real Andre are shown. He, who spent every winter in the New England Aquarium in Boston, entertained tourists in Rockport every summer, having swum up there upon his release each spring, until his death in the spring of 1986. In the film, Andre is not played by an actual seal, but rather by a sea lion named Tory. Two others named Kalika and PJ were also featured in it. It features the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park. The theme song from the film "Thanks to You", sung by Tyler Collins, was a top 20 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts upon its release. Reception Rotten Tomatoes gives Andre a 50% approval rating with an average rating of 5.6/10, based on 18 reviews. Box office The film debuted at No. 10. Score Original Motion Picture Score. All tracks composed by Bruce Rowland References External links 1994 films 1994 comedy-drama films American children's drama films American comedy-drama films Children's comedy-drama films Films about pinnipeds Films directed by George T. Miller Films set in the 1960s Films set in 1962 Films set in Maine Films shot in Washington (state) Films shot