( EW.com ) -- A dolphin named Winter loses its tail to a crab trap in `` Dolphin Tale '' -- a ( sometimes sickly ) sweet family film based on a true story . It 's no spoiler to say that there is a happy ending , partly because this is the kind of constantly uplifting heart-warmer in which even the villains are congenial , but also because the injured animal is played by its real-life counterpart . Morgan Freeman also plays a version of himself as a kindly wise man whose expertise in prosthetics helps save Winter . While the plot occasionally feels like `` Free Willy '' without the drama , it 's a cute story if you do n't mind temporarily trading in your cynicism for a bag of popcorn . EW.com rating : B- . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
It 's no spoiler to say that there is a happy ending . The injured animal is played by its real-life counterpart . Morgan Freeman also plays a version of himself .