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Flipper

Flipper

This summer it's finally safe to go back in the water.

19965.51h 35m

Overview

Sandy Ricks is sent by his mom to Coral Key, a rustic island in the Florida keys, to spend the summer with his uncle Porter Ricks. Sandy dislikes everything about his new environment until a new friend comes into his life, a dolphin named Flipper, that brings uncle and nephew together and leads Sandy on the summer adventure of a lifetime.

Directed by Alan Shapiro
Written by Alan Shapiro, Jack Cowden, Arthur Weiss
Produced by James J. McNamara, Perry Katz
Box OfficeBudget: $25.5MRevenue: $20.1M

Top Cast

Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood

Sandy Ricks

Paul Hogan

Paul Hogan

Porter Ricks

Jonathan Banks

Jonathan Banks

Dirk Moran

Robert Deacon

Robert Deacon

Bounty Fisherman #1

Chelsea Field

Chelsea Field

Cathy

Mary Jo Faraci

Mary Jo Faraci

Sandy's Mom

A

Allison Bertolino

Sandy's Sister

J

Jessica Wesson

Kim

Jason Fuchs

Jason Fuchs

Marvin

M

Mark Casella

Bounty Fisherman #2

Themes & Keywords

floridadolphinflorida keyssummer

About Flipper

Flipper is a adventure, family film released in 1996 exploring themes of florida, dolphin, florida keys, summer. Directed by Alan Shapiro, it stars Elijah Wood, Paul Hogan, Jonathan Banks. Sandy Ricks is sent by his mom to Coral Key, a rustic island in the Florida keys, to spend the summer with his uncle Porter Ricks. Sandy dislikes everything about his new environment until a new friend comes into his life, a dolphin named Flipper, that brings uncle and nephew together and leads Sandy on the summer adventure of a lifetime.

Movies Similar to Flipper

Discover titles like Flipper — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to Flipper

If you enjoyed Flipper, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of Flipper.

Flipper
43% Match

Flipper(1963)

Movie5.8/10

Sandy is distraught when, having saved Flipper by pulling out a spear, his father insists the dolphin be released. A grateful Flipper, however, returns the favor when Sandy is threatened by sharks.

Dolphin Tale
42% Match

A sea of animal rescuers — and a lonely boy in need of a friend – nurse an injured dolphin back to health after it loses its tail in a trap.

Dolphin Tale 2
32% Match

The team of people who saved Winter's life reassemble in the wake of her surrogate mother's passing in order to find her a companion so she can remain at the Clearwater Marine Hospital.

Licence to Kill
30% Match

After capturing the notorious drug lord Franz Sanchez, Bond's close friend and former CIA agent Felix Leiter is left for dead and his wife is murdered. Bond goes rogue and seeks vengeance on those responsible, as he infiltrates Sanchez's organization from the inside.

The Tiger Rising
29% Match

When 12-year-old Rob Horton discovers a caged tiger in the woods near his home, his imagination runs wild and life begins to change in the most unexpected ways. With the help of a wise and mysterious maid, Willie May and the stubborn new girl in school, he must navigate through childhood memories, heartache, and wondrous adventures.

Flight of the Navigator
29% Match

12-year-old David is accidentally knocked out in the forest near his home, but when he awakens eight years have passed. His family is overjoyed to have him back, but is just as perplexed as he is that he hasn't aged. When a NASA scientist discovers a UFO nearby, David gets the chance to unravel the mystery and recover the life he lost.

Jaws 3-D
28% Match

Jaws 3-D(1983)

Movie4.5/10

A giant thirty-five-foot shark becomes trapped in a SeaWorld theme park and it's up to the sons of police chief Brody to rescue everyone.

Flipper's New Adventure
28% Match

While widowed Porter Ricks is away at school learning to be a park ranger, his teen-aged son, Sandy, under adult supervision from a neighbor, remains at the family home in the Florida Keys with his pet dolphin, Flipper. While Po (as Porter is called by most) is away, Sandy learns that the family home, built on state land, is being torn down to make way for a highway. In turn, Sandy would be sent to live with relatives, while Flipper would be sent to the seaquarium permanently. Not wanting to be separated from Flipper, Sandy, using his skiff, runs away with Flipper. A distraught Po returns home to look for his son. Meanwhile, the Hopewell family from Britain are vacationing in the area. Their sailboat is hijacked by three escaped convicts, who take the father, Halsey, hostage, and set the three Hopewell women - mother Julia, and teen-aged daughters Gwen and Penny - adrift, they who eventually land on the island where Sandy is hiding... Written by Huggo

Night Moves
28% Match

Private detective and former football player Harry Moseby gets hired on to what seems a standard missing person case - a former Hollywood actress wants Moseby to find and return her daughter. Harry travels to Florida to find her, but he begins to see a connection between the runaway girl, the world of Hollywood stuntmen, and a suspicious mechanic when an unsolved murder comes to light.

True Lies
25% Match

True Lies(1994)

Movie7.1/10

A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.

Zeus & Roxanne
25% Match

Mary Beth is a marine biologist that gets annoyed when a dog called Zeus stows aboard her research boat. Nevertheless she is intrigued when the intrusive canine makes best-friends with her captive dolphin, Roxanne. She falls in love with Zeus's owner, Terry, a musician who rides a bike.

Running Scared
24% Match

Two street-wise Chicago cops have to shake off some rust after returning from a Key West vacation to pursue a drug dealer that nearly killed them in the past.

Beneath the 12-Mile Reef
24% Match

Mike and Tony Petrakis are a Greek father and son team who dive for sponges off the coast of Florida. After they are robbed by crooks, Arnold and the Rhys brothers, Mike decides to take his men to the dangerous 12-mile reef to dive for more sponges. Mike suffers a fatal accident when he falls from the reef leaving Tony to carry on the business. But now he has a companion, Gwyneth Rhys.

Reap the Wild Wind
23% Match

The Florida Keys in 1840, where the implacable hurricanes of the Caribbean scream, where the salvagers of Key West, like the intrepid and beautiful Loxi Claiborne and her crew, reap, aboard frail schooners, the harvest of the wild wind, facing the shark teeth of the reefs to rescue the sailors and the cargo from the shipwrecks caused by the scavengers of the sea.