No, I am not referring to the inevitable cold and snow that is soon to descend upon us here in NYC – I am talking about Winter the Dolphin! Way back in 2009, we told you that the story of Winter the Dolphin was being made into a movie. Well, fast forward to this Friday, Sept. 23rd and Dolphin Tale officially hits theatres. The film stars Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick, Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson and of course…WINTER as herself. You can watch the trailer for the movie here.

We hosted a screening in the Scholastic Auditorium and our guests loved the movie. Throughout the movie, there were laughs, applause and yes, even some tears!

If you don’t know her story, it’s an amazing one! Winter’s story was told in a Scholastic book written by Craig Hatkoff with his daughters Julianna and Isabella in 2007. Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned To Swim Again  tells the story of this extraordinary dolphin’s use of a prosthetic tail after her own was seriously damaged in a crab trap. Since then she has been an inspiration to millions of people, both able and disabled, who have visited her at the aquarium or heard her story.

Winter was also featured in a LIVE Classroom webcast by Scholastic from Clearwater Marine Aquarium that brought Winter into schools across the United States.

If you cant get enough of Winter, there are games, video and even a sing-along at winterstail.com. You also can spot a live webcam at Winter’s pool at seewinter.com.