A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures

A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures

Company type	Film
Industry	Animation, Film
Founded	June 12, 2010 (2010-06-12)
Founder	Ben Stassen (co-director and co-producer)
Products	Animated feature film

A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures—initially titled Sammy's Adventures: The Secret Passage'—is an animated adventure feature from 2010, co-directed and co-produced by Ben Stassen. It debuted on 12 June 2010 in California, followed by its French release on 11 August 2010. The British edition's voice cast boasts Dominic Cooper, Gemma Arterton, John Hurt, Kayvan Novak, and Robert Sheehan, whereas the American version includes Yuri Lowenthal, Anthony Anderson, Tim Curry, Kathy Griffin, Melanie Griffith, and Jenny McCarthy.

Plot

Set in 1959, the story begins with Sammy, a green sea turtle hatchling, emerging on a beach in Baja California. Alongside another hatchling named Shelly, he narrowly escapes an attack by seagulls. The ocean currents carry them away on a makeshift raft, marking the start of Sammy’s maritime adventure. During his travels, he befriends Ray, a leatherback sea turtle, and they journey together across the seas for a decade. When their raft disintegrates, both become ensnared in fishing nets; however, a dolphin intervenes and saves Sammy.

Sammy finds himself in a sanctuary maintained by a group of hippies led by Snow, accompanied by Fluffy, a French feline. There he develops a close friendship with Vera, a larger turtle. On Christmas Day in 1969, Snow adorns Sammy’s shell with a peace symbol, appointing him as their emblematic peace envoy. After the hippies are forced to leave, Sammy returns to the ocean and reunites with Vera.

While foraging for sustenance, Sammy and Vera come to Shelly’s aid when she is threatened by a shark. Sammy expresses his yearning to venture beyond their familiar waters to explore icy seas and mysterious islands, inviting Shelly to join him in seeking out a secret passage. Their expedition takes them to the vicinity of the Panama Canal, where they become separated during an attempt to navigate through one of its locks.

Feeling guilty over losing Shelly, Sammy later discovers she is alive and heading toward polar waters. Encountering polluted areas near a vessel, he rides on an abandoned refrigerator all the way to Antarctica. There he meets a whale but soon draws the attention of the Green Warrior ship’s crew after being struck by a harpoon; they rescue him promptly.

Onboard the Green Warrior’s laboratory, Sammy reunites with Shelly as both recover from frostbite. Upon arrival in Monterey, California, Sammy is transferred to an animal rehabilitation center where he once again encounters Fluffy. Snow now works at this facility and prepares to tag Sammy before releasing him back into his natural habitat.

Soon after his release, Sammy aids in rescuing Ray who is trapped inside a container. While exploring a shipwreck alongside Rita, Ray’s partner, Sammy notices Shelly showing interest in another turtle named Robbie. To win Shelly’s affection, Ray orchestrates a staged rescue involving sharks; although Shelly is aware of the deception, she ultimately reconciles with Sammy. Their deep connection culminates in marriage at the shipwreck site, celebrated by fellow sea turtles.

The narrative concludes in 2009 with Sammy and Ray as grandfathers observing hatchlings making their way to the ocean. When Sammy hears his youngest grandson struggling to leave the nest, he assists him—reflecting on his own journey from vulnerable hatchling to experienced traveler.

Cast

Character	Voice actor
	United Kingdom	United States
Sammy	Dominic Cooper	Yuri Lowenthal (young), Billy Unger (hatchling)
Shelly	Gemma Arterton	Jenny McCarthy (young), Isabelle Fuhrman (hatchling)
Ray	Robert Sheehan	Anthony Anderson (young), Carlos McCullers (hatchling)
Fluffy	Kayvan Novak	Tim Curry
Sandra	Christine Bleakley	Sophi Bairley
Snow	Melanie Cooper	Melanie Griffith
Jacko	Geoff Searle	Scott Menville
Slim	Kayvan Novak	Charlie Adler
Vera	Anjella Mackintosh	Kathy Griffin
Ben	Ben Bishop	Al Rodriego
Rita	Sohm Kapila	Roxanne Reese
Robbie	Kayvan Novak	Darren Capozzi
Ollie	Ben Bishop	Yuri Lowenthal
Grandpa Sammy / Narrator	John Hurt	Stacy Keach
Penguins	Ben Kroll	Bill Tom
Old Female Turtle	N/A	Pat Carroll
Seals	Stacy Matt	Johnny Kroll
Eagles	Ben Searle	Bill Reese

Music

The soundtrack for the movie was created by Ramin Djawadi. Contributions from American pop artist Bruno Mars include tracks like "Count On Me" and "Talking to the Moon". The soundtrack also features songs by performers such as Donavon Frankenreiter, Dry Spells, Mika, The Mamas & the Papas, Mishon, Self, Fibes, Oh Fibes!, and V V Brown.

Reception

Sammy's Adventures garnered a variety of critical opinions. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a score of 44%.

Sandie Angulo Chen from Common Sense Media awarded the film three out of five stars, highlighting its advancements over Stassen's previous film Fly Me to the Moon. She praised its more straightforward narrative and enhanced character development. While noting resemblances to Pixar’s Finding Nemo, she emphasized the movie’s educational benefits for young viewers interested in ocean life.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film two stars, describing its visuals and screenplay as lackluster and labeling it a "weak imitation" of Finding Nemo. Nevertheless, he commended the film’s underlying message despite its uninspired delivery.

Beth Cook from The Mancunion complimented the quality of animation but criticized the film’s pacing, direction, and an ending that felt "frustratingly rushed". She also remarked on the overt moralistic approach present throughout the story.

Sequel

A follow-up titled A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape from Paradise (released as Sammy's Great Escape in the United Kingdom) premiered in Belgium on 15 August 2012.

Home media

Vivendi Entertainment issued the film on Blu-ray and DVD across the United States on 3 April 2012.