Clearwater Marine Aquarium will be closed to the public beginning Friday as preparations begin for filming "Dolphin's Tale," a feature film inspired by the aquarium's star attraction.
"This is what we expected would happen as everything is still on schedule," says aquarium director David Yates.
The attraction is home to Winter, a bottlenose dolphin that received an artificial tail after she was injured and rescued.
Filming is expected to begin Sept. 27 on the 3-D film based on Winter's story. It will star Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr. and Ashley Judd.
Yates says the production company, Alcon Entertainment, has been constructing a set (which included the addition of an 80,000 gallon marine recovery pool) as well as painting the facility.
"More preparation work needs to be done so we decided to close this week," he says.
Filming is expected to take two months but is subject to change based on the filming schedule," he says. Alcon has conducted a nationwide search to find an 11-year-old actor to play a boy that befriends Winter. The selection has not been announced.
During filming, animal care and stranding response will continue and the Sea Life Safari and Kayaking tours also will continue. Alcon will cover the gate receipts that the aquarium will lose during the shut down period, Yates says.
The movie is expected to be released in the fall of 2011.
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