Virtual reality experience planned to remember ‘Dolphin Tale’ star Winter the dolphin
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By Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Officials with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced plans Friday to launch a virtual reality experience to allow fans to virtually swim with Winter, the prosthetic-tailed dolphin who starred in 2011′s “Dolphin Tale” and inspired people worldwide before her death last month.
“When a loved one passes there is a very real fear that we will forget the sound of their voice or even the way they walked,” Dr. James “Buddy” Powell, president of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, said in a statement. “For those of us who loved Winter, I’m proud to announce that Winter will live on in the physical world as well as the digital world so her signature tweet, demeanor and personality can never be forgotten.”
Using pictures and 360-degree videos taken during Winter’s life, aquarium officials said they plan to produce a “virtual reality immersive experience” set to go live next month. The aquarium will also remember Winter with a memorial which will open to the public Dec. 26. Officials encouraged fans to bring notes, cards and stories about Winter’s impact to share in the space.
“Essentially, Winter’s intestines had twisted deep in her intestine,” aquarium officials said last month. “While our team provided Winter the best care and treatment available, the location of the torsion made it impossible to reach through surgery. There was nothing more the team could have done to save her life.”
The bottlenose dolphin had been at Clearwater Marine Aquarium since 2005 when she was rescued after becoming entangled in a crab trapline and losing her tail. Her recovery and the process to get her fitted with a prosthetic tail was chronicled in “Dolphin Tale,” starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson and Morgan Freeman. The movie was filmed at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, with Winter starring as herself.
Winter also appeared in 2014′s “Dolphin Tale 2,” which focused on Hope, another dolphin who has been at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium since she was rescued in 2010.
Officials with Clearwater Marine Aquarium said Friday that staff members plan to release her ashes into the Gulf of Mexico next month.
“Returning Winter to her natural home is a poetic ending to her incredible 16-year journey and we couldn’t think of a better way to lay her spirit to rest,” Powell said.
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Winter the dolphin swims at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Winter the dolphin swims at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone kisses Winter the dolphin during a show Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium trainer Cindy Farber reaches out to touch Winter the dolphin on the nose in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31, photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone fits Winter the dolphin with a prosthetic tail in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23.(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug. 31 photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone, right, grabs Winter the dolphin's prosthetic fluke as Emily Egan holds her Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin FILE - In this July 26, 2007 file photo, Winter, a tailless dolphin, rests on her mat at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Fla. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium was heavily featured in the 2011 film Dolphin Tale, which told a fictionalized account of Winter the dolphin. The film reached audiences world wide and brought thousands of visitors to the aquarium. The aquariums story is one that Film Florida, a lobbying group for the states entertainment industry, pushed recently when a delegation of filmmakers and others met with lawmakers in Tallahassee about extending the states incentive program for luring movie and TV production. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File) (Chris O'Meara/AP)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug 31, 2011 photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone, left, shows Winter the dolphin to J.C. Barton, center, of Williamson, N.Y., and Kelsie Castagne, of Carmel, N.Y., in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin FILE - Clearwater Marine Aquarium senior marine mammal trainer Abby Stone works with Winter the dolphin in Clearwater, Fla., Aug. 3, 2011. Officials say the prosthetic-tailed dolphin that starred in the "Dolphin Tale" movies may be fighting a gastrointestinal infection. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, that staff members noticed a week earlier that Winter was acting abnormally and not eating. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File) (Chris O'Meara/AP)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug 31 photo, Clearwater Marine Aquarium trainer Cindy Farber works with dolphins Winter, right, and Panama in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Winter the dolphin In this Aug 31 photo, Winter the dolphin swims in a tank in Clearwater, Fla. The nonprofit public aquarium was about ready to go belly-up at the end of 2005 when Winter, the bottlenose dolphin was brought there after getting her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson, opening Sept. 23.(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (Chris O'Meara/ASSOCIATED PRESS)