A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventure (2D) [DVD]

A young sea-turtle’s romantic quest for his first, lost love, a fellow hatchling, born on the same Californian beach, takes him on a marathon voyage across the seven seas, to the furthest corners of the earth. In a world under increasing threat from environmental pollution, where the oceans are a battleground between the forces of nature and mankind, can Sammy the sea-turtle complete his dangerous 50-year mission and find his soul mate Shelly and the happiness they deserve? The thrills and comical spills are brought to the screen by director Ben Stassen ( Fly Me To The Moon) with the help of a top-class British voice cast, starring Dominic Cooper ( Mamma Mia), Gemma Arterton ( St Trinian’s, Clash of The Titans), John Hurt ( Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Kayvan Novak ( Four Lions, Fonejacker) and Robert Sheehan ( Misfits). With 3D lenticular packaging. It might not be the highest profile animated film of the year, but that’s no reason to write off A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventure 3D. It’s a film aimed at a younger audience, with a strong ecological message at its heart, and bears more than a passing tip of the hat to Finding Nemo. Yet while it doesn’t measure up to Pixar’s movie, children are likely to be content for the length of its running time. A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventure 3D tells the story of Sammy the turtle, and takes in five decades of his life and the colourful characters he meets along the way. It’s significantly enlivened by a strong voice cast, including John Hurt, Dominic Cooper and Gemma Arterton, who put some real gusto into their work. The film is a Belgian movie that’s been redubbed for the UK market, and that alone is usually enough to put people off. But don’t be discouraged here, particularly when you factor in the genuinely impressive 3D.--Jon Foster