Review: 'A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures'

Sea turtles Sammy and his friend Ray explore the oceans in "A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures."

With Earth Day almost upon us, DVD/Blu-ray offering "A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures" is a wonderful way to introduce kiddos to our underwater worlds.

Based on the trajectory of a sea turtle's life, this movie from Vivendi Entertainment and StudioCanal (SRP: $19.95; April 3 release) tells the story of Sammy the sea turtle and his quest to find his mate for life -- another sea turtle named Shelly, whose life he saved when he was a mere baby turtle.

The story begins with an older Sammy looking back on his life, starting from the moment he hatched in Baja, California, in 1959. Making their way out of a sunken, sandy nest, a group of sea turtles head toward the Pacific in hopes of finding food and starting a life for themselves. But it's Sammy who keeps sliding down the sandy incline, back to the nest of eggs. As he struggles to pull himself up onto the level ground, a seagull nabs him, and he meets his first obstacle and learns perhaps the most important life lesson: just surviving.

I watched this gorgeously animated movie with CC, half yesterday and half this morning. (She actually woke up way before breakfast so she could finish!) The 3D imagery is amazing, and the story really emphasizes exploration and perseverance -- two things I want CC to value.

Granted, at times, the film can seem a bit heavy-handed when it comes to its eco-friendly message. So many obstacles that Sammy faces are the cause of human interference. But "A Turtle's Tale" also invites children and parents to consider how their actions affect our environment, even the ones that we can't see.

CC also enjoyed the friendship between Sammy and his sea turtle friend Ray, as well as his search for Shelly.

"A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures" is a lovely and visually stunning movie that helps kids to see beyond their own back yards and encourages questions about creatures who have life-changing journeys of their own.