Favorite Flicks: Andre

© 1994 Paramount Pictures 
Running time: 96 min.
Rated PG
Keith Carradine, Tina Majorino

Based on the true story A Seal Called Andre, by Lew Deitz and Harry Goodridge

 

PLOT

Maine harbor master Steve Whitney finds an abandoned seal pup and brings him home to care for him. Named Andre, the seal becomes an instant hit with the Whitney family, especially Toni, a shy nine-year-old who bonds with the playful pup. When Andre is a year old, Steve releases him in the wild. To Toni’s delight, Andre repeatedly returns to the harbor to visit his human family. The crowd-pleasing seal receives a barrage of media publicity, but not everyone is happy with him. A local fisher blames Andre for his poor catches and demands that—one way or another—the seal visit the harbor no longer. Fearing for his safety, the Whitneys must decide to do what’s best for Andre.

HUMANE MESSAGES & OTHER GOOD POINTS

• Encourages compassion for animals. For example, Steve takes Andre home because he’s afraid the pup will die without his help, and Toni rescues a frog from children "winging him around in school."

• Emphasizes that wild animals belong in their natural habitats. On her father’s advice, Toni releases a butterfly she has caught. Although he knows that Andre needs help surviving the winter, Steve believes that seals ultimately belong in the wild. Together, Steve and Toni develop a plan: Andre will spend his winters in a Massachusetts aquarium and be released each spring. (Of course, the Whitneys are delighted that Andre chooses to return to their harbor each summer, traveling more than 250 miles to get there!)

• Promotes responsible stewardship of animals. The Whitneys treat their various pets—including a chicken, a pigeon, and a dog—as members of the family.

• Depicts peaceful conflict resolution. Although Steve initially uses physical force to stop Billy from killing Andre, he ultimately resolves his problems with Billy through discussion, compromise, and cooperation.

• Ends with actual footage of the real-life Andre interacting with his human friends—scenes that children are sure to enjoy.

POINTS TO PONDER

From a humane perspective, few movies are perfect. Following are potential problems with the film that you may wish to address with your children or students.

• In some scenes, animals are put in situations that are not natural for them. For example, Toni puts clothing on a pigeon, a chicken, and Andre; Andre is taught tricks to amuse people and is paraded in front of a classroom for "Show and Tell."

• An employee of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is portrayed as an uncaring busybody out to get the Whitneys for raising a seal. In reality, the NMFS is charged with enforcing the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Have a heart. Encourage students to develop empathy by putting themselves in somebody else’s shoes. Have them write a short story from another’s point of view. Possible ideas inspired by Andre include: the frog’s feelings when he is rescued by Toni from cruel classmates; Andre’s feelings at losing his mother and gaining a human family; the butterfly’s feelings during her captivity and when she is released; Toot’s (the dog) feelings about Andre joining the family.

Wild and free. This film recognizes that wild animals need their natural habitats and are not appropriate pets. Have each student research one of the following animals: hamster, mouse, dog, horse, cat, seal, iguana, hedgehog, boa constrictor, chinchilla. Taking into consideration the animal’s natural habitats, behaviors, and needs, ask students to decide whether that animal is an appropriate pet or belongs in the wild. (The HSUS considers the first five animals appropriate pets; the others are wild and belong in their habitats.)