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Flipper's New Adventure

Name: Flipper's New Adventure
Director: Leon Benson
Released: 1964
Duration: 94 min

Representation Score

1.8/10

Minimal

1964

Director

Leon Benson

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Flipper's New Adventure is a typical mid-century family adventure that adheres strictly to the social norms of 1964. The narrative centers on a Western, Eurocentric worldview, prioritizing the preservation of the traditional family unit and patriarchal structures. The film lacks depth in representing multiple aspects of identity, reflecting the era's standard commercial formulas. Character roles are divided along gendered lines, with males driving the plot while females play reactive roles. Ultimately, the film functions as a conventional adventure piece. It reinforces established social hierarchies rather than challenging them, providing very little representation outside of a standard Western framework.

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Category Breakdown

Does Flipper's New Adventure have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on traditional nuclear family dynamics and assumes everyone is straight or cisgender. There are no depictions of non-binary or same-sex relationships.

How does Flipper's New Adventure portray gender?

Fair

The plot follows a patriarchal structure where male characters drive the action. Female characters play reactive roles as hostages, lacking proactive influence.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Flipper's New Adventure?

Limited

The cast appears homogeneous, focusing on Western characters from American and British backgrounds. There are no non-white protagonists or diverse racial representations.

How does Flipper's New Adventure represent religion and culture?

Limited

The story emphasizes traditional Western values and the sanctity of the family unit. It uses standard clichés of individual versus institutional tension.

Does Flipper's New Adventure include disability representation?

Minimal

The narrative contains no mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Present on Screen

The film provides a clear, cohesive narrative centered on familial bonds and the protection of home.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks racial and ethnic diversity, focusing almost exclusively on Western characters.
Female characters lack a significant role in driving the story, often serving as reactive figures in the plot.
There is no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth characters.

Official Synopsis

While widowed Porter Ricks is away at school learning to be a park ranger, his teen-aged son, Sandy, under adult supervision from a neighbor, remains at the family home in the Florida Keys with his pet dolphin, Flipper. While Po (as Porter is called by most) is away, Sandy learns that the family home, built on state land, is being torn down to make way for a highway. In turn, Sandy would be sent to live with relatives, while Flipper would be sent to the seaquarium permanently. Not wanting to be separated from Flipper, Sandy, using his skiff, runs away with Flipper. A distraught Po returns home to look for his son. Meanwhile, the Hopewell family from Britain are vacationing in the area. Their sailboat is hijacked by three escaped convicts, who take the father, Halsey, hostage, and set the three Hopewell women - mother Julia, and teen-aged daughters Gwen and Penny - adrift, they who eventually land on the island where Sandy is hiding... Written by Huggo

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