Pretty much everything I said about the first film applies to this one. Morgan Freeman plays a smaller part so they add a few more black extras in the background. A latinX professor for a brief cameo. And they make up for their lack of diversity with a few "strong female leader" moments, but you can just let it slide as teen angst I guess.

One thing I really like is how they make the characters relatable. They never make just one dimensional bad guys. For example, a USDA health inspector comes to visit and is just doing his job. He wants what's best for the dolphins and reluctantly enforces regulations. Likewise, another antagonist is the owner of the aquarium: a businessman explaining that if they don't capitalize they won't be able to save as many animals as they have been. For such a cheesy movie, I am always impressed with the premise and character development underneath.

On the negative side of things, it feels like one of those straight to DVD Disney channel movies, and the overall arch is very similar to the first one. But that's always hard to do when making sequels; stray too much and the audience lose their connection. Stay to close to the original and we feel like it's a rip off rehash. So let's cut them some slack. All things considered it was worth the 2 hours and may be worth renting.