“It’s insane to think there’s a sequel to a true story, it’s never been done before.”

I had to hit pause when watching Dolphin Tale 2 star Nathan Gamble make that assertion in an interview with tween site Fanlala.com. Dolphin Tale 2 is based on how Winter, the real dolphin with a prosthetic tail from the first film, struggled emotionally after the death of her dolphin companion. But is it really the first reality-based sequel?

Mostly, Gamble’s right. Certainly there are entire horror franchises built on the “loosely loosely loosely based on true events” model – The Conjuring movies are the latest in that vein. Documentaries occasionally have follow-ups, successful concert bio docs in particular (One Direction’s second, Where We Are, will play October 10 and 11). Earlier this year, 300: Rise of the Empire was released as a sequel to 300 – but the veracity of the sequel has been heavily criticized by historical scholars.

In fact, I could only find one other true-story sequel, and like Dolphin Tale 2, it’s a family film about real-life animals. Born Free (1966) told the story of Elsa the lion cub who was raised by game wardens and then released, and it was followed by Living Free (1972), in which the same humans must move Elsa and her babies to a preserve.

Movie franchises are prevalent right now because it’s easier to get people to come back to the theater to see more adventures of characters they already know and love. So, why not true stories? Even my 13-year-old daughter Riley sees the value, telling me, “I think it’s a good idea to have a sequel because most people want to know what happened after the events in the first movie.”

Think about We Are Marshall, The Pursuit of Happyness and even The Social Network – I think many people would be curious to see what the university, the family and the Zuck are up to now. On the other hand 2011’s biopic Soul Surfer does get a bit of a part two: its subject, champion surfer Bethany Hamilton, plays herself in Dolphin Tale 2.

Here are three other movies to see with your family this weekend:

When the Game Stands Tall. The De La Salle Spartans, the sports world’s winningest team, are a shining example to kids that the qualities we parents try to instill in them – responsibility, accountability, dependability, commitment and humility –actually bring success.

The Giver. Junior high students, rejoice! The required reading fave that questions “Is ignorance really bliss?” finally makes it to the big screen with Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges bringing the gravitas and Taylor Swift bringing the excitement.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heavy on action, this Michael Bay-produced PG-13 special effects extravaganza is a lot of fun but also more violent than the cartoons, so think upper elementary age for this excursion.

Read Tara’s parent reviews at ThatWasSomething.com. Find out what kids think about these films at KidsPickFlicks.com, where all kids are movie critics!