Sammy (voiced by Dominic Cooper), the sea turtle, hatches from an egg on a deserted beach together with hundreds of other sea turtles. But he is the only one who gets trapped inside the sand hole and almost cannot get out.
He is caught by a seagull, which is also carrying a female sea turtle called Shelly (Gemma Arterton). After the two turtles escape from the seagull, they fall into the sea and are separated.
Sammy travels around the world to find the love of his life, Shelly. From California to the Antarctic and the Panama canal, he faces many ups and downs.
The film promotes a love of the environment through its images of melting icecaps and oil spills. But it is more than a 3D animation with smiling animals and aquatic scenes. What gets everyone excited is the fact that Sammy has seen and experienced so much in his life at such a young age. It backs up the proverb that travelling thousands of kilometres is better than reading thousands of books.
The plot is very simple and child-like. Yet this tale of self-discovery and risking it all for love will appeal, no matter how old you are.