Crews rolled out the blue carpet at the Regency Village Theater on Sunday for the Los Angeles World Premiere of Dolphin Tale 2.

Tampa Bay's most beloved dolphin, Winter, returned to the big screen in the sequel to the popular 2011 movie Dolphin Tale.

The premiere started at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, and Bay News 9's Anne Imanuel was there.

Anne spent the day talking to the film's biggest stars on the blue carpet just before the premiere. She said it was clear that the stars are very fond of Tampa Bay and are excited to show the world more about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and their mission.

"I was so pleased and unsurprised about the success of the first Dolphin Tale movie," said Ashley Judd, who plays Lorraine in the movie. "It had so many powerful and touching messages for us."

"We had a great time with the first one and to have this kind of experience it's kind of rare in film making, to have it again is exceedingly rare," said actor Harry Connick Jr. during an interview on Sunday.

"Really, today, I'm just kind of numb but really delighted," said film director Charles Martin Smith about the premiere. "Nobody, I think, has ever made a sequel to a true story but there are so many other things that go on at CMA and I just thought, 'I got more stories I can tell.'"

David Yates, CEO of Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the Executive Producer of Dolphin Tale 2, was at the premiere on Sunday.

"It's almost surreal," Yates said on the blue carpet. "Obviously it's three years past Dolphin Tale, to have a sequel to what was an amazing experience and have it happen all over again, almost to the date, it's just amazing.

"It's going to be great for CMA, showing our work to the entire world, but also great for the entire area."

Yates said when Dolphin Tale 2 wraps up, he plans on having a more serious conversation about a third film with the crew.

"We have a number of stories that we've worked on that I think could make sense for a third movie," Yates said. "We'll see what happens, we're just happy to have two great movies."

Actor Kris Kristofferson, who plays Reed Haskett in the movie, said he enjoyed filming in the Tampa Bay area.

"It reminds me of where I grew up," Kristofferson said. "I grew up in Brownsville, Texas on the other side of the gulf and I've always felt at home around the Gulf of Mexico."

Actress Austin Highsmith, who plays Pheobe, said she believes the movie will inspire more people to keep going and to persevere.

"This movie has tons of great messages for all ages, really, and we've gotten to see first-hand the impact that Winter has had on with people, like you said, with medical disabilities, veterans," said Highsmith. "I think we all sort of realized why we were coming back to make a second one, to be able to further tell that story and further change people's lives."

All of the film's main stars were able to attend the premiere, however Morgan Freedman was scheduled to be there but couldn't make it.

About the sequel to Dolphin Tale

Dolphin Tale 2 continues Winter's incredible story of perseverance at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

This time, the dolphin who lost her tail in a crab trap and gained a prosthetic tail faces another loss. Winter's surrogate mother, Panama, passes away, leaving Winter alone and grieving.

But Panama's death could also mean the Clearwater Marine Aquarium could lose Winter. Government regulations require dolphins to be paired with a mate since they're social creatures.

That's where a young dolphin named Hope comes in. Dolphin Tale 2 focuses on Hope's rescue story.

Bay News 9's studio and staff are once again featured in scenes of the movie.

Special guest invited to film's premiere in LA

Special guest Stephanie Evans, 19, of Indiana, was invited to attend the premiere by Warner Brothers.

Evans has a rare disorder and needs a kidney transplant to live. She also lost her hearing in December. She says Winter inspires her.

"She just sees all that Winter has gone through," said Evans' mother, Joann. "When Winter gets past it and is doing well now, she puts that in the back of her mind and she's like, 'If Winter can get through this, I can.' " She takes her Winter stuffed animal with her everywhere she goes. About the only thing she wears is her Winter T-shirts."

Evans, her mother and her sister were flown to the premiere.

"It brings me so much joy because we go through so much with her medical stuff, and now she's on the liver/kidney transplant list," Joann Evans said. "We just don't know what's in store for her future, so this is just incredible. We're just so blessed."

Dolphin Tale 2 hits theaters nationwide on next Friday, after a local premiere at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall on Wednesday. Tickets for the Ruth Eckerd Hall showing range from $25 to $150 and can be purchased online.