{"id":1835,"date":"2026-05-28T07:04:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T07:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1835"},"modified":"2026-05-28T07:04:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T07:04:23","slug":"clearwater-marine-aquarium-serves-as-backdrop-for-new-christmas-romance-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1835","title":{"rendered":"Clearwater Marine Aquarium serves as backdrop for new Christmas romance movie"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEARWATER, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>Clearwater Marine Aquarium has transformed into a movie set.<\/p>

Clearwater Marine Aquarium movie set<\/h2>

What we know:<\/p>

<\/div>

The movie “Christmas in Clearwater” started filming at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium last week. Country Mile Entertainment is producing it.\u00a0<\/p>

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“This project shines a spotlight not only on the beauty of Clearwater and our aquarium, but also the incredible story, connections and spirit that make this community so special,” CMA\u2019s CEO Joe Handy said. “We are honored to partner with the talented team at Country Mile Entertainment and excited to welcome them to CMA.”<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

Holiday romance movie plot<\/h2>

The backstory:<\/p>

Country Mile Entertainment\u2019s Founder and CEO, John Harris, explained that the story focuses on a career-driven woman who returns home during the holidays to close a business deal at the aquarium. She falls back in love with a high school flame who\u2019s the chief veterinarian at the aquarium.\u00a0<\/p>

“They work together to help save the aquarium from the evil corporate men,” Harris said.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

According to the cast and crew, CMA\u2019s animal care team helped elevate the production. The script changed daily based on feedback from the handlers to weave the true mission of CMA into the characters’ emotional journeys with the animals, they said.\u00a0<\/p>

Aquarium animals help shape production<\/h2>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“We were also able to even add more because of the animal care team,” Director Lindsay Hartley said. “We were adding more to the story than I thought. They actually are in the water with them. So, it is a romance movie, but it is also about the magnificent animals that you guys have here and the care that you are showing, and that we hope to encourage others to see that when they watch the film.”<\/p>

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Several crew members are from the area, which they say helped inspire the decision to use the venue.\u00a0<\/p>

“These animals are incredible,” Ignacyo Matynia, one of the movie\u2019s stars, said. “They’re incredibly well-trained. They’re well-behaved. They’re trusting, and they’re not just acting for the sake of acting. They’re trusting that these trainers are caring for their well-being, and seeing that feedback loop for us, I think, informed the entire plot, what this story is really about, and it’s about helping these animals,” he said.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

“I can so poignantly draw a parallel to my own life in that and coming back home to myself that this opportunity has been a dream and working with all of you, the specialists, it really is,” Katrina Norman, who stars in the movie, said. “I wish everybody could do it because it’s such an incredible experience. Hands down, my favorite experience that I’ve had.”<\/p>

The cast said while they star in the movie, the animals are the real stars of the show.<\/p>

Holiday film release window<\/h2>

What we don’t know:<\/p>

The production crew is not sure which streaming network it will be on, but they hope to release the movie by this Christmas.<\/p>

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The holiday romance movie “Christmas in Clearwater” is filming at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[244,117],"tags":[245,118],"class_list":["post-1835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clearwater","category-entertainment","tag-clearwater","tag-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"\nClearwater Marine Aquarium serves as backdrop for new Christmas romance movie - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1835\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clearwater Marine Aquarium serves as backdrop for new Christmas romance movie - 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