The original Flipper was an 1963 film directed by James B. Clark. The most popular Flipper is surely the TV series that originally ran from 1964-1968 and has subsequently been re-run many times all over the world. Park Ranger Porter Ricks (played by Brian Kelly) and his son Sandy (Luke Halpin) are the "owners" of Flipper, played by a dolphin named Suzy.
The most recent re-telling the 1996 film starring Elijah Wood as the main character, Sandy. Sandy is a teenager from Chicago who is sent to live with his uncle Porter (Paul Hogan) over the summer. While staying there, Sandy meets Flipper, a dolphin, along with some other new friends.